Major League Baseball All-Star teams have been announced, with the Boston Red Sox having three members earn the honor to represent the team in the All-Star game.
Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman were named American League All-Stars this past week after an excellent first half of the season. There are only so many players who can be named an All-Star each season, resulting in some players being overlooked.
The Athletic's Chad Jennings listed notable players snubbed from being named All-Stars, and surprisingly included Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela.
“Rafaela is a curious case because he’s only slightly above-average as a hitter (101 wRC+), but he’s also a great baserunner, and defensively he’s one of three players to be worth 14 outs above average this season,” Jennings wrote. “It’s hard for a player to make an All-Star team strictly on the strength of his defense, but Rafaela made a case.”
Rafaela is playing the best baseball of his young career, slashing .264/.307/.763. In only 86 games this season, Rafaela has nearly matched his total number of doubles last season of 23, already hitting 20, and has mashed 11 home runs this season, hitting 15 in 152 games last season. He has already matched his total number of walks from the previous season in nearly half the time.
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The 24-year-old is a rising star in the MLB, and though he just seemed to have missed the cut, he has been red hot of late. It's still possible that Rafaela could be named a replacement if any of the current players get injured, but with Rafaela being on an eight-year, $50 million deal, the Red Sox have a potential All-Star for years to come.
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