ESPN's Keith Law Would Have Made It Five Dodger All-Stars

It's funny to think of Hyun-Jin Ryu being snuck anywhere. But Keith Law of ESPN would have snuck Hyun-Jin Ryu on the 2014 NL All-Star team, ahead of Tyson Ross (link insider only):

Tyson Ross [being selected] over Stephen Strasburg: Ross is the token Padre, and that's a stupid, stupid rule; if you're a team GM or owner and don't want to see your club shut out of the All-Star Game, try getting better players. Meanwhile, the NL leader in strikeouts gets left home, and it's not like this is Strasburg's first time having success in the majors.

He has gotten very little help from his defense, with a .348 BABIP, but he's also been uncharacteristically bad this year with men on base, giving up a .311/.354/.439 line that's well above his career norm. If you're looking only at 2014 and only at ERA (or ERA and won-lost record), he doesn't look like an All-Star. If you're looking at the things he can control, and at his history beyond this season, he clearly belongs. And he has the fame factor in his corner, too; people might tune in just to watch him pitch.

I might also have tried to sneak Hyun-Jin Ryu on to the roster; he's top-10 in the NL in fWAR, getting great results with his new curveball, and having a Korean-born player in the game would give the game's ratings in Korea an enormous boost.

Nice to see Ryu getting some love out there. Next year, Hyun-Jin!