Were these 3 Mets All-Star snubs -- or not?

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

I’m not a big fan of the word “snub,” which tends to be a popular noun this time of year. Each July, fans across the league express surprise that certain players didn’t make the All-Star team. Sometimes, the criticism is fair. Sometimes, it’s not.

I do think it’s appropriate, however, to discuss the candidacies of several Mets after merely one of them -- Pete Alonso -- received the green light to Texas. Alonso, as one of six National League players with at least 18 home runs, had a credible case to make the NL team. Tack on the fact that he’s a two-time Home Run Derby champion who is again scheduled to take part in the event this year, and it’s easy to see why Alonso made the cut.

But the Mets did have several other worthy candidates, two of whom expressed public disappointment that they didn’t earn inclusion. With the caveat that All-Stars get added every year as various players drop because of injuries, these three in particular seem worthy of discussion:

? SS Francisco Lindor

If there is indeed a shortstop snub in the NL, it’s Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz, an electrifying talent who made the team as a reserve, but probably deserved to start. He lost to Philadelphia’s Trea Turner, who won the fan vote to start despite ranking seventh among NL shortstops in fWAR.

That’s not to say Turner, with numbers suggesting he’s been the second-best offensive shortstop in the NL behind Mookie Betts, is an unworthy All-Star. Quite the opposite. But if the NL replaces the injured Betts with another shortstop, Lindor will be the obvious candidate to replace him.

Then there is CJ Abrams, who has posted a significantly higher OPS (.850), league-adjusted OPS+ (144), and wRC+ (137) than Lindor (his OPS is .759, his OPS+ is 119 and his wRC+ is 119). Abrams, who leads NL shortstops in bWAR (2.2), made the team as Washington’s lone (and obvious) representative.

Considering all of the above -- Turner won the fan vote, De La Cruz leads NL shortstops in one version of WAR, Abrams paces NL shortstops in the other version while also serving as the best player on a team in need of a rep -- it becomes easier to see why Lindor didn’t make it.

But here’s the argument for Lindor: Since mid-May, he’s been the best NL shortstop by just about any measure. He’s tied for the NL lead at the position with 15 home runs and is -- along with De La Cruz and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. -- one of two shortstops in either league to make the midseason 15-15 club. It’s somewhat hard to believe that Lindor, who qualified for four consecutive All-Star Games with the Guardians from 2016-19, has never done so since joining the Mets.

He’s either going to snap that streak as an injury replacement this year or be a victim of a talented NL shortstop pool. On numbers alone, Lindor clearly belongs in the conversation.

? OF Brandon Nimmo

It’s somewhat easier to believe Nimmo has never made an All-Star team, given his reputation as more of a steady contributor than a player who wows in any one area. But consider that Nimmo -- who, by the way, is capable of playing all three outfield positions and thus could be a useful tool for NL manager Torey Lovullo -- ranks third among NL outfielders in fWAR and sixth in bWAR. As it turns out, steady contributions can add up.

Nimmo probably had a better first half than San Diego’s Jackson Merrill, but Merrill earned inclusion via the player vote. Otherwise, Nimmo might have made the team instead. The six other outfielders on the NL team all have strong cases, meaning that much like Lindor, Nimmo stands a solid chance of being the next man up if the league needs an injury replacement.

He is certainly one of the best players in baseball never to make an All-Star team.

? RHP Luis Severino

Before his last start, in which he allowed seven earned runs, Severino seemed like a reasonable bet to make the roster. The fact that Severino’s ERA subsequently spiked nearly half a run took him out of realistic contention, considering he no longer ranks in the Top 20 in the NL in ERA or WHIP. Combine that with Severino’s low strikeout rate and the fact that only eight starting pitchers make the All-Star team, and his exclusion no longer seems like a snub at all -- even if the NL winds up needing a replacement pitcher or two.