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Sunday July 14, 2013 

As we approach the All-Star Break and the teams have been selected everyone looks at who got snubbed. The Cincinnati Reds in my opinion had four players that should have made the National League All-Star team. Bruce, Choo, Leake and Latos are all worthy of All-Star Selections but this year were left off the list. Carlos Gonzalez injured his thumb and it is unknown if he will play in the game so Choo or Bruce could end up getting in after all.

By Ryan Ritchey (Baseball Writer): Follow @BaseballAddicts

The Cincinnati Reds have the fourth best record in the National League as of July 14th and only have three all-stars.

Those three all-stars are very deserving no doubt about it but they should have at least two more if not three. Those four players are Shin-Soo Choo, Jay Bruce, Mat Latos and Mike Leake.

Mike Leake has matched his win total from last season with 8 in just 18 games started this season. He is having one of his best seasons since he has come into the league.

He has been the second best starter on this Reds pitching staff behind Latos. Above all he deserves to be in New York for the All-Star Game. 

Shin-Soo Choo Walk Off Home Run on May 7, 2013:

Shin-Soo Choo has had a magnificent season for the Reds. After coming over to the Reds this winter from Cleveland, the only thing he has done is get on base. He has a .420 on base percentage which leads the National League not named Joey Votto – but he didn’t even finish in the top 6 outfielders in votes.

In the winter the Reds were in major need of a lead-off hitter and what they got was a guy by the name of Shin-Soo Choo. He has been everything they have wanted and more through the first half of the 2013.

Choo was brought in to play center field, which he had not done on a regular basis his whole career and believe it or not it has not been bad.

Yes he has had a couple miscues but for the most part has been excellent. He not only has played great defensively but been a catalyst for this Reds team. He has a .420 on base percentage which is second in the National League behind Joey Votto, and is fifth in runs scored. 

After a hit on Saturday he now has an 11 game hit streak and his batting average has climbed back up to a solid .286. He is one of the top six outfielders no doubt, just because everything he does for this Cincinnati team. 

Jay Bruce is having an all-star type first half but wasn’t awarded for it by the fans, players or Bruce Bochy. Bruce has racked up 100 Hits, 18 Home Runs, and 26 Doubles. The outfield is filled with talent in the National League but Jay Bruce should be in New York on July 16th with the first half he had for the Reds.

Every single year it seems like Jay Bruce has an up and down year. He goes 0-30 for a two week span – and then comes back the next two weeks and goes 20-30 with eight Home Runs and 20 RBI.

If he could just stay consistent and not go on a roller coaster ride every season he would be in the all-star game every year. But that’s just not the case. This year Bruce rode the roller coaster but for the most part he has been a solid asset for the Reds.

Racking up 100 Hits, 18 Home Runs, and 26 Doubles I believe that Bruce should be in the all-star game. Between him and Choo I would give the nod to Bruce just because of the production and that’s what everyone wants to see.

None the less he can still be an all-star possibly if Carlos Gonzalez decides he can’t play with a hurt finger and the MLB decides to add him to the roster. I don’t believe however that he is the most deserving of the Reds snubs.

The most deserving of all the Reds that didn’t make the all-star team is Mat Latos. He has a record of 8-3 and could easily have 12 wins if it wasn’t for the bullpen. He has been the most consistent pitcher for the Reds this season with the injury to Johnny Cueto. 

He has stepped up and became the ace of this staff like everyone knew he could. Coming over from a pitchers ball park to a hitters he has made the transition look rather easy when it’s not. 

Not only has he been the most consistent but he is a guy you can count on to give you seven innings every time out and take a load off the bullpen. That means a lot to a team when September rolls around and everyone’s arm is tired.

Do I think the Reds got snubbed by Bruce Bochy. ? Yes I do. They deserve to have more than three all-stars on that team for all the work they have done with injuries in the first half of the season.  

Mat Latos is 8 – 3 with a 3.53 ERA. He didn’t get his first loss until his 15th start of the season and has stepped up when needed this season. He should be an all-star without a doubt and it’s sad to see that he won’t be there.

*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com or their partners ***

A big thank-you goes out to Our ‘Billy Hamilton Correspondent’ Ryan Ritchey for preparing today’s featured article.  Ryan is a Baseball Writer for MLB reports. He is a sophomore at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ryan is a huge fan of Barry Larkin and Brandon Phillips  He has been a baseball fan his whole life and has been writing about baseball since his freshman year of High School. You can reach Ryan on Twitter  Follow @mlbreports

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