All-Star Grievances: National League East

Maybe the All-Star Game is a meaningless to the players and just an excuse for Bud Selig to admire himself for a week. That doesn't mean that the selections should be stupid. Today, the MLB 'Haus gives you All-Star Grievances.

Grievance: Cole Hamels out, Aaron Cook in. When the teams were announced, Cole Hamels was 9-5 with a 3.22 ERA, while Aaron Cook was 11-5 with a 3.37 ERA. But Hamels' other numbers blow Cook away: Cole has only five more walks while trouncing Cook in K's 110-59, and has a 1.02 WHIP as opposed to a 1.26 WHIP for Cook.

So How Did This Happen? The Rockies defeated the Phillies in the NLDS, that's how. With Matt Holliday already on the squad as an alternate, you can bet that Charlie Manuel would have taken Hamels over Cook in a second ... but Clint Hurdle, as a perk of winning the pennant, went with his guy.

Grievance: Pat Burrell gets the Shaft. Pat Burrell is headed towards his best season ever, and is in the top ten in most of your big offensive categories. You could absolutely make a case that Ryan Ludwick, whom Burrell bests in OPS and home runs, should be in the vote for the final player while Burrell should be in.
So How Did This Happen? A few reasons: Ludwick may have gotten the nod for being the "out of nowhere" guy for a team that is contending "out of nowhere". Burrell also lost out in favor of a Pirate (Nate McLouth), because the team has to have a Pirate ... and let's face it, whether it be McLouth, Jason Bay, or Xavier Nady, the Pirate would have been an outfielder. The support of Cubs fans also trumped Burrell, as the injured Alfonso Soriano and cult hero Kosuke Fukudome received almost three times as many votes as Burrell. The good part is that Soriano's injury might keep him out of the classic, which may (should) open the door for Burrell.

Grievance: David Wright wuz robbed. Chipper Jones was rightfully voted in as the third baseman. But perhaps David Wright should have been chosen over Aramis Ramirez. Wright is hitting at a .288/16/66 clip, while Ramirez is at .208/15/57. Wright also has him beat in OPS by 20 points.

So How Did This Happen? The Cubs are in first place, while the Mets are the disappointment of the league. Heck, no Mets really came close in the fan vote, as Ramirez got close 700,000 more votes than Wright, so I have to think that was taken into consideration. And while some may say that Wright would be a lock in the vote for the final spot, I'm not so sure. Brewers players outpaced Mets players by a wide margin at every position except third base (and Bill Hall, who stinks this season, was right behind Wright). So why wouldn't Corey Hart blow David Wright away in the runoff vote?