The Case for Eric Byrnes - All Star

As you would expect from someone who calls herself ByrnesBlogger1, I think Eric Byrnes should be voted to this year's All-Star Game.  But before you accuse me of blind partisanship, look at the argument for Byrnes put forth by a neutral party, i.e., the numbers.

ESPN has used its player ratings to put together American and National League All-Star rosters.  Based on ESPN's current statistics, Eric Byrnes is an All-Star outfielder... and a starter, no less!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playerrating?type=allstarprojections&league=nl&position=all

Now I know that Eric's being voted a starter is unlikely to happen because bigger names will be voted ahead of him.  Even with the fact that he is more well known now that he has made a name for himself as a sports broadcaster, the fan base for a guy from Arizona is not that big.  But I'm here to tell you that Eric Byrnes deserves to be at the All-Star Game with a bat and a glove in hand instead of a microphone.

As of tonight, Eric is hitting .319/.379/.518 with 9 home runs, 13 doubles, 5 triples, 33 RBI and 38 runs scored.  Those numbers compare quite favorably to the stats of Carlos Beltran, center fielder of the New York Mets, who is currently the NL's top vote-getter in this year's All-Star balloting. As of June 10, Beltran was hitting .284/.371/.486 with 9 home runs, 14 doubles, 2 triples, 36 RBI and 36 runs scored. Byrnes has 12 stolen bases to Beltran's 9.

I leave it to you to check the numbers to see how that compares with some of the people likely to be voted ahead of him: Carlos Lee, Andruw Jones and Barry Bonds. And yes, I know that people are going to vote for Barry for reasons other than his current productivity, but still...why is it that Byrnes isn't even in the top 15?

And, as some of you will remember, last year, Eric Byrnes set a Diamondbacks' franchise record for the combination of home runs and stolen bases.  And he finished tied for second in team RBI with a personal best.  The leader was only one ahead of him, and the final leadership was not decided until the ninth inning of the last game of the season. So I'm not advocating for someone who is a 2.5-month flash in the pan.

But what is really star quality about Eric Byrnes is how much he means to his team's good fortune.  Eric Byrnes has moved from the outfielder Oakland used because they couldn't get whom they wanted, and the one player non-tendered by Baltimore two years ago, to a team leader.  He's become a reliable leadoff man--check his stats against those of Johnny Damon, who thinks he's the best leadoff hitter in the business--and he will also bat any other place the manager wants him to, as well as play all three outfield positions.  Manager Bob Melvin has said that Byrnes is a comfort to him.  He doesn't have to worry about Byrnes, and he can fit Byrnes into whatever slot they're having trouble with.  That sounds like the definition of a good utility player, but he's playing every day and hitting well over .300.  That's versatility, not utility.

Moreover, Byrnes, along with Orlando Hudson, brings energy and know-how to an otherwise very young lineup that sometimes seems to lack verve.  I don't think it's mere coincidence that Byrnes told reporters that the team needed everyone including himself to produce, and then the team went on a winning streak as Byrnes went on a hitting streak.  The Arizona Diamondbacks are now tied for first place with the San Diego Padres in the NL West.  There's a lot of things that go into that.  But one of them is surely Eric Byrnes.

Vote Eric Byrnes to the All-Star Game!

ByrnesBlogger1