Rays lefty Blake Snell is going to need a few things to go his way if he hopes to join the elite fraternity of baseball brethren that includes such Tampa Bay icons as Rolando Arrojo, Lance Carter and Danys Baez.
Major League Baseball announced its 2018 All-Star rosters for the July 17 game in Washington, D.C. Catcher Wilson Ramos was voted in as the game’s starter. Manager Kevin Cash will be joining Astros manager A.J. Hinch’s coaching staff. One notable name that won’t be joining them is Snell, despite leading the league with a 2.09 ERA.
Snell, whose 12 wins is tied for second-most in the league, remains a longshot should another AL selection have to withdraw for injury or other concerns. As a pitcher, he was not included in the league’s Final Vote contest. Snell will likely have to wait another year to join Carter, Baez and Arrojo as Rays pitchers who have received the honor, a group that also includes Matt Moore, Brad Boxberger and Scott Kazmir.
Ramos, who was also voted an All-Star in 2016 while with the Nationals, leads all AL catchers with 79 hits, a .289 batting average and a .340 on-base percentage to go along with 12 home runs, 47 RBI, 11 doubles and 26 runs scored.
The 30-year-old is the first Rays catcher and just the fifth different Rays player overall to win a fan election (sixth time overall), joining designated hitter Jose Canseco (1999), third baseman Evan Longoria (2009-10), outfielder Carl Crawford (2010) and designated hitter Corey Dickerson (2017).
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park (July 17th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 16th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 15th), GEICO All-Star FanFest at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (July 13th-17th) and PLAY BALL Park at The Yards (July 13th-17th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 89th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports.
