By Marc Nolan – Last Word On Baseball
Occasionally, in Major League Baseball, remarkable seasons go unnoticed. Beyond that, in every generation there are great players that, due to market limitations or team failures, go without the publicity they deserve. Every single year, superstars fall through the cracks. Maybe it is a failure of the major media companies, maybe a failure of the fans, or maybe a failure of understanding what actual greatness is beyond a triple crown statistics. Who knows? But these are all players who deserve more notice from the league and fans. This is the 2016 MLB Unsung All-Star Team.
2016 MLB Unsung All-Star Team
Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals, C
After a disastrous 2015 it would not have been unfair for the Nationals to have gone a different direction. Ramos hit .229/.258/.358/.616 (for comparison sake, offensive juggernaut Josh Thole has a career line of .242/.313/.306/.619). Even by meager catcher standards, that is poor. This season was different all together. Ramos has always been an excellent defender, but in 2016 Ramos was able to set career highs in essentially every offensive category. With 22 home runs and .307/.354/.496/.850 line, Ramos turned himself into a legitimate All-Star in 2016. Unfortunately for Ramos, his season came to an end this week after tests revealed a torn ACL. But what a season it was for the 29-year-old Venezuelan.
Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves, 1B
Freeman stands as the most overlooked player in the game, with very little debate. Freddie is a beautiful player to watch. At 6’5 and 225 lbs, he features quick feet, a wonderful stroke, and, most impressively, a vastly improved approach year after year. When the average baseball fan speaks about the best first basemen in the game, rarely is he mentioned. Paul Goldschmidt, Edwin Encarnacion, Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, and now Anthony Rizzo all get more attention.
Even now, Freeman is posting career-best and, in some cases, MLB-best numbers. He should be a considered among the leaders for NL MVP consideration, but isn’t. With a line of .305/.402/.570/.972, that’s a travesty.
Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays, 2B
Prior to the 2015 season, the Blue Jays acquired Devon Travis from the Detroit Tigers for Anthony Gose. Some believed that Toronto gave up a future All-Star in Gose for a small, AAAA journeyman-to-be middle infielder. Well, that’s not quite what happened. Travis was a beast prior to a season-ending shoulder injury last year. Flashing surprising pop and incredible bat control, Travis was quickly anointed the second baseman of the present as well as future.
Some believed that last year was an anomaly and he would decline this season. Instead, he broke out. While still managing to hit .300 and flashing gap-to-gap power, Travis also managed to take strides in his defense. Devon Travis may not receive any press outside of Toronto, but he soon will.
Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners, 3B
This is one of the best players in the game. Although his little brother may receive all of the MVP talk in the National League, Kyle is equally deserving of that conversation in the American League. He has increased his home run total over each of the past five seasons, he has never posted a WAR below 3.6, and has lifted his WRC+ all the way to 134, even while playing his home games at Safeco Field. He is an impressive athlete and still only 28 years old.
As time goes on, Seager will continue to put a stamp on his place among the game’s elite. Hopefully, he will gain additional fanfare along the way.
Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians, SS
There were no real “unsung” players at shortstop this season. The elite played like the elite; the others did not. There were exceptional performances on the offensive side of the ball and on the defensive side as well, but few were able to string both together. The most shocking thing about this selection is the fact that, despite an amazing season as a rookie with little fanfare, mostly do to Carlos Correa, he has followed that up by being the best player on the best team in the AL. Still no fanfare.
He has become, arguably, the best defensive SS in the game, he has posted wonderful all around numbers with the bat, and has even added elements to his game. How has this man still flown under the radar?
Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays, OF
This season has been an odd one for Kiermaier. He battled injuries and exceptional bad luck most of the year. His overall numbers don’t jump off of the page: .244/.328/.410/.738. However, considering his .276 BABIP, those numbers could be significantly better. The offense is fine, but the defense is where Kiermaier hangs his hat. He has not had the same season defensively he had last year, but Kiermaier is still widely considered the games best defensive outfielders. He is a legitimate 5+ WAR player and does not get the overall recognition he deserves.
Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies, OF
Much like Francisco Lindor, it is shocking how little press Blackmon receives from national media. He has improved every season he has been in MLB. While he may never be an excellent defender, he is average across the board. The thing that has separated Blackmon this season is the increase in power. In addition to 28 home runs and a .225 ISO, Blackmon has also managed to keep his strikeouts at a manageable level (16.1%), even with the more power based approach. Impressively, Blackmon has been better away from Coors Field this season. He posted a .932 OPS on the road versus .910 at home, and although his stolen base numbers have dipped, he is still a 20+ steal threat.
Charlie Blackmon has become one of the game’s best, and it’s time to acknowledge that.
Adam Eaton, Chicago White Sox, OF
In 2016, Eaton proved he could be a superstar in this league. Last year Eaton played 153 games, took 689 at-bats, and hit 14 homers while slashing .287/.361/.431/.792. His 2016 numbers look unbelievably similar: 153 games played, yet again, 689 at-bats, and 14 homers, while slashing .284/.361/.431/.792. Almost identical across every category. The differences may be small, but they are present. He reduced his K% by 2.9, he upped his BB% by 0.5, and his WAR jumped from 3.9 to 6.0 because of the massive gains he has made as a defender.
Every year, Eaton’s value is undersold. But after three consecutive great years, the diminutive outfielder has become, quite possibly, the most overlooked 6 WAR player in baseball history.
Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox, SP
Mr. Consistency. Over the course of Jose Quintana’s five-year career, he has posted exceptional numbers, better than all but a handful of pitchers over that length of time. In 945 innings pitched, he averages 7.83 K/9, a 3.41 ERA, and a 3.47 FIP. Over the course of his first four full seasons, Quintana has a WAR of 18. That ranks him 7th overall among all MLB pitchers in that time period. While he ranks ahead of Madison Bumgarner, Cole Hamels, Felix Hernandez, Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke, and Justin Verlander, he has never received the status associated with this level of success.
It may be due to his lack of wins. He has just 46 in total, but that has more to do with the failures of the White Sox than it does Quintana. Clearly, it would be very difficult to make a statistical case that Jose Quintana has not been a top-10 pitcher over the course of his career.
Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays, CL
When Colome came on the scene in 2013, he arrived with a reputation as a guy who had a fastball that exploded out of the hand. Colome, like many other explosive arms, had little idea where the ball would end up, unfortunately. After consistently walking 4.5-5.0 BB/9, Colome had to learn how to “pitch”.
Last year, he figured out fastball command. This year, he figured out his secondary stuff. It has lead to numbers only elite closers typically produce. With 11.24 K/9, 1.75 ERA, 2.72 xFIP, and an absolutely stunning 94.5 LOB%, Colome has positioned himself, at 27 years old, as a shutdown arm. Unfortunately for Alex, he plays in Tampa, and the baseball world has yet to notice.
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