As with All-Star selections in any sport, the announcement of the players chosen to participate in MLB’s 81st Midsummer Classic on July 13 has stirred debate all across the country; particularly among those who have supported and opposed the inclusion of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg on the National League squad.
But although the 21-year-old Strasburg has had the baseball world buzzing since his major league debut last month, the decision by Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel to leave Strasburg off the National League roster was the wisest one because it was based on merit rather than hype.
“I looked there and I felt like, in my opinion, and I'm not his manager, but at the same time he's a young kid,'' Manuel said. “I say let him pitch and let him get his feet on the ground in the major leagues and kind of let him earn his way.''
This is a concept that seems to be lost on those who strongly feel that Strasburg should be one of the pitchers taking the mound next week in Anaheim after only six starts in which he has compiled a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 2.45.
And, believe it or not, there is a growing contingent that actually has the unmitigated gall to view Strasburg’s exclusion from the All-Star Game as some sort of snub or lack of consideration for what the baseball public wants to see.
What it really is though is a disrespectful slap in the face to fans of the New York Mets who are continuing to wonder why starting ace Mike Pelfrey isn’t headed to southern California next week. The same Mike Pelfrey who has posted a record of 10-2 with an ERA of 2.93 in 16 starts and been the anchor of a pitching rotation that has the Mets in playoff contention this season.
Despite the fact that Pelfrey would not have been available to pitch since he’s scheduled to start two days before the All-Star Game, he could have still attended and been replaced on the active roster.
"I think the biggest thing is I would have liked to have gone and sat there and watched the Home Run Derby with my kid," Pelfrey said after learning of his snub. "But, you know, it was a tough decision. I guess there were a lot of guys that were qualified.”
With no equivocation, Stephen Strasburg is not one of those guys that were qualified.
So in spite of Manuel’s glaring oversight in regards to not selecting Pelfrey, Mets fans can take some measure of comfort in Strasburg being left off the roster by the Phillies skipper because, if baseball’s newest sensation did make the National League team, additional roster spaces would have had to be created for more deserving hurlers like Pelfrey, his teammate R.A. Dickey (6-1, 2.62 ERA, 9 starts) and San Diego Padres right-hander Mat Latos (9-4, 2.62 ERA, 16 starts). Like Charlie Manuel poignantly said about Strasburg being left off the National League All-Star team, “Let him earn his way.”
Without a shadow of a doubt, Strasburg has All-Star potential but, after less than a month in the big leagues, he’s far from being an All-Star; and Major League Baseball would best serve Strasburg and themselves by tempering their anointing of him as the savior of the sport at the tender age of 21.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video presentation featuring Stephen Strasburg.
Snub of NY Mets Mike Pelfrey Should End Stephen Strasburg All-Star Campaign
