Brewers: 3 Position Players Who Need Your 2021 All-Star Vote

2. 2B Kolten Wong

Brewers fans, not to mention the rest of the NL, were already plenty familiar with new second baseman Kolten Wong, and he has been as good as advertised. But would you believe that the two-time Gold Glove winner hasn’t yet made an All-Star game in his career?

Perhaps it is because he has had generally solid, but never “blow you away” offensive numbers in the past. His career .262/.334/.388 slash line is decent, however he has never had more than 12 homers, 61 RBIs, or 71 runs scored in any single season.

This year, Wong is stepping up a few of those offensive numbers. While his .283 batting average is hovering around his .285 career high, his .447 slugging percentage, .793 OPS, 116 OPS+, and 117 wRC+ would all represent career highs.

The offense has been good for Kolten Wong, and the defense has been stellar, but is it good enough to make him a Brewers All-Star?

The competition at second base is tight in the National League this year, but Wong still compares favorably. His batting average is fourth out of the fifteen second basemen on the ballot while his OPS ranks eighth.

And though defense unfortunately doesn’t always translate to All-Star appearances (just look at his track record) it could be argued that he is the best defensive second baseman on the ballot. Wong hasn’t made an error yet in 2021 and his six defensive runs saved rank second among qualified second basemen, one off the lead.

Like we mentioned, though, the competition is stiff. Ozzie Albies of the Braves (9 HR, 30 RBIs) has a previous All-Star appearance and name recognition in his favor. The Rockies’ Ryan McMahon (13 HR, 32 RBIs) and the Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. (9 HR, 30 RBIs) have had big seasons for their respective clubs as well.

There is now runaway favorite at the second base position, though, so voting will be tight. Should Wong go on a hot streak and keep up his amazing defense, he could sneak his way into his first career All-Star nod.