Milwaukee Brewers: Should Jesus Aguilar be an All-Star?

Jesus Aguilar has made himself a staple in the Milwaukee Brewers’ lineup with power and clutch hitting. Has he done enough to warrant an All-Star selection?

Heading into the season, many questions surrounded Jesus Aguilar. Would he even make the Milwaukee Brewers roster out of spring training? How often would he play? Would his production suffer in a part-time role?

Well, he wound up making the roster out of spring training as a bench bat and became much more than that. When Eric Thames injured his thumb, Aguilar stepped in and showed he deserved to play every day. In fact, he’s even put himself in position to vie for a spot on the All-Star team. Does he have what it takes to actually make the squad?

Jesus Aguilar’s Stats

Through 67 games this season, Aguilar holds a .299/.358/.597 slash line. That slugging percentage is actually third-best in the National League, and his OPS is in the top 10. He also tallied 16 home runs and 50 RBI already, both of which put him on pace for career bests. Though he’s only fourth in the National League in homers, he actually leads the league in at-bats per home run (12.6).

Other metrics suggest this performance isn’t a fluke, either. His BABIP is at a reasonable .328 mark, and despite the fact that he has a 24.9 percent strikeout rate, he’s walking nearly nine percent of the time. This keeps his on-base percentage at a solid level to help him impact games for the Milwaukee Brewers even when he’s not making contact.

Comparing Jesus Aguilar to other NL First Basemen

For comparison’s sake, let’s put Aguilar’s slash line next to a few unidentified first basemen.

Aguilar: .299/.358/.597

Player B: .264/.376/.529

Player C: .305/.433/.467

Can you guess who Players B and C are? Player B is actually Paul Goldschmidt. He has a relatively similar slash line despite his rough start to the season, but Aguilar actually tops him in two of the three categories.

Player C has a significantly higher on-base percentage, but his slugging numbers are lackluster in comparison to Aguilar. Give up? It’s Joey Votto, who was in the MVP conversation just a year ago.

Let’s set slash lines aside for a bit. How does Aguilar stack up in terms of raw counting stats?

Aguilar: 16 HR, 50 RBI, 37 R, 12 2B, 0 3B

Goldschmidt: 17 HR, 41 RBI, 54 R, 15 2B, 4 3B

Votto: 8 HR, 41 RBI, 41 R, 16 2B, 2 3B

Player D: 15 HR, 53 RBI, 48 R, 21 2B, 2 3B

I added in Player D to add another element to the conversation. Who is he? None other than top vote-getter Freddie Freeman. He has a much higher batting average than Aguilar, but honestly, those counting stats aren’t that different overall.

All in all, Jesus Aguilar has a surprisingly strong case for the All-Star Game. He’s not necessarily the top performer in any one category, but he’s competitive across the board.

Unfortunately, Aguilar is not on the All-Star ballot, so his vote tally is really hurting as a result. Never fear: there is a way you can vote for him. Simply avoid voting for any other first baseman listed, and write in his name any time you vote. You can even write him in on the online ballot!

Next: Creating A Trade Package For Jacob DeGrom

If we all work together, we can send Jesus Aguilar to the All-Star Game. #BelieveInJesus!