There is no way to keep everyone happy with the way the All-Star Game selection process happens at present. Some deserving players are going to get left out because MLB wants every team to have one representative, teams with larger fanbases have the edge when it comes to getting starters in the game, and the coach/player/league decisions for reserves always end up feeling bad for someone. However, Atlanta Braves fans almost had a unique All-Star gripe involving Chris Sale.
Sale has been a revelation since the Braves traded for him last offseason. Through 18 starts with Atlanta, Sale sports a 2.70 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 110 innings of work and was in the conversation to start the All-Star Game before the Braves decided to pitch him right before the break and thereby making him unable to play in the game. In the long-run, that could absolutely be the correct choice.
However, where things get dicey is that Bob Nightengale reported over the weekend that before he became unavailable to start the ASG, Sale was favored by NL manager Torey Lovullo but that the league would have stepped in and made Skenes the NL starter anyways if Lovullo went in that direction.
Sale/Skenes All-Star starter drama highlights fundamental flaws in the whole process
Here is the problem with talking about this as rational human beings: any campaign for either player starting is taken as a side that the other is completely unworthy and that just isn't the case here. Clearly Sale has been amazing all season long (as have Reynaldo Lopez and a number of other pitchers playing in the ASG as well) while Skenes has been arguably the most dynamic pitcher in baseball this year albeit over a shorter period of time since his call-up to the big leagues. Reasonable people can disagree on the choice, but both would have been fine choices.
The problem is that MLB's process in making that decision has no internal logic to it and reeks of potential bias. The league has been very deferential to the managers of each ASG squad when it comes to naming the starter, but they care all of a sudden when Skenes is involved because he is the hot young name?
There are other problems with HOW the league involves themselves in the All-Star process. It doesn't feel accidental that Philadelphia (a big market) got a ton of All-Star spots this year. Sure, the Phillies are having a great season, but some deserving guys got left out and one wonders if MLB would have allowed a team like the A's, Rays, or Royals to have such a footprint on the game even with similar records.
In the end, everything worked out. Sale was named an All-Star which is a huge honor, but couldn't pitch anyways and fans get to see Skenes do his thing in the Midsummer Classic which is objectively good for baseball. We just wish the process didn't feel so gross when it comes to how we got to this point.