Adrian Gonzalez (AP file photo/Gregory Bull)
With Albert Pujols at first base in St. Louis, Adrian Gonzalez will always have trouble landing an All-Star starting spot in the National League.
Such is the case again this year as Adrian Gonzalez was announced as a reserve on the NL All-Star roster on Sunday.
What’s really hard to swallow for Padres fans is that he’s the only Friar scheduled to play in the midsummer classic. The Padres have the best record in the NL and sport the best team ERA (3.01) in the NL by a long shot (St. Louis is next at 3.31), yet couldn’t command enough respect to land a pitcher on the roster.
It’s no surprise that the fans didn’t vote in a player off the often overlooked Padres roster. But the fact that manager Charlie Manuel and other MLB players didn’t see fit to include Heath Bell (MLB best 23 saves, 1.77 ERA) or Mat Latos (9-4, 2.77 ERA) is an insult to the team.
Bell is a candidate for the Final Vote roster spot in the NL, along with Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies), Joey Votto (Reds), Billy Wagner (Braves) and Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals). Fans will vote to determine which of those players gets the final roster spot for the July 13 game in Anaheim.
Former SDSU Aztec and Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg also missed out on a All-Star spot.
Jason Owens is the SDNN sports editor. email: jason.owens(at)sdnn.com
Loading ...
