San Francisco Giants 2015 All-Stars: Bumgarner, Crawford and Panik will join Posey on Bochy-led NL squad
Buster Posey was the only player on the Giants to be voted into the 2015 All-Star Game, but Bruce Bochy will be bringing a few more of his guys with him to Great American Ballpark on July 14.
The reserves for both All-Star rosters were announced Monday evening, and Madison Bumgarner, Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik all got the nod for the NL squad. This marks Bumgarner’s third-straight selection, while Crawford and Panik will be joining baseball’s best for the first time in their respective careers.
The #SFGiants #AllStar Fab Four
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 7, 2015
Posey
Bumgarner
Crawford
Panikhttps://t.co/LXgN8EmzsD
Some might cite favoritism for both members of the Giants’ middle infield making the cut, but Crawford and Panik—or “Crawnik” as the double-play tandem has affectionately become known as—were deserving of the honor.
Crawford’s average is on the downturn, but he leads NL shortstops with 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in, and is head-and-shoulders above the competition with a 4.0 WAR, according to ESPN.
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His double-play partner trails only Dee Gordon in WAR and average amongst NL second baseman, and paces his counterparts in OPS at .815. The competition at Panik’s position was a tight one, though, and will likely lead to outcries from the Cardinals’ (Kolten Wong) and Reds’ (Brandon Phillips) fan bases.
The same can be said of Bumgarner’s selection, as the World Series hero might have been pushed over the hump by name value. Looking at the main counting stats for NL starting pitchers, MadBum only rates in the top ten in wins and strikeouts, though his ERA (3.34) and WHIP (1.08) are nothing to shake your head at.
All in all, the Giants fan base has to be elated with this four-man representation. Given that Bochy will be calling the shots, there’s a good chance Posey will get to catch Bumgarner, and with a little luck, we might even see a patented Crawnik double-play get turned.
Congrats, boys. You’ve earned it.