Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Justin Wrobleski has been one of the best starters in baseball this year, and despite his stellar campaign, he was not named an All-Star.
Instead, MLB passed him up in the initial round of selections and when naming replacements for any pitcher who decided to drop out of the game.
In terms of pitching, only Yoshinobu Yamamoto made it from the Dodgers, and very deservingly so, while Shohei Ohtani will be a designated hitter.
The Dodgers still get good representation from the position player group, but for a team that boasts one of the best rotations in baseball by most metrics, there seems to be a disconnect between how many Dodgers pitchers are going and how good the rotation is.
Beyond Ohtani and Yamamoto, the standout name with a good case is Wrobleski (it could have been Glasnow, who was on track for an All-Star-caliber season, but he got hurt).
Wrobleski’s All-Star Case
Wrobleski has a 2.69 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 1.02 WHIP, alongside a 10-2 record. Among qualified pitchers, he sits seventh in ERA.
He is part of a six-man collective, which brings the benefit of rest and restriction of capping a pitcher’s workload, yet he has made the most of his chances.
He has gone seven or more innings over seven different outings, giving the Dodgers length and posting a 2.4 fWAR, sitting among the top in baseball as well.
Obviously, given how Wrobleski has gone from a fringe major leaguer to an established member of the rotation, it will sting that his surge will not be rewarded with an All-Star appearance.
“You want to be an All-Star,” Wrobleski said. “It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod.
“For the most part, in the categories that I’m trying to be good at I’ve done a pretty good job. Hopefully I can gain the respect of players and everybody else and maybe be in there next year.”
Going forward, Wrobleski could still sneak into the game if Yamamoto does not pitch and opens up a spot, but at this point, given all that he has already proven, the southpaw should not need the accolade to be proud of his season thus far.
