The All Star Game is coming up soon, so I thought it'd be appropriate to talk about it a little. To give a little history, the game started back in 1933, as a contest between a team of excellent players from the American League playing a team of excellent players from the National League. It's been played every year since, except for 1945, when there were travel restrictions due to World War II. In fact, from 1959-62 they held two All Star games per year. Until interleague play started in 1997, this was often the only chance fans had to see their favorite players compete against those in the other league, unless these players and teams was fortunate enough to play in the World Series. (And not counting spring training, exhibition games, obviously.) Like several other pro leagues, but unlike the NFL, the All Star Game in baseball is played about midway through the season, just past the halfway point.
How players are chosen has changed quite a bit over the years. It's ranged from managers picking players, to a combination of players and managers, and sometimes, a fan vote for the 8 positional player starters (all positions except the pitcher). The last has gone back and forth, due to some corruption. Specifically, in 1957, the fans of the Cincinnati Reds stuffed the ballot boxes, resulting in 7 of the 8 positional players being from their team, when maybe 2 or so arguably deserved it. Therefore, from 1958-69 the fan vote was removed. Since 1970, the vote for the positional starters was restored to the fans, and the League has tried to crack down on voting irregularities. Like say, when a Nomar Garciaparra fan voted for his favorite player 39,000 times in 1999. Or in 2015, due to online voting, Kansas City Royal supporters' ballot "stuffing" resulted in 8 Royals leading the positional team rankings until Major League Baseball stepped in and nullified 65,000,000 votes.
The 2002 All Star Game also was influential, in a negative way in my opinion. That game finished in a 7-7 tie, as all the pitchers were used up. Major League Baseball reacted, or, to my thinking, overreacted by changing the rules--from 2003-16, the winning team in the All Star Game got home field advantage in the World Series. (Before then, home field advantage just alternated leagues, so the National League got it every other year, as did the American League.) Fortunately, in 2017 MLB changed it again, and now the team with the better won-loss record in the regular season gets home field advantage. Which is like how other large pro sports leagues handle it, like the NBA and NHL, and makes much more sense, in my opinion.
Moving on, every year there are arguments among fans about which players should or shouldn't have been named to the team. Obviously this is somewhat subjective, but I've compiled a list of players that I think most folks would agree did not deserve an All Star nod. It's worth noting that some of them surely made the cut because of the rule that every team has to have at least one All Star. Clearly, there are some teams which are terrible, and may not have any players who are that special. Alas, I also couldn't be as exact as I'd like about the players' statistics, since I couldn't find a complete record of players' stats at the time of the All Star break. (There are exact records for how each did for the entire season, but to give them the benefit of the doubt, they could have had good first halves of the season, and then tailed off badly in the second.) Anyway, here they are. Let the discussions and arguments begin:
1) Luis Aparacio, shortstop, Boston Red Sox, 1971. Aparacio was a Hall of Famer, known for his excellent fielding and speed on the basepaths. But he was near the end of his long career in 1971, and was batting a pathetic .206, so that's why he's here.
2) Steve Rogers, starting pitcher, Montreal Expos, 1974. Rogers had a decent career overall, and even some very good seasons. But in 1974 at the All Star break his record was 10-11, with a bad 4.63 ERA, so he was a poor selection that year.
3) Reggie Jackson, outfielder/designated hitter, California Angels, 1983. Like Aparacio, Jackson was great, a deserving Hall of Famer, who was also such a productive postseason player that he was nicknamed, "Mr. October." But, by 1983 his best days were behind him, and he didn't deserve to be an All Star. His power numbers were way down, and he was batting a miserable .214.
4) Jay Howell, relief pitcher, Oakland Athletics, 1987. Howell had his moments, but his 1987 season was mediocre at best. His ERA at the break in 1987 was 4.86.
5) Sandy Alomar, catcher, Cleveland Indians, 1991. Yet again, we have a player who had a decent career, with many fine moments. But Alomar was injured for much of 1991, and when he did play he did so poorly. At the break he had a putrid .287 on base percentage, and a horrible .592 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage).
6) Roger Pavlik, starting pitcher, Texas Rangers, 1996. Apparently a pick of people who still thought that won-loss record was a good way to determine pitching performance. (Sadly, these folks still exist.) His record was 11-2, but his ERA was 4.82. meaning he pitched badly, while benefiting from his team's good run support behind him.
7) Mike Williams, relief pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates, 2003. Apparently a pick of folks who believed that saves were a good indicator of measuring relief pitcher performance. Williams had 25 saves at the break, but had an incredible ERA of 6.44! Not surprisingly, this is a record for highest ERA by an All Star pitcher.
8) Mark Redman, starting pitcher, Kansas City Royals, 2006. Redman's record at the time was 6-4, with an atrocious ERA of 5.27, and a strikeout/walk ratio of 1.
9) Cal Ripken, third baseman, Baltimore Orioles, 2001. Another Hall of Famer coasting on his previous success and reputation. At the break in 2001 Ripken had a .240 batting average, 4 home runs, and an adjusted OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage, adjusted for park conditions, era, etc.--100 is average) of 56! Although, to his credit, he did homer in the game, and was named the MVP.
10) Jason Varitek, catcher, Boston Red Sox, 2008. Not a Hall of Famer yet, or probably ever, but Varitek was certainly a very good player, and a deserved All Star on two other occasions. But in 2008 he was only batting .218 at the time.
11) Clyde McCullough, catcher, Chicago Cubs, 1948. Not only was McCullough a poor player in 1948, but he wasn't even a full time starter. He was named an All Star even though he batted .182, with a .232 on base percentage, and a .202 slugging percentage. Or really, really terrible, even if he was the best fielding catcher ever (which he wasn't)!
12) Eddie Yost, third baseman, Washington Senators, 1952. Yost, called "The Walking Man" for his superior ability to draw bases on balls, was a player who had a long, and very solid career. Alas, he wasn't deserving of his only All Star Game nod, as in 1952 at the break he was hitting .192, with a pedestrian-for-him .338 on base percentage.
13) Mike Fornieles, starting pitcher, Boston Red Sox, 1961. Made the squad despite a 5.05 ERA.
14) Willie Mays, outfielder, New York Mets, 1973. I'm not crazy--I realize that Mays was one of the best players ever, a 5 tool wonder, and a richly deserving Hall of Famer. But his election to the All Star team in his final season, 1973, was clearly based on his reputation, and not his on field results. Among other things, he was batting .172 at the break.
15) Alfredo Griffin, shortstop, Toronto Blue Jays, 1984. Griffin was almost the ideal stereotype of a shortstop in his career, as he was a notoriously bad hitter, with almost no power, but was an excellent fielder at arguably the most important defensive position. He was playing typically in the first half of 1984, with the addition of being even less willing to take a walk than usual. However, at the last minute, it became known that the starting American League shortstop, Alan Trammell, was injured, and couldn't play. A replacement was needed at very short notice. However, All Star Blue Jay Damaso Garcia had brought his friend Alfredo Griffin with him to San Francisco as his guest. Since Griffin was already there, and could play shortstop, manager Joe Altobelli evidently figured, "This is a convenient solution to our problem," and Griffin was in.
As a fan, one thing I'm concerned about with exhibition games, like the All Star Game, is that a player will get injured in a contest that doesn't really count for anything. Fortunately, this is evidently quite rare, at least for significant injuries. Catcher Ray Fosse (then with the Cleveland Indians) was infamously bowled over by Pete Rose (then with the Cincinnati Reds) in the 1970 All Star Game, resulting in serious shoulder injuries. Fosse continued playing for several more years, but by all accounts he wasn't the same player. (Now, of course, there are new rules about catchers blocking the plate in all MLB games, to avoid such dangerous collisions.) Otherwise, the only notable injury in an All Star Game I could discover was of Dizzy Dean in the 1937 contest. While pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals Dean was hit on the toe by a shot by Cleveland Indian outfielder Earl Averill. Dean rushed backed from the injury, and in doing so changed his pitching motion to avoid aggravating his broken toe. Alas, this different motion caused Dean to injure his arm, permanently. He managed to continue pitching for a few more seasons, but like Fosse, he wasn't nearly as effective. (He was still named to the Hall of Fame, based on his exploits before the injury.)
For one final tidbit about the Midsummer Classic, another feature of All Star Weekend, since 1985, is the Home Run Derby, a contest where a few pre-selected players from each league compete against each other. Probably the most famous one was the 2008 Derby, when Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton hit a still record 28 homers in a single round. What many people forget is that Hamilton, despite his great first round, didn't actually win the overall Derby, losing to Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau in the final round.
Moving on, I'd like to discuss the youngest and oldest players to ever appear in Major League game. Bear in mind that records, especially from the late 19th century and early 20th century, are a little spotty. So if anyone spots any mistakes or omissions, I'll of course re-edit this article. Let's start with the former.
1) 15 years, 316 days. Joe Nuxhall, pitcher, Cincinnati Reds, 1944. Nuxhall is the only (proven) player to compete while under the age of 16. There's a slight asterisk attached to this record, as readers can see from the date that it was during World War II, when many of the regular baseball players were off fighting. Although Nuxhall was horrendous in his debut, and promptly sent home after the one brief appearance, he did reach the majors again, mostly with the Reds once more, starting in 1952, and continuing through 1966. He ended with a solid career, going 135-117, with a 3.90 ERA, 1.340 WHIP, and an adjusted ERA of 102 (100 is average). (And he made 2 All Star teams, to continue that theme.)
2) 16 years, 57 days. Frank "Piggy" Ward, second baseman/shortstop/outfielder, Philadelphia Quakers, 1883. Ward actually played in several other seasons (1884, and 1891-94), mostly as a reserve, for several teams, including the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators. He was a good hitter, putting up a "slash" of .286/.419/.360, for an adjusted OPS of 106.
3) 16 years, 67 days. Jim Britt, pitcher, Brooklyn Atlantics of the National Association (an early pro league), 1872. Britt pitched only 2 years, finishing with a record of 26-46, a 4.26 ERA, a 1.624 WHIP, and an adjusted ERA of 86.
4) 16 years, 162 days. Joe Stanley, outfielder, Washington Senators, 1897. Stanley went on to play from 1902-6, and 1909, with several teams, including the Boston Beaneaters and the Chicago Cubs. He was mostly a reserve, and finished with a "slash" of .213/.275/.272, and an adjusted OPS of 67. So hitting was not one of his skills.
5) 16 years, 188 days. Frank Pearce, pitcher, Louisville Grays, 1876. Pearce had the briefest of careers, playing in only one game. For the record, he pitched 4 innings, and had an ERA of 4.50, a WHIP of 1.500, and an adjusted ERA of 67.
Now let's switch to the oldest men to ever appear in a Major League game. Most of these are contrived situations, frankly. Many were retired, and coaching, and then allowed to appear in a game at an advanced age, almost as a goof.
1) 59 years. Satchel Paige, pitcher, Kansas City Athletics, 1965. Paige was a phenomenal pitcher, rightly elected into the Hall of Fame. Alas, he had the bad luck to have played in the early 20th century, when MLB had its ban on non-white players. Therefore, Paige didn't get a chance to play in the Majors until 1948, when he was 42. He played from 1948-49, 1951-53, and then 1965, finishing with a lifetime mark of 28-31, a 3.29 ERA, a 1.279 WHIP, and an adjusted ERA of 124. He played with the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and the Kansas City Athletics. Obviously his final appearance, at age 59, after having been retired for a long time, was a bit of a publicity stunt.
2) 58 years. Charles O'Leary, shortstop/second baseman/third baseman, St. Louis Browns, 1934. O'Leary played mostly in 1904-13, with the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals, finishing with a lifetime mark of .226/.270/.272, and an adjusted OPS of 67. After retiring as a player, and coaching with the Browns, he was allowed to pinch hit in a game in 1934, at an advanced age.
3) 57 years. Nick Altrock, pitcher, Washington Senators, 1933. Altrock pitched in 1898, 1902-09, 1912-15, 1918-1919, and 1924, with several teams, including the Louisville Colonels and Boston Americans. He concluded his career with a record of 83-75, an ERA of 2.67, a WHIP of 1.141, and an adjusted ERA of 96. Like O'Leary, after retiring, he coached, and was allowed to pinch hit in one game, with the Senators.
4) 54 years, 311 days. Minnie Minoso, left fielder/third baseman, Chicago White Sox, 1980. Minoso was a very good player, in a career which ranged from 1949, 1951-64, 1976, and 1980. He finished with a mark of .298/.389/.459, and an adjusted OPS of 130. He's been promoted as a potential Hall of Famer, understandably. After he was retired, though, the White Sox brought him back twice, in 1976 and 1980, as a pinch hitter/designated hitter. This was largely a stunt to enable him to have played in 5 different decades.
5) 54 years, 21 days. Jim O'Rourke, outfielder/catcher/first baseman, New York Giants. O'Rourke played from 1872-93, with many teams, including the Boston Red Stocking, the Providence Grays, and the Washington Senators. He finished with career totals of .310/.352/.422, and an adjusted OPS of 134. He was also a Hall of Famer. While coaching for the Giants in 1904 he suited up for one game, as a catcher.
6) 50 years. Jack Quinn, pitcher, Cincinnati Reds, 1933. Quinn pitched from 1909-15, and 1918-33. Unlike the others on this list, he was playing continuously, and wasn't brought back for a game or two after having been retired for years, or a decade. Quinn had a solid career, going 247-218, with a 3.29 ERA, a 1.300 WHIP, and an adjusted ERA of 114.
So that's all for now. Enjoy All Star Weekend, and we'll see how the second half of the baseball season goes soon after.
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