Ever since he got off to a hot start this season, the Phillies have been pushing Odubel Herrera as the designated All-Star vote of the fans. Their twitter page has looked like this for weeks:

vote odubel

In a league where every team isn’t guaranteed an All-Star, does Herrera deserve to be one? Hell no. In a league where every team is guaranteed an All-Star, should Herrera be the designated Phillie? Probably.

Herrera’s WAR of 1.4 is the only one for a Phila batter above 0.7 (Carlos Ruiz). The team’s highest overall WAR belongs to Jerad Eickhoff (2.5), well above the next pitcher, Jeremy Hellickson, with 1.2, but with SO MUCH amazing pitching in the NL this year, are we really expecting Jerad Eickhoff to show up in San Diego? No way. Here’s how the Phils show in the top 10 NL-wide in statistical categories (not counting games played, at bats, etc.):

  • Cesar Hernandez
    • Triples – 5 (Tied 2nd)
  • Odubel Herrera
    • Bases on Balls – 41 (7th)
    • Stolen Bases – 11 (8th)
    • Singles – 65 (3rd)
  • Aaron Nola
    • K/9 – 9.791 (10th)
    • K – 99 (Tied 10th)
    • K/BB – 4.500 (7th)
    • Fielding Independent Pitching – 3.13 (10th)

The only category in which Eickhoff pops up in the top 10 is losses, where he’s tied for first (last) with Matt Harvey. Eickhoff’s nine losses don’t really mesh with his 3.36 ERA (best among Phillies starters), but they are far from All-Star numbers.

In March/April, Herrera’s OBP was third in the NL (among players with at least 75 AB) at .462, and his OBP of .393 in May was way down at 31st. In June it’s .313, ranking him 97th this month. His BA rank per month went from 26th to 28th to 99th. It’s been less of a slide and more of a plummet.

Eickhoff is out. Every batter on the Phillies is out, except Herrera. So congrats, Odubel, you’re the All-Star by default. You’re not having a terrible year. A .298/.391/.425 slash line isn’t awful, but you’re not the prettiest girl at the dance. You’re the only girl.