Concerning All-Stars: McLouth in, Nady snubbed

I started campaigning for these two Buccaneer outfielders back in early June. Both, at the time, were hitting well over .300 and leading the National League in many offensive categories. Now, a couple days after the All-Star rosters were announced, Nate "The Great" McLouth will be headed to New York as an National League All-Star reserve, (a RESERVE mind you), while Xavier Nady, (being snubbed beyond belief), will not even make the Final Vote balloting. Nady has posted numbers far better than some of the players listed, but by playing in Pittsburgh, many know his chances of being voted in are slim to none.

For McLouth, this is truly an honor to get a spot. His 60 RBIs rank 11th in the National League behind the first two in Ryan Howard and Carlos Lee.  His slugging percentage of .529 is one of the best in the NL, and while his average has slipped all the way down to .280, he is more than a deserving All-Star. With starting center fielder Alfonso Soriano still ailing from a hand injury, McLouth could conceivably snatch his spot when the All-Star game rolls around on the 15th. That decision of whether Soriano will play or not is still about a week away from being made.

What the hell happened to Xavier Nady taking a spot? Nady has been one of the most potent hitters of '08, showing it with a strong batting average of .322. The Nadster did miss 10 games with a shoulder injury, but should that have really stopped him from making the All-Star team? Nady has 12 homeruns and 55 RBIs thus far, while his SLG of .534 is best on the Pirates and one of the best in the NL - so why did he not even make the Final Vote balloting? 

San Francisco outfielder Aaron Rowand made it with numbers no where near Nady's (hitting .299, 8 HRs, 47 RBIs). It is quite annoying that Pittsburgh fans didn't pull through in the main voting polls earlier this year, but Nady really should've landed a spot somewhere on this All-Star team. With a trade likely being pursued for the homer-hitting outfielder, Xavier's days in the 'Burgh would've been nicely wrapped up if he had made an All-Star appearance. Too bad that is all but done with now...

Next on TBB: Since I am having trouble getting game updates out, I will most likely be writing broader reports about the state of the 'Burgh. With CC Sabathia headed to Milwaukee, and Rich Harden headed to Chicago, every Pirate fan has to be thinking - what will the Buccos do? At 42-47, probably nothing, but a trade to boost the confidence of their fan base would do wonders to this ball club. The Brewers and the Cubs both now have formidable rotations that could lead either team into the playoffs, but each club has to be careful not to rely too much on a single player. Stay tuned for next time.