Kershaw, A-Rod among 5 notable All-Star snubs

Even the MLB All-Star Game has a cap on greatness.

With the All-Star reserves announced Monday night, the head-scratching ensued as some players were left off, much to everyone's surprise.

Here, we put together a list of players who probably should have been selected as reserves.

Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw is not an All-Star.

No matter how you say it, it sounds wrong. Sure, he's not the same pitcher who went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA a year ago, but if that's what we're comparing him to, there's a problem.

Kershaw is still among the top pitchers in baseball. Though he boasts a modest 3.08 ERA through July 6, the lefty leads the league with 147 strikeouts, while holding batters to a .216 AVG.

It's impossible to imagine that Kershaw won't get in on the Final Ballot, but the fact that he's on it is unbelievable.

Alex Rodriguez

Love him or hate him, Alex Rodriguez is an All-Star.

For one second, let's not take into consideration how we feel about him, because frankly, he's done anything if not silence his critics this season.

Rodriguez is batting .284 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs, in a season flooded with milestones. So at the very least, he deserves to be given a chance on the Final Ballot.

Not only that, but he's done all of this after missing an entire season of baseball.

Carlos Martinez

When did 9-3 with a 2.70 ERA not become good enough for the All-Star Game?

For some odd reason, the St. Louis Cardinals will send a plethora of players to the dance, none of which are named Carlos Martinez. Sure, he gives up his fair share of homers and he walks a few guys, but besides that, he's All-Star worthy.

To put things in perspective, Martinez has more strikeouts than Jacob deGrom, A.J. Burnett, and Matt Harvey, with the ninth-best ERA in the National League.

Brian Dozier

Brian Dozier is in the midst of a career year, yet he's still not good enough to be an All-Star.

Make no mistake, Jose Altuve and Jason Kipnis are deserving of selections, but so is the Minnesota Twins' second baseman. Among American League two-baggers, Dozier leads the pack with 16 homers, 40 RBIs, and 62 runs scored through July 6.

Mix in the fact that he's playing Gold Glove defense, to the tune of three errors in 426 chances, and Dozier is well deserving of a chance.

Brett Gardner

What does it take for Brett Gardner to make the All-Star Game?

To put it simply, there are few leadoff men in the game better than the New York Yankees' left fielder. Though he doesn't have a single statistic that stands out, Gardner has been the catalyst for the Yankees.

Among AL outfielders, he has the most runs scored (60) through July 6, while sitting third with 15 stolen bases.

Not only that, but he has the fourth-best AVG (.297) and OBP (.373), and although he doesn't offer the same flash as Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals, he doesn't need to because his wheels allow him to get under baseballs.