Omar Infante selected to All-Star roster

Prodigal Son · 07-04-2010, 01:31 PM

Call me crazy, but I think this is a really cool story. The scoop is that Infante is a bench player, but he plays virtually every position and has hit over .300 last year and so far this year. Charlie Manuel, going for a versatile bench guy to help the NL win homefield avantage, decided Infante was worth a spot.

I'm sure some people will be annoyed, skeptical, etc., but I think it's a nice selection. With the ridiculous size of the All-Star rosters these days (last year's NL roster had 15 pitchers for a 9-inning game and a total of 36 players), it seems rewarding the best utility guy in the league while adding some versatility to the roster is a good idea. Maybe this will start a trend?

Jordan · 07-04-2010, 07:30 PM

If there are 30 plus guys on a roster, it isn't such a terrible idea. However, I agree with everything the Yahoo! article is saying about how weird/dumb it is as well. There should be other guys on there before him. He is more deserving of one of the Last 5 Fan Vote places.

Overall, I don't love it, don't hate it.

Prodigal Son · 07-04-2010, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jordan

If there are 30 plus guys on a roster, it isn't such a terrible idea. However, I agree with everything the Yahoo! article is saying about how weird/dumb it is as well. There should be other guys on there before him. He is more deserving of one of the Last 5 Fan Vote places.

Overall, I don't love it, don't hate it.

My first reaction was also that there are other players who have been more valuable this season and "deserve" it more. But then I was thinking that the All-Star game is already hopelessly broken when it comes to rewarding the most valuable players. The fan vote is always pocked with bad choices. Then, the managers pick too many relief pitchers. If the All-Star game were about rewarding the most valuable pitchers, it would be almost all SP's on the rosters.

Picking a guy like Infante makes as much sense as picking more than 1-2 relief pitchers. It's rewarding a guy for being a specialist at something, being versatile, helping able to help quite a bit in high-leverage situations on both offense and defense.

Y0DA55 · 07-06-2010, 11:20 AM

When I first saw the pick, I was like, "huh?" But as long as this game is for home field advantage, it's his team to run.

jbergey22 · 07-06-2010, 12:12 PM

It wouldnt be so bad if Votto had actually made the team.

Jordan · 07-07-2010, 10:29 AM

It would be a travesty if Votto didn't make it. But I don't think Infante is directly the reason why, which may be a conclusion a lot of people jump to.

07-04-2010, 01:31 PM	#1
Prodigal Son All Star Starter Join Date: May 2006 Location: Iahiodo a.k.a. the flyover Posts: 1,635	Omar Infante selected to All-Star roster Call me crazy, but I think this is a really cool story. The scoop is that Infante is a bench player, but he plays virtually every position and has hit over .300 last year and so far this year. Charlie Manuel, going for a versatile bench guy to help the NL win homefield avantage, decided Infante was worth a spot. I'm sure some people will be annoyed, skeptical, etc., but I think it's a nice selection. With the ridiculous size of the All-Star rosters these days (last year's NL roster had 15 pitchers for a 9-inning game and a total of 36 players), it seems rewarding the best utility guy in the league while adding some versatility to the roster is a good idea. Maybe this will start a trend?

07-06-2010, 11:20 AM	#4
Y0DA55 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: In the middle of the Yankees/Red Sox Rivalry Posts: 1,771	When I first saw the pick, I was like, "huh?" But as long as this game is for home field advantage, it's his team to run. __________________ Do, or do not, there is no try!

07-04-2010, 07:30 PM	#2
Jordan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Chi Suburbs now... Posts: 2,063	If there are 30 plus guys on a roster, it isn't such a terrible idea. However, I agree with everything the Yahoo! article is saying about how weird/dumb it is as well. There should be other guys on there before him. He is more deserving of one of the Last 5 Fan Vote places. Overall, I don't love it, don't hate it.

07-06-2010, 12:12 PM	#5
jbergey22 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,481	It wouldnt be so bad if Votto had actually made the team.

07-07-2010, 10:29 AM	#6
Jordan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Chi Suburbs now... Posts: 2,063	It would be a travesty if Votto didn't make it. But I don't think Infante is directly the reason why, which may be a conclusion a lot of people jump to.