3 Cleveland Guardians who also deserved All-Star nods in 2022

The Cleveland Guardians had a few other names who could’ve been All-Stars.

Let’s start off by saying that yes, three or four other names could’ve been All-Stars from this Cleveland Guardians squad, but I don’t think they got screwed out of not getting the nod. They had good years, and if there are injuries, these are names that should be considered replacements.

Yet, we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least take the time to look at a few guys who had good years and deserved the recognition of saying so at this point in the season.

There are names not on the list that deserved a shoutout, like Steven Kwan, who is absolutely doing work as a rookie outfielder this season. He had a downswing a few weeks ago but he’s rebounding well. Another name is Oscar Gonzalez, who only played a quarter of the season but if he had been on the roster since the start of the year, he’d be in contention as well.

Lastly, I’m gonna give the final honorable mention to Eli Morgan. He’s rebounding well as a middle-reliever after a rough rookie year as a starter. I think Morgan could be moved back to being a starter in time, but right now he’s too valuable as a reliever to move him back to the rotation.

Three players that deserve All-Star considerations

Josh Naylor

You gotta love Josh Naylor. Despite only playing in about three-fifths of the season, he still had some pretty decent stats. If he had played a full season he’d have about 15 home runs, around 55-56 RBIs, and 33 runs. His split would be the same, obviously, as that’s how you project stats and if you look at his splits, alongside his raw stats for a season up until now, Naylor makes a compelling case for an All-Star nod. His missed time, however, hurts his case.

Shane Bieber

If Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera can get in on reputation alone, why not Shane Bieber? I’m being facetious but also not. No one should be awarded an All-Star spot simply because of what they’ve done, but if we’re going to start this year, we’re going to start every year. Bieber is having a solid year, 3.44 ERA, 99 strikeouts, and only seven home runs given up are all strong signs of his talent. Sure, there might be some other pitchers with better ERAs than him but Bieber is a perennial Cy Young contender, and guys like Cabrera and Pujols haven’t been good in nearly a decade.

Triston McKenzie

Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber have near-identical stats, but Bieber has more strikeouts than him. At one point, McKenzie looked like a lock to make the All-Star game alongside Cal Quantrill, but both men kinda tumbled a bit. McKenzie’s big issue is giving up home run balls, as he leads the team with them (16). If it weren’t for letting one or two pitches get away from (or eight or nine), he’d have a much more deserving stat line for the All-Star Game.