Major League Baseball is considering a change to the player voting process for its annual Midsummer Classic.
When Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Blake Snell didn't get named to the 2018 All-Star Game, it appeared to be an oversight or a flaw in the system. Snell said afterwards that he felt like he earned it, and his teammate Chris Archer was livid.
Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander pinned the snub on a flaw in the voting process:
Also, because we vote waaay too early. Could easily punch in our votes on an iPad a couple days before instead of the old school envelope weeks before.
— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) July 8, 2018
Apparently, players received their All-Star ballots on June 15, and submitted their votes not long after. Major League Baseball has possibly recognized the error of their ways, however, and is open to pushing back the player vote, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
A change in deadline - or a move away from paper balloting - could prevent snubs like Snell's from occurring. Good players are always going to be overlooked, but Snell leads the American league in ERA (2.09), which was a sticking point for Archer.
American League ERA leader Blake Snell wasn't named an All-Star, and Rays teammate @ChrisArcher22 is calling for everyone involved in the selection process to do a better job pic.twitter.com/3U2QfmQOlB
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 9, 2018
Over Snell's last four starts, he's allowed a total of two earned runs in 28 2/3 innings, while punching out 35. But it's not like he's only just emerged as a threat on the mound. He's pitched at least six innings in 14 of 19 starts and has allowed more than two runs on only three occasions.