2018 MLB All-Star Game: Arizona Diamondbacks Sport Two Deserving Players
By Randy Holt
We’ve touched a bit recently on who the Arizona Diamondbacks could send to Washington D.C. as part of the 2018 All-Star festivities. With voting in and reserves being named, we’ll see a pair of Snakes representing the National League in the Midsummer Classic.
Neither Paul Goldschmidt nor Patrick Corbin will be starters in the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. But their selections are both deserved. Goldschmidt will join Joey Votto as one of the two first basemen behind starter Freddie Freeman. Patrick Corbin will be a part of the NL pitching staff. Smart money says former D-Back Max Scherzer gets the start there.
There were definitely questions about whether or not Paul Goldschmidt would represent the NL in the game, given his start to the year. He was solid in April before hitting just .144 in May. His typically high power numbers shrunk as well, with a .134 ISO during May, while striking out at a 31.5% rate. June, however, was an entirely different story for Goldy.
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During the month, he hit .364 and reached base at a .460 clip. His ISO flew up to .374, while his strikeout rate shrank all the way down to 19.8%. His wRC+ for the month sat at 215. As such, he trails only Freeman in WAR among NL first sackers, with a 3.2 figure (against Freeman’s 3.4). His .261 season ISO leads the position by a fairly wide margin, while his .385 OBP ranks fourth. His wRC+ for the year, at 146, also trails only Freeman (149). There’s virtually no question about his place on this NL roster.
While a couple of Arizona pitchers (Zack Greinke, Archie Bradley) could’ve been considered for the roster, Patrick Corbin makes a lot of sense. He’s had a quality year heading into free agency this winter. His 11.25 strikeouts per nine is the highest of his career, while his 2.41 BB/9 is his lowest since returning from Tommy John in 2015. He boasts a 3.05 ERA and a fantastic 1.01 WHIP. Only Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom have better WHIP numbers, by a fairly slim margin. Either one could be candidates to start. That just shows how good a year Patrick Corbin has had.
We could still see another Snake or two slither their way onto the NL roster, depending on who drops out based off of health, pitching schedule, etc. Could it be David Peralta? Archie Bradley? Zack Greinke? A case can be made for any of the three. Perhaps in the final vote? We’ll see.
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But for now, we’ll settle with the pair of guys who absolutely deserve appearances in our nation’s capitol. Goldschmidt’s a mainstay and not much of a surprise. Corbin, while he’s had some downs this year, has been up far more frequently. We’ll be sure to monitor for any other potential Diamondbacks that make their way in.