It happens around this time every season. The All-Star rosters come out and a handful of players make the team because every team has to have a minimum of one representative. Because of that, there is a list of All-Star snubs that cause fans from nearly every team to be up in arms over their player who didn’t make it. For the Angels, catcher Logan O’Hoppe is an All-Star snub. While pitcher Tyler Anderson was certainly worthy of an All-Star nod, O’Hoppe should have been selected too. Anderson could be on the move as the lefty starter is a trade option for teams looking for controllable starting pitching.
Logan O’Hoppe is Doing Everything Right
Logan O’Hoppe has been one of the best catchers in baseball this season. He’s definitely been one of the top-two catchers in the American League. And, if you look at total production while actually playing catcher, O’Hoppe is the best catcher in the American League in 2024. Yes, that includes Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman. No, this is not a misprint. O’Hoppe is an All-Star snub because the Angels are not a good team. In fact, the Angels best decision after the All-Star break would be to sell at the trade deadline. O’Hoppe is one of the few players the Angels should be looking to build around so he won’t be traded. On the other hand, the Angels trade deadline strategy is usually difficult to predict.
Only two catchers made the American League All-Star team. Adley Rutschman has led a young and dynamic Baltimore Orioles club to the top of the AL East. Salvador Perez is an eight-time All-Star and World Series MVP. The game of numbers made it difficult for O’Hoppe to have a chance to make the team. Yet, the numbers favor the 24-year-old from Long Island.
American League Catchers
The deciding factor for All-Star selections often boils down to who is more popular. Since player popularity increases when their team is successful, it’s no surprise that Rutschman and Perez were All-Stars over O’Hoppe. Still, if we look at the stats anonymously, it’s clear that O’Hoppe is an All-Star snub.
Player A: .276/.343/.454/.797 in 89 games (.289/.357/.465/.822 in 52 games as catcher); 1.7 bWAR and 1.8 fWAR; 14 HR, 34 runs, 55 RBI; 118 wRC+
Player B: .282/.334/.491/.825 in 78 games (.291/.344/.506/.850 in 75 games as catcher); 2.5 bWAR and 1.9 fWAR; 14 HR, 41 runs, 42 RBI; 130 wRC+
Player C: .286/.346/.460/.806 in 85 games (.235/.305/.365/.670 in 58 games as catcher); 3.1 bWAR and 2.9 fWAR; 16 HR, 46 runs, 59 RBI; 129 wRC+
Salvador Perez is Player A. Logan O’Hoppe is Player B. Adley Rutschman is Player C. What jumps out the most is how poorly Rutschman hit during games that he was catching. Conversely, Rutschman’s numbers as a designated hitter are incredible. In 28 games as a DH, Rutschman has slashed an absurd .383/.427/.644/1.071 with 8 HR and 74 total bases. He only has 8 HR and 86 total bases in 58 games at catcher. Basically, the Orioles catcher has powered his offensive numbers when he wasn’t playing defense.
Defensively, Baseball Reference has it as a tie between Rutschman (0.5 dWAR) and O’Hoppe (0.5 dWAR) with Perez (-0.1 dWAR) coming in third. FanGraphs has it Rutschman, Perez, O’Hoppe. Overall, FanGraphs gives the total catching performance to O’Hoppe. His catching fWAR is 2.1, which leads the American League. Perez is second with a 1.4 fWAR at catcher. Rutschman is right behind him with a 1.3 fWAR while behind the plate. Lastly, O’Hoppe has caught 17 more games than Rutschman and 23 more than Perez. A true, everyday catcher.
Angels Performance Costs O’Hoppe All-Star Selection
There are certainly other deserving players who were All-Star snubs this season. Yet, it should be clear that Logan O’Hoppe is an All-Star snub because he was maybe the best catcher in the American League in the first half of the season. Not Adley Rutschman. Not Salvador Perez. Fans of the Los Angeles Angels have had little to celebrate over the past few seasons, so seeing their catcher of the future slighted as an All-Star snub has to hurt. As for O’Hoppe, he’s just decided to turn it up a notch since being left out. Last night, he had the second multi-homer game of his career off of future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer. Not a bad way to respond to disappointment.
Main Photo: © Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
