Cincinnati Reds: Luis Castillo gets All-Star nod while Amir Garrett snubbed

Luis Castillo, the Cincinnati Reds ace, will be going to his first All-Star Game. Amir Garrett, who’s been among the best in the game, was tragically left off the NL roster.

Every year there’s at least one player left off the All-Star who deserves to be there, and this year it’s Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett. As expected, starting pitcher Luis Castillo will be headed to his first MLB All-Star Game, but the Reds’ ace will be the only representative from the Queen City.

Unfortunately, we often times have a tendency to give more attention to the player(s) who missed out on the opportunity to represent their team rather the player(s) who get that elusive honor. So, before we cast our displeasure on those who didn’t include Garrett on their ballot, let’s give credit to Luis Castillo’s accomplishments.

The Reds’ right-hander got off to a tremendous start this season. A bit of a surprise pick to start Opening Day, Castillo showed why David Bell made the selection. As we enter play on Monday, Castillo (7-3, 2.47 ERA) leads all Reds’ starters in virtually every statistical category.

Castillo leads the Cincinnati Reds in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Castillo leads all Reds’ starters in ERA, fewest hits allowed, ERA+, and WHIP. The Reds’ hurler is second to Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals in WAR (3.4) among NL pitchers. He leads all National League pitchers in hits per 9 innings (H9) with 5.583.

Luis Castillo more than earned the opportunity to represent the Redlegs in the Midsummer Classic. On the other hand, Amir Garrett’s numbers show that the Reds’ left-hander was severely under-appreciated by those who select the All-Star reserves.

Garrett (3-1, 1.75 ERA) has been among the best the NL has to offer this season. Garrett’s ERA is even better than the much heralded Josh Hader (1.77) of the Milwaukee Brewers. Garrett leads all left-handed relievers in ERA.

Amir Garrett is having a career-year across the board. The 27-year-old southpaw from Victorville, California has a ridiculous 261 ERA+. Wow! Last season, a year in which Garrett had his ups and downs but was pretty solid, his ERA+ was just 98. With 51 strikeouts on the season, Garrett sits just 21 Ks away from a new career-high.

Among those who Garrett deserved a spot over were Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (4-7, 3.87 ERA) and maybe even Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw (7-2, 3.23 ERA). Every major league team must be represented, so Alcantara’s inclusion is a must. Kershaw on the other hand is not having the typical season we’re accustomed to seeing from the left-hander.

Josh Hader and Will Smith are the only relief pitchers on the roster. Both are left-handed and have a higher ERA than Garrett. However, both Hader and Smith are “closers” and it’s not often that a setup-man like Garrett makes the MLB All-Star Game.

Again, Reds Country should be overjoyed for the inclusion of Luis Castillo in this year’s MLB All-Star Game. The 26-year-old right-hander has worked hard to get to this point and is the best pitcher Cincinnati has had on it’s roster since Johnny Cueto. Kudos to Castillo.