Snyder's Soapbox: Juan Soto's stats show why he should be an All-Star, his comments show why he was snubbed

The Mets' $765M man should've been an All-Star, and he should also probably keep his monetary thoughts to himself

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ATLANTA -- There is always talk about snubs for the All-Star Game, and this season it seemed like the most complaining we've ever seen. Yet very few people went to bat for Juan Soto. What has happened with him and how he's talked about this season is, frankly, outrageous. 

Pretend you don't know anything about Soto. Pretend he's a rookie making six figures. Now, do you think the player who ranks fourth in the entire majors in on-base percentage and is tied for 10th in home runs is an All-Star? He's 11th in OPS. No, this isn't just the NL, which is the All-Star team on which he should be rostered. If we went with just the NL, Soto is second in OBP, 13th in slugging, eighth in OPS and seventh in home runs. 

And yet, he's barely even been discussed among all the outrage over snubs. Why? Well, I have a few ideas. 

First off, there are 765 million reasons. Yes, that record-breaking contract he signed in December carries with it a stigma. It's one Soto can live with, to be clear, but there's a stigma. Jealousy is one of the ugliest human emotions but it is relentless. People are jealous that Juan Soto has a $765 million contract to play baseball for a living. 

And if you have that contract, you better not dare start off the season slow. Sure enough, Soto had the audacity to be hitting .229 through June 5. He's a much better OPS guy than batting average anyway, and there's probably something to that in terms of him not being an All-Star this season, but remember that we all had to endure two-plus months of "what is wrong with Juan Soto?" questions in the media and that sticks with people. It's hard to shake. He's hit .325/.451/.658 since and the "Juan Soto is hot" discussion hasn't even come close to gaining the steam the the "what's wrong with Juan Soto?" discussion got. 

Again, that's just the contract and what comes with it. 

There's also a worthy discussion to be had about what an All-Star Game is for. Is it truly just a reward for the players who had the best first half? Or is it literally "ALL STARS ARE HERE." How many players in baseball are definitely bigger stars than a 26-year-old Juan Soto. He's played in two World Series, been to the LCS with three different teams and has finished in the top five of MVP voting three times. 

If the All-Star Game is just a reward for the players who are having the best season, here's a reminder that Soto's 3.9 WAR is sixth among NL position players. Yes, I'm aware that WAR isn't the only stat that matters, but I offered up several other stats above. I could point out that he's third in runs scored, too. 

Is sixth in WAR, third in runs, second in OBP, eighth in OPS and seventh in homers worthy of being an All-Star? 

C'mon. 

Then again, Soto didn't exactly help his own cause last week when asked if he should make the All-Star Game. His answer? 

"I think it's a lot of money on the table if I make it." (Via SNY)

Sigh. 

Soto would've gotten a $100,000 bonus if he made the team. He's gonna have to settle for the $51,875,000 in salary without that bonus that would be 0.19% of his salary. 

And this is one of the main reasons many people didn't want him to be an All-Star. 

So, yeah, Soto is deserving of being an All-Star any which way we look at the matter, but there are other factors at play, and he didn't help himself with that comment.