Kansas City Royals Wade Davis Should Start the All-Star Game

The Kansas City Royals presence in the All-Star Game thus far has cause a great deal of consternation amongst other, non-Royals fans. How dare Royals fans vote for their players?! Omar Infante isn’t Derek Jeter – he can’t be in the All-Star Game despite being a train wreck offensively! Do the Royals even have this many fans?! What is happening?! You know, that sort of garbage.

That hue and cry reached a crescendo last week as the Royals had eight of the nine starters for the game. When Major League Baseball announced that over 60 million votes were cancelled, many thought that the Royals fans supposed improprieties would result in the natural order of the universe being restored, with nary a Royal to be seen in the starting lineup. Instead, the Royals now have seven starters, as opposed to the eight they previously had, as Miguel Cabrera has surpassed Eric Hosmer at first.

Why this angst towards the Royals having so many starters? Well, the thought is that other players are outperforming the Royals, so they do not deserve to be starting. Yet, that same logic does not apply to players like Dustin Pedroia or any other name player who is not performing at such a caliber.

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So, let us use this argument that the players that are most productive should be starting the All-Star Game. While the fan vote may be flawed, fans do not pick the pitching staff, so only the most deserving pitchers get selected. In that case, let us go to the statistics. Let us look at which pitcher, using a cutoff of thirty innings pitched, is the best in baseball right now. Well, if we are going to make this choice determined by ERA, and who has given up the fewest runs in baseball, then the answer is clear. Wade Davis should start for the American League in the All-Star Game.

Yes, Wade Davis, the Kansas City Royals elite setup man, may well be the best pitcher in baseball. This season, not only has Davis been perfect in his save opportunities, going eight for eight, but he has allowed only one run in his thirty innings of work, posting a 0.30 ERA and a 0.800 WHiP.

That ERA and WHiP are identical to the numbers posted by Yankees setup man and current closer Dellin Betances; however, Davis gets a slight edge. Betances may have only allowed one earned run, but he has given up four runs in total this season. Davis, meanwhile, has allowed just that one run, coming on a two out base hit by Michael Brantley.

Considering that Davis has become a dominant force since being converted to the Royals setup role, there is no reason to think that his performance will not continue. Davis has gone from being a fringe starter to one of the best relievers in baseball. In fact, the argument could be made that Davis, regardless of role, is the best pitcher in baseball.

If the All-Star Game is about highlighting the best of the best, as seems to be the argument against the Kansas City Royals dominating the vote, then the best pitcher should start the game as well. Wade Davis, the ball is yours.

Next: Royals Rewind: Omar Infante Looks Like an All-Star

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