Jonathan Lucroy Should Be The Starting Catcher In The All-Star Game

When we think of top-notch catchers in the National League, we tend to think of Yadier Molina and Buster Posey, and maybe even Carlos Ruiz at one point or another. But we forget about a catcher who is one of the most underrated players in baseball — Jonathan Lucroy.

Lucroy, who has taken over the face of the franchise for the Milwaukee Brewers, is having a career year and should be destined to make his first All-Star Game. However, as of yesterday, he’s fourth among NL catchers in All-Star voting, trailing the aforementioned Molina and Posey, along with Evan Gattis.

This is absurd, and here’s why:

Lucroy is clearly having a better year than the vote leaders head of him. Despite having the least amount of home runs on that chart, his slugging percentage comes second to only Gattis.

The Brewers catcher has the highest wOBA (.386) and wRC+ (144). He’s struck out the least and walked the most. I don’t need more statistics to back up my position. What else does the guy have to do to get some votes?

Not only should Lucroy be voted into the All-Star Game, he should start. With Brian McCann finally out of the NL, Lucroy finally has a legitimate chance of being selected. But since this is a popularity vote, the fans may squander a chance to see the best catcher in the National League.