Is Andrés Muñoz’s All-Star snub a product of Mariners’ recent woes?
SEATTLE – DMGB are the letters.
They adorn T-shirts in the clubhouse, and represent the Mariners’ mantra for the season: “Doesn’t Matter, Get Better.”
Might not have Aristotelian depth, but it’s to the point. And the words seem particularly pertinent for this club right now.
We can start on an individual level with one Andrés Muñoz. The Mariners reliever was not among those selected for this year’s MLB All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, prompting legitimate “snub” accusations online.
Seattle Sports laid out the facts rather convincingly, pointing out how his 1.7 WAR is far superior to that of the Yankees’ Clay Holmes (0.5), who appeared to make the ASG based on geography alone.
Yes, there was a host of other AL relievers who have had better first halves than Holmes – Craig Kimbrel, Hunter Gaddis and Kenley Jansen among them. But there’s a strong case that Muñoz’s résumé tops all of them.
So you can come to a couple of conclusions, neither of which is mutually exclusive. 1) MLB should correct this wrong and add Muñoz to the team, something it can still do before the game takes place; 2) Maybe Muñoz could have been a little better.
There have been a couple of slips – a blown save last month in a loss to the Rays, another loss 11 days earlier vs. the White Sox.
It’s nitpicking when we’re talking about a man with a 1.50 ERA playing for a team clinging to first place almost entirely because of its pitching staff. Muñoz was snubbed – let’s be clear about that. But if you want to ensure yourself a place on an All-Star team, you have to leave no doubt.
Right now, doubt is inundating the Mariners fan base. There is no official measurement for this, but it’s palpable. Seattle (49-43) just lost its sixth consecutive series after falling short to the Blue Jays in extra innings Sunday. It is last in MLB in batting average. Even the pitching is sliding a bit, with the M’s giving up at least four runs in five of their past eight games – all of which have resulted in L’s.
Hey, they are still in first place by two games in the AL West. I’ve said it before, you take that deal if you’re a fan who has watched this club reach the postseason once since 2001. But it doesn’t matter right now – they still have to get better.
