From All-Star snub to MVP in the same year? It can happen

Every year after the All-Star fan vote is tabulated and the final roster selections are made, there seems to be at least one deserving player who doesn’t make the cut.

But sometimes, the snubbed get the last laugh. Every now and then, a non-All-Star goes on to a bigger honor: an MVP Award. Since the first All-Star Game in 1933, there have been 12 players who missed the Midsummer Classic but ended up with serious hardware later in the year.

So, as 2024 All-Star voting continues, if your favorite player misses out on that glory, take solace in this: Greater glory could be on the horizon.

(Note: This list doesn't include Freddie Freeman and José Abreu, who won MVPs in 2020, when there was no All-Star Game because of COVID, or Hal Newhouser and Phil Cavarretta, who won in 1945, when there was no game because of World War II.)

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2021: Bryce Harper, OF, Phillies

Harper's first half in 2021 was arguably worthy of an All-Star selection – .282 average, 15 homers, .899 OPS – but there was a lot of competition among outfielders that year. In the initial round of voting, Harper placed seventh among outfield finalists, and also was not chosen to replace an injured Ronald Acu?a Jr. on the roster.

Perhaps the snub was motivation for Harper. In his first 20 games after the All-Star break, he hit a scorching .397 with a 1.278 OPS. He stayed hot for the rest of the season, hitting .338 with 20 homers and a 1.188 OPS in the second half. His final 2021 totals: .309 average, 35 homers and a 1.044 OPS. That was enough for Harper to capture his second NL MVP Award.

2007: Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies

While Rollins had an All-Star argument in the first half (16 homers, .847 OPS), he turned things up a notch in the second half for the division-winning Phillies, batting .308 with a .908 OPS and tallying a league-leading 101 hits – which included a league-leading 10 triples – and 68 runs scored after the All-Star break. This brought his season totals to 212 hits, 30 homers, an NL-leading 20 triples and 139 runs, and an OPS of .875.

Combined with his strong defense at shortstop, Rollins' season was good for a bWAR of 6.1, which, while strong, ranked just seventh among MVP vote-getters. But Rollins' constant presence on the bases and his ability to produce runs, particularly in the second half, resonated with voters and was enough to secure the award.

2006: Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins

Morneau went into the All-Star break with 23 homers and 73 RBIs, both of which ranked first among primary first basemen in the American League. Yet his name was absent from the All-Star roster. But if you look deeper, Morneau's snub makes more sense.

The '06 All-Star Game was played in Pittsburgh, an NL city, meaning there was no DH. That also meant some of the AL's big names – David Ortiz and Jim Thome specifically – were listed as first basemen because that had previously been their main position. But by 2006, both primarily served as a DH. Adding to the first base crowd was Paul Konerko, who was hitting .314 with 20 homers at the break.

But Morneau certainly didn't let the snub affect his play in the second half. He hit .343 with a .930 OPS after the break to finish with a .321/.375/.559 slash line to go with 34 homers and 130 RBIs for the first-place Twins. It was enough to convince voters of his MVP worthiness.

1999: Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves

Just looking at the stats, Chipper Jones almost certainly should've been an All-Star in 1999. His .422 on-base percentage and 1.011 OPS in the first half led all qualified NL third basemen, and his 21 homers were second-most among the group. Yet Jones spent the All-Star break, well, on break.

But that doesn't mean there wasn't a reason for the snub. MLB rules state that every team must have at least one All-Star representative. And in 1999, that meant Ed Sprague (Pirates) and Alex González (Marlins) got the nod over Jones.

So Jones produced a second half much like his first half, only better. He clubbed 24 homers and carried a 1.157 OPS the rest of the way, finishing with a .319 average, 45 homers, 41 doubles, 110 RBIs and a 1.074 OPS for the year, winning 96 percent of the MVP voting share.

1996: Juan González, OF, Rangers

It was really hard to stand out in the offense-rich era of the late 1990s. Even though González put up numbers that would traditionally be considered All-Star-worthy, there was nothing exceptional about them in 1996.

His 22 first-half homers were tied for eighth-most (with EIGHT other guys) in the AL, as were his 70 RBIs. His 1.032 OPS was a distant seventh among the first-half league leaders. But like others on this list, González was able to stand out in the second half.

From the start of the second half through Sept. 11, González was on fire, hitting .344 with 22 homers, 63 RBIs and a 1.019 OPS. Despite a cooldown after that, the hot stretch proved enough to stick in the minds of voters when it came time to vote for MVP. González's final line in 1996: .314 average, 47 homers, 144 RBIs and a 1.011 OPS.

1991: Terry Pendleton, 3B, Braves

Pendleton had a solid All-Star case heading into the break, including a .324 average and an .889 OPS, but there were lots of other candidates who had been as good or better.

But Pendleton's second-half performance stood out for two main reasons. First, he continued to be quite good, batting .316 and slugging .521 after the break as the Braves headed toward a surprising division title. In the end, Pendleton won the NL batting crown with a .319 average and led the league in hits with 187. He also finished with 22 homers and led the NL with 303 total bases.

Secondly, Pendleton benefited from the worst-to-first narrative that captured the baseball world during the Braves' second-half surge to the World Series. So, ultimately, good stats and a great story equaled the perfect recipe for an MVP Award.

1989: Robin Yount, OF, Brewers

By 1989, it had been six years since Yount's last All-Star appearance and seven years since his first MVP Award. It's not that he'd been bad or undeserving of All-Star consideration, but his numbers often just didn't stand out from those produced by the AL's bigger names.

But sometimes, it's more a matter of getting hot at the same time when voters start seriously making their MVP calculations. And Yount certainly did that. From July 14 through Aug. 17, he hit .403 with a 1.123 OPS, which fueled a much more standout second half.

Overall, Yount finished the year with 21 homers and 103 RBIs to go along with a final .318/.384/.511 slash line. It all added up to 7.3 offensive WAR, which led the AL. Though no form of WAR was on the minds of MVP voters in 1989, Yount's bat certainly passed the eye test in a way that stood above his peers and allowed him to add another major piece to his trophy case.

1988: Kirk Gibson, OF, Dodgers

Not only did Gibson not make the All-Star team in 1988, he didn't make the All-Star team at ANY point in his career. In 1988, his first-half numbers were strong, but not exceptional. He hit .299 with 15 homers and carried a .901 OPS.

Gibson's full 1988 stats don't immediately jump out as MVP-worthy: .290, 25 homers, 76 RBIs, .860 OPS. He didn't lead the league in any offensive category, didn't have a large number of homers or a particularly high batting average. But he did a lot of things well (see his 31 stolen bases), which is why his bWAR was 6.5 and right there among the league leaders. Ultimately, it's not all that strange that voters considered him the NL's most valuable player.

As a reminder, MVP votes are taken before the end of the regular season, so Gibson's famous pinch-hit walk-off homer in Game 1 of the World Series had nothing to do with it.

1979: Willie Stargell, 1B, Pirates

Stargell was already a seven-time All-Star when the 1979 season rolled around, and after an All-Star appearance in 1978, it would've made sense to see him there again – especially after he hit .306 with 18 homers and a .976 OPS in the first half. But baseball can be weird and cruel, and Stargell didn't make the cut.

His second half wasn't nearly as strong as his first. He hit .256 with an OPS of .834. But he did hit 14 homers, which was a sizable half-season total back then, and his overall numbers were strong: .281, 32 homers and a .904 OPS. Plus, the "We Are Family" Pirates, of which he was the unquestioned leader, were on their way to a championship, which always helps in awards discussions.

It was all enough to earn lots of MVP votes. Stargell finished that tally tied with Cardinals first baseman Keith Hernandez, resulting in co-MVPs for the first and only time in MLB history.

1978: Dave Parker, OF, Pirates

A couple of factors likely doomed Parker's chances for an All-Star berth in 1978.

First, he scuffled for a big chunk of the first half, hitting just .225 with a .644 OPS in May. Second, he suffered a fractured cheekbone in late June that kept him from being considered as a reserve or replacement option. Still, his first-half numbers were good: .316 average, 13 homers and a .913 OPS.

But once Parker returned from the cheek injury (and adjusted to wearing a hockey-style face mask), he really took off. From July 16 through the end of the season, Parker hit .351 with 17 homers, 70 RBIs and a 1.042 OPS. He finished the year with an MLB-best .334 average to go with 30 homers, 117 RBIs and an MLB-leading .979 OPS, making him the easy choice for NL MVP.

1956: Don Newcombe, P, Dodgers

On the surface, it might've seemed like Newcombe was an All-Star lock in 1956. His 11 first-half wins were tied for second-most in the NL and his 3.58 ERA was solid. Yet, he was not selected for the All-Star Game.

But Newcombe would soon leave no doubt about his worthiness. Beginning with his July 15 start against the Cubs, he won 16 of 18 decisions and carried a 2.30 ERA through the end of the season. The stretch included six straight complete games and three straight shutouts. His final line: 27-7 with a 3.06 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 268 innings.

Newcombe's 27 wins led baseball, as did his 0.989 WHIP as he helped lead the Dodgers to a second straight pennant. It resulted in both the NL MVP Award and the Major League Cy Young Award, which in those days was given to just one pitcher.

1935: Hank Greenberg, 1B, Tigers

The All-Star Game was still pretty new in 1935, so the idea of snubs as we view them now wasn't really a thing. But Greenberg definitely had an All-Star case.

His 25 homers and 101 RBIs in the first half led all of baseball. But with Lou Gehrig in the AL lineup at first base, there was probably little chance Greenberg would've played anyway. The AL roster didn't even include another first baseman because Gehrig had played all nine innings in the 1933 and 1934 All-Star Games.

But Greenberg kept doing his thing in the second half, hitting .340 with a 1.014 OPS. He finished with a .328 average, an MLB-best 36 homers and 168 RBIs, and 389 total bases, which also was tops in the game. That led to a unanimous MVP win for the first time in MLB history.