Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez, Addison Russell are not All-Stars
Javier Baez and Addison Russell of the Chicago Cubs are almost All-Stars, according to a fan voting update released by MLB. Please, stop the madness.
Chicago Cubs infielders Javier Baez and Addison Russell are in hot pursuit of National League All-Star starting spots, according to an update on voting released by MLB. Such a thing is absurd to the point of farcical, and a reminder why fan voting, for anything, should be limited. So please, Cubs fans, stop.
Javier Baez and Addison Russell, respectively, are also having two of the most pitiful offensive seasons in Major League Baseball. No matter their defensive prowess, they should not even be in consideration for an alternate spot on the roster for the mid-summer exhibition.
In fact, it is of growing concern in Chicago whether Baez, Russell, or both, might benefit from some time in the minor leagues. They can meet up in Iowa with Kyle Schwarber.
For example, Baez, the starting second baseman for the Cubs, is sporting a slash line of .262/.292/.483 through 45 games. He has a Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) of 92, which is 8 percent below average. FanGraphs' WAR metric has him contributing 0.2 wins through 157 plate appearances, which has him slotted 16th in the NL among second basemen with at least 100 PA.
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Baez is bad, Russell is worse.
However, the larger atrocity is Russell's current performance at the plate, which Cubs fans ostensibly believe should be rewarded with an All-Star bid. Russell is fewer than 20,000 votes behind Dodgers starting shortstop and baseball-mashing wunderkind Corey Seager, yet Russell is deficient in fWAR by 1.5 wins when compared to Seager. Russell is barely replacement level: His 0.4 fWAR is ninth in the NL among qualified shortstops.
With a batting line on the season of .216/.298/.351 and a wRC+ of 73, 27 percent below league average, it is only Russell's defense keeping him on the positive side of the WAR balance sheet, and then only barely so. A sub-.300 OBP and sub-.700 OPS is demotion-worthy, not worthy of a nationally-televised, albeit meaningless, exhibition showcasing the league's brightest stars.
Neither Addison Russell nor Javier Baez are anywhere close to leading their league at each respective position. They are both clinging, barely, to contributing positive value to their team. These two traits alone should sober a fandom still rabid from a 2016 World Series win, and stop the stuffing of MLB's digital ballot boxes. It won't, of course, and as mentioned earlier, the All-Star Game is meaningless beyond the odd veteran with All-Star appearances linked to bonus payouts in his contract.
That said, it might be telling that Cubs fans everywhere need so desperately to tell themselves that Addison Russell and Javier Baez are doing just fine. They're All-Stars, right? All-Stars don't go a collective 2-for-15 while being swept by the Padres. No, no they do not.
