Tommy Edman is one of many players who have been snubbed in All-Star voting and will not take part in the All-Star Game.
The St. Louis Cardinals shortstop has seen his production at the plate decline a little bit in recent weeks.
It even got to the point where he was briefly removed from the leadoff spot.
Edman is hitting .255 with seven home runs and 33 RBI and has a .692 OPS.
He’s also got a 4.1 WAR, which was surprising to one fan, who cited the OPS being lower than usual for a high-WAR player.
But MLB analyst Jeremy Frank provided some clarity as to why Edman’s WAR is so high.
He has been basically the best defender and baserunner in baseball and has played middle infield
He’s an average hitter, but is 26 runs above average in defense+baserunning+position value
For comparison, Aaron Judge has been worth 28 runs above average as a hitter https://t.co/CiFEvFmjft
— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) July 15, 2022
Edman’s WAR Case
Frank also points out how both Edman and Aaron Judge are close in runs above average.
This is not to say Judge and Edman are comparable.
Judge is obviously the better hitter, but Edman’s numbers aren’t shabby at all.
The reason for Edman’s high WAR is mainly his defense.
He has been a stopgap up the middle for St. Louis and is one of the main reasons why they’ve gone from being one of the worst defensive teams in baseball to the best.
He, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and others have helped shore up the Cards on defense.
As Frank mentions, Edman is also a solid baserunner.
When it comes to that and his defensive skills, he’s probably better than anybody in baseball.
And he also is not a bad hitter.
He’s just been in a slump lately.
He could turn it on at any given moment and could be that guy that helps the Cards offense get going a little bit after a couple of tough games.
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