Only pitchers will wear the Athletics and Giants caps at the
All-Star game, yet again. At least they’re making history out of
this troubling trend. No franchise has ever sent solely pitchers to
eight consecutive All-Star games, a feat the Athletics will pull
off July 12 when Gio Gonzalez is dispatched to the Midsummer
Classic in Phoenix.
Only pitchers will wear the Athletics and Giants caps at the All-Star game, yet again. At least they’re making history out of this troubling trend.
No franchise has ever sent solely pitchers to eight consecutive All-Star games, a feat the Athletics will pull off July 12 when Gio Gonzalez is dispatched to the Midsummer Classic in Phoenix.
For the first time in Giants history, they will go four straight All-Star Games without a position player on the NL roster. Instead, they’re sending a franchise-high four pitchers: closer Brian Wilson (voted in by his peers) and starters Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong (a trio of in-house choices by manager Bruce Bochy, the National League’s skipper.
All five hurlers are deserving, including Lincecum even if he owes his fourth straight All-Star spot to last fall’s playoff dominance.
Obviously, the A’s and Giants pride themselves on their pitching. That is somewhat by default. Neither side has a position player worth listing among All-Star snubs.
To truly appreciate (or denigrate) the A’s and Giants’ pitching-only representation, a trip through All-Star ledgers of every team was in order. That fact-finding mission revealed:
— Eleven franchises have never gone back-to-back years with only pitchers at the All-Star game, which has been played since 1933. That includes the historic Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals franchises. Only once in Yankees history have they been represented by just a pitcher: Scott Sanderson, 1991.
— The Kansas City Royals are threatening the A’s run of All-Star pitchers. This year’s token representative, Aaron Crow, is the fifth different Royals pitcher in six years to make the AL roster. (Outfielder Alex Gordon is on the ballot to be the final AL player selected.) The Royals also had a six-year pitcher-only stretch from 1992-97.
— The only other franchises with at least four years of pitcher-only All-Stars are the Philadelphia Phillies for six seasons (1968-73, six different pitchers including Steve Carlton in ’72), Toronto Blue Jays for five (1979-83; San Jose product Dave Stieb took three trips) and Houston Astros for four (1962-65; Dick Farrell made it thrice).
— Before moving to Oakland, the A’s final four seasons in Kansas City yielded only All-Star pitchers: John Wyatt (1964), John O’Donoghue (’65) and Catfish Hunter (’66, ’67).
None of those legacies can match the current A’s bittersweet run.
There wasn’t exactly a torch or baton passed inside the A’s clubhouse Sunday morning. When 2010 All-Star Trevor Cahill came over to congratulate Gonzalez, they high-fived, hugged and knocked knuckles. Soon after, Andrew Bailey sat next to Gonzalez and shared insight from making the past two All-Star games. Bailey’s cameo last year came in place of Cahill, who was ineligible to pitch after starting two days earlier.
“It’s kind of been a trend, with a lot of pitchers have gone from the A’s,” Cahill said in Sunday’s biggest understatement. “They put a lot of emphasis on pitching here, especially starting pitching. It’s a tribute to their system. All of us started in the minor leagues, and it says a lot about the system.”
The “us” of the past seven All-Star games would be: Mark Mulder (2004), Tim Hudson (2004), Justin Duchscherer (2005, ’08), Barry Zito (2006), Dan Haren (2007), Bailey (2009, ’10) and Cahill (2010). Now comes the crafty and friendly Gonzalez, who entered Sunday’s start with a 2.38 ERA, fourth best in the AL.
“He obviously is well deserving of the honor,” Bailey said. “The A’s should go out and market the (heck) out of him. He’s got personality that’s very approachable.”
The last two A’s position players to make the All-Star game were catcher Ramon Hernandez in 2003 and shortstop Miguel Tejada in his 2002 AL MVP season. Why the drought?
“Fan voting has a lot to do with it,” Bailey said. “That’s not to say our fans aren’t behind us. When you go against a bigger market, it’s tough. But we’re known for developing pitchers.”
The A’s are also known for an outdated stadium that handicaps hitters.
“When’s the last time a big-time power hitter came out of here? A lot don’t want to sign here,” said rookie second baseman Jemile Weeks, whose brother, Rickie, plays for the Milwaukee Brewers and was named Sunday as the NL’s starting second baseman. “This stadium is built for speed and wants you to use the gaps. That’s why I think I can help contribute.”
Mark Ellis contributed better than any second baseman in Oakland history for nearly a decade before getting dealt Thursday to Colorado. He never made an All-Star game or won a Gold Glove.
Giants catcher Buster Posey likely would have made his first All-Star game if his season hadn’t ended with a May 25 home-plate collision. Injuries also crimped All-Star bids of third baseman Pablo Sandoval and second baseman Freddy Sanchez. First baseman Aubrey Huff got paid last offseason like an All-Star (and rewarded as a champion) but hasn’t homered in a month.
Thanks to dominant pitching, however, the Giants and A’s have stars worth watching, including on July 12.
— Column by Cam Inman, Contra Costa Times
