Astros: Yuli Gurriel snubbed, four others to ASG

After Sunday’s contest, the stars were aligned for the 2021 All-Star Game, as four Houston Astros were selected. Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley and Ryan Pressly were all selected for the American League team. These four all had strong cases for the team and were expected to be representing the Astros in 2021.

From an Astros’ fan perspective, we all feel like Yuli Gurriel was snubbed from the 2021 All-Star Game in Colorado. While looking on the mound, Luis Garcia was also making a case, but Gurriel has been on a tear this whole season. Another hitter that was having a great season was Yordan Alvarez, but Shohei Ohtani, J.D. Martinez and Nelson Cruz made up the DH core.

With four Astros selected, where does Yuli Gurriel matchup compared to the other first basemen selected?

I have a biased opinion on who I think should make the All-Star game, which is why I think Gurriel was snubbed. Instead of his first ever All-Star appearance, the right-hander will have his usual few days of.

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From the AL, Vlad Guerrero Jr. was selected by the fan vote to be the starter, which is expected from an MVP frontrunner. The other two selections were Matt Olson and Jared Walsh. At the start of the season, Gurriel looked to be the main representative from the Astros, but let’s take a look at Gurriel compared to Olson and Walsh.

Over 78 games this season, Gurriel is slashing .322/.390/.495 with 10 home runs, as his numbers have dipped lower over the last month. For Olson, the Oakland A is hitting .280/.370/.550 with 20 home runs. For Walsh, the Los Angeles Angel has a .284/.345/.565 line with 20 home runs.

Both hitters have been very quiet All-Stars in the eyes of the media, as we haven’t heard much about the two. It looked like Gurriel would be a for sure lock, but his numbers OPS ranks fourth among AL first baseman behind the three players selected before him.

Just because you make top three in fan votes, doesn’t mean you’ll be a reserve for your respective league. But as it seems like Gurriel was snubbed, Olson and Walsh have also been sneaky good. It could be tough to see Gurriel slip into the Game as a reserve, as Olson and Walsh aren’t injured.