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A question that has been repeated a lot this year is "Who will be the Padres' All Star?" Well, now we have our answer. No one really stepped up to claim the spot. Former All Star Carlos Quentin missed much of the beginning of the season. Another former All Star Edinson Volquez has been running hot and cold and hasn't put up the numbers of an All Star since his rookie. Up-and-comer Chase Headley is having a career year, but was probably squeezed out at his position and doesn't have the popularity of some other players.
Huston Street is a worthy All Star. Let's get that out of the way. The one knock you can have on him is that he spent time on the DL and plays for a team that doesn't win much so his saves total is low. However, it's not like he's new to the saves business. He's got 189 of them in his career. The All Star team isn't entirely about first half statistics. Players can prove their worth over previous seasons as well. On top of that, the recent trend with "This game counts" mentality is to select relief pitchers that can get outs. Street is certainly that and his recent form would give you confidence that he could do that in this game.
Still, Chase Headley can still be considered a snub. If you use the Wins Above Replacement that Fangraphs.com publishes, you can see that Chase has been one a top 15 position player this year in terms of value. In 2009, he played at a high level as well. He's by no means one of the top snubs in the NL, but in a world where at least one Padre has to be selected, he was as deserving as Street.
