Major League Baseball’s All-Star replacement process has once again left a few pitchers on the outside looking in, and the Milwaukee Brewers have plenty of reason to be annoyed.
The latest round of replacement picks brought in Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo, Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft, and Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien, each earning the first All-Star selection of his career. The choices came after Phillies ace Zack Wheeler was ruled out because he’s scheduled to pitch on Sunday, the day before the All-Star Game, and MLB only targets players who will actually be available to pitch in the game.
Wheeler called the process “BS” last night, but the Brewers have their own case to make. Kyle Harrison, Trevor Megill, and Aaron Ashby all have strong arguments that they should be in the Midsummer Classic instead of the pitchers MLB just added.
Harrison stands out as the clearest miss. In his first season in Milwaukee, the 24-year-old has put together the best numbers of the three starters in this discussion.
He owns the lowest ERA, the highest strikeout rate, and the best WHIP. The one area where he trails Luzardo and Ashcraft is innings pitched, and that gap is tied to the start he missed after taking a ball off the knee from Gary Sánchez while covering first base in April.
His numbers also look even better if you remove his start at Las Vegas Ballpark, where no other starting pitcher will be forced to work again this season. Even with that context, Harrison has the stronger case.
Megill’s omission is harder to defend the more you look at what he’s done lately. He made the All-Star team a year ago, then got off to a slow start this season.
But over the last two months, he’s been one of the best relievers in the sport. Since May 1, Megill has a 1.44 ERA and a 34.7% strikeout rate, which has pulled his season ERA down to 3.00.
He also has a 0.97 WHIP, 46 strikeouts, seven holds, and 14 saves in 16 chances. O’Brien, by comparison, has a 3.72 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts in nearly the same amount of innings.
O’Brien does have eight more saves in 10 more opportunities, but Megill has been the better pitcher overall.
Ashby brings a different kind of case, but it’s a strong one. He may not have the traditional closer profile or the eye-catching ERA that usually grabs attention, but his 12 wins lead the league.
That alone should have put him in the conversation. And this isn’t just a wins argument.
Ashby has a better ERA than O’Brien, more than twice as many strikeouts, and nearly 20 more innings. Including his one appearance as an opener, he also has more strikeouts than any other relief pitcher in baseball.
For a reliever, 12 wins is no small thing.
The All-Star selection process has never been clean, and MLB has spent years showing just how messy it can get. But when the second-best team in baseball winds up with only two All-Stars and several obvious snubs, it’s fair to ask what exactly is driving these replacement decisions.
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