It’s just about time for the All-Star game, and so far the Cubs are having their best season since 2016 and the White Sox aren’t the worst team in the league! Win-win here. All-Star voting has come and gone and the picks are in for both the NL and AL- some very questionable *Cough Cough Julio Rodriguez* but others are very deserving. Between the Cubs and the Sox, there are 4 players representing the North and South side of Chicago- Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, Mathew Boyd, & Shane Smith. Both teams’ picks are historic as well.

For the first time in almost 90 years, the Cubs have two outfielders starting in the All-Star game. Now, it is nothing like the entire Cubs infield in the 2016 All-Star game, however it is still awesome to see PCA and Tucker both getting the starting nod.

As for the White Sox representative- rookie Shane Smith, there is a little more historical significance. Smith is not only making club history, but making MLB history. By being selected to the All-Star roster, it marks the first time a pitcher has ever been a Rule 5 selection and made the All-Star game as a rookie.

Let’s take a look at how each of these All-Stars’ season is going thus far and then we will dive into the Chicago snub-list-

Pete Crow-Armstrong: MVPCA is having a breakout season no doubt. He may be the first 40-40 Cub player in history. As of today, he has 24 homers 27 stolen bases and a .851 OPS. He has the second-best WAR in the league only behind Judge and on top of the offensive production, he is arguably the best defensive player in the league. He homered again before I could post this wow, 25 homers.

Kyle Tucker: He is just doing Kyle Tucker things. Tucker is slashing .285/.388/.512 with a .900 OPS and has 17 HR and 22SB. He is 12th in all of baseball in WAR- just behind Shohei Ohtani. Please extend this man.

Mathew Boyd: Boyd has stepped up in a huge way after the Cubs lost Justin Steele for the season and went a long stretch without Shota Imanaga. He is 9-3 with a 2.52 ERA and has 96 Ks in 103.2 innings of work thus far this season.

Shane Smith: In his first 13 starts of the year, he had a 2.37 ERA. His changeup is filthy and he was looking like an ace. His last 4 starts saw his ERA rise to a 4.20, but even so this has been a spectacular season for the rookie and a well-deserved All-Star nod.

Now, let me put up an argument for who should’ve made it/who was very very close-

Seiya Suzuki: The literal MLB RBI leader. Suzuki is slashing .261/.320/.551 good for a .871 OPS. He has 25 HR & 77 RBIs and we still haven’t reached the break. Career highs in both homers and RBIs and we are only half way through the seaosn.

Michael Busch: Busch has the 5th best OPS in the entire league at .940. He is slashing .297/.383/.559. He has 8 more home runs than Freddie Freeman, a slug that is 79 points higher than him, and has a WRC+ of 165 where Freeman is at 135. He has become a lock down first baseman and on top of all of that, he has made Miles Mikolas his son.

Nico Hoerner: Statistically the best defensive second baseman in the league, he is Mr. RISP batting .395 in those situations, and he has the least amount of strikeouts of all qualified second basemen (24K). His 12 defensive runs saved and 9 outs above average are both 1st in the NL and his .288 batting average is good for 3rd. Incredibly valuable player despite his lack of slug.

Drew Pomeranz: In 28 games, Pomeranz has a 0.73 ERA. He has only allowed 2 runs this year and they didn’t come until his 27th appearance- the game he opened. He has been lights out this season and an incredible asset in the Cubs bullpen.

Daniel Palencia: Palencia has stepped up in a big way this season earning a spot as the Cubs closer. In 30 games this year, he is sporting a 1.71 ERA with 10 saves and 35 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. Hi blows triple digits past batters and pairs that with a nasty slider. Thank you Oakland.

Chase Meidroth: One of the pieces of the Garrett Crochet trade, nobody thought he would make the biggest impact right away. Although he has slowed down a bit since June, through may he had a slash line of .276/.349/.347. He has great approach at the plate to pair with fantastic contact. While I don’t believe he was necessarily a “snub”, I do believe he is very close to being an All-Star in the future.

Adrian Houser: I believe the only reason he was not selected as an All-Star is simply because he didn’t qualify (He signed with the White Sox on May 20th). His numbers so far this season have been spectacular. In 9 games he has thrown 57.2 innings and owns a 1.56 ERA. He has been fantastic for the White Sox this season and could ultimately be a key trade piece at the deadline.

Mike Tauchman: Another guy who I believe missed out because of his playing time this year. Tauchman missed some time due to injury and has only appeared in 41 games this season. However, he has made his time count. He is slashing .297/.379/.459 which is good for a .838 OPS. Third straight summer of Mike Tauchman in Chicago and I am loving it. Tauchman is another guy who could be a key trade piece at the deadline for the Sox.

The list is a little more Cub-heavy, but it makes sense, don’t read too much into it Sox fans (the team still sucks but there seems to be a light forming… maybe). In my opinion, an argument can be made for both Suzuki and Busch being the biggest All-Star snubs in history. I mean one is a top 10 hitter in the National League and the other is the MLB RBI leader. But you know, Freddie Freeman.

Regardless, I am excited about the All-Star game, players will be wearing their teams’ jerseys once again and it has been announced that ABS will be used- that should make at least one good moment during the game.