Christian Walker’s omission from his first-ever All-Star Game this year stirred controversy among fans. While Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman were expected to represent the National League at first base, the selection of Pete Alonso from the New York Mets as the third-string option left many baffled—and rightfully so.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Statistically, Walker’s offensive production significantly outshined Alonso’s at the time of the All-Star selections. Beyond the batting numbers, Walker’s defensive ability is also a notable distinction, as he is on track to earn his third consecutive Gold Glove. In contrast, Alonso’s glove work has been average at best.
1 of these guys was named an all star, 1 was not…
Christian Walker NEEDS to be an all star… WHAT A JOKE pic.twitter.com/Y80HIUPncA
— Dalton Feely (@dfeely14) July 7, 2024
Just days before the All-Star Game, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal revealed the behind-the-scenes reasoning behind Alonso’s selection. According to Rosenthal, Alonso leveraged his participation in the Home Run Derby to secure his spot on the All-Star roster. Rosenthal commented on his Fair Territory podcast, stating, “Pete Alonso does not really deserve to be an All-Star, not over Brandon Nimmo, not over Francisco Lindor. But he’s in the game because he indicated that he won’t be in the derby unless he’s in the game, and they needed him in the derby.”
Months later, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince compiled his 2024 All-Non-All-Stars, identifying the best players from each position who missed out on All-Star recognition. Unsurprisingly, Walker was named the team’s first baseman. Castrovince noted, “Walker, who has also never been an All-Star, was pretty widely mentioned as a snub at the time of the roster announcements. He wound up missing all of August with a left oblique strain. But he’s nevertheless had another very productive season for the defending NL champs, slashing .257/.344/.487 with 26 homers and 23 doubles, and he’s likely to be a Gold Glover for the third straight year.”
The rest of the All-Non-All-Stars roster included Cal Raleigh at catcher, Luis Garcia Jr. at second base, Francisco Lindor at shortstop, Matt Chapman at third base, Brent Rooker as the designated hitter, and Jackson Chourio, Tyler O’Neill, and Seiya Suzuki in the outfield. Framber Valdez was named the starting pitcher, with Raisel Iglesias serving as the team’s relief ace.
Eugenio Suárez of the Diamondbacks received an honorable mention at third base, with Castrovince highlighting, “We could have just as easily gone with either the Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suárez (28 homers, 28 doubles, 96 RBIs) or the Padres’ Manny Machado (27 homers, 29 doubles, 102 RBIs) as our starter, so either is worthy of the reserve spot. The NL West is loaded with All-Non-All-Stars at the hot corner!”
Since the All-Star break, Suárez has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters, posting a .981 OPS in the second half of the season.
