Reds: 3 players who should be All-Stars, but will fall short

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Apr 9, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tejay Antone. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Tejay Antone, Reds relief pitcher

While Tyler Naquin and Tucker Barnhart are having good, but not good enough seasons to beat out their competition for a spot on the National League All-Star roster, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tejay Antone deserves to hear his name called on July 13th during player introductions at Coors Field. Sadly, I think the right-hander will fall just short of making the All-Star Game.

Antone has been one of the best relievers in all of baseball, and the Reds unquestioned ace in their bullpen. While that’s not saying a lot considering the state of the Cincinnati relief brigade, check these numbers out.

Antone has 2.1 WAR in 19 games this season. The Texas native has a 1.45 ERA, which is seventh best among all NL relievers with at least 20 innings pitched. However, Antone has done that in 31 innings of work, while the next best pitcher in that group is Alex Reyes who’s thrown in 29 innings this season. Antone has pitched more than Josh Hader and Craig Kimbrel.

Tejay Antone’s K/9 is 11.61 and a very impressive 0.58 HR/9. There are few pitcher in the National League doing what Antone is doing. When David Bell’s team has the lead and there’s no margin for error, the Reds skipper summons Captain Hook, and 27-year-old usually gets the job done.

While Antone is a reliever, he’s not a closer, despite the fact he’s earned three saves on the season. Fellow right-hander Lucas Sims actually leads the Reds with five saves. And while that’s not an overly important statistic, it is in the eyes of the voters. Mark Melancon currently leads the NL with 19 saves; quite the disparity.

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Tejay Antone’s 40 strikeouts trails only Josh Hader (41) for the league lead, so there’s an outside chance that the former fifth-round pick sneaks onto the All-Star roster, but I doubt it. While all three players on this list are deserving of a spot on the 2021 National League All-Star roster, it seems as though all three will be watching the festivities from the comfort of their homes.

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