Seiya Suzuki is the odd man out of the All-Star game

 

The list of Asian baseball players making the all-star team is limited, so I have limited two distinct categories. Those who will be or might be an all-star and those who won’t be and could have been an all-star.

      Seiya Suzuki at the batter's box in 2025 

Those who will be or might be

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani may be the only Asian player to be guaranteed a spot in the MLB all-star. There’s no doubt he’s an all-star, not just because of the fan votes, but rather what he’s shown. A candidate for Cy Young as a pitcher and one of the best hitters in the league with a .291 BA, good enough for top 20 in the league, along with 18 homers, good enough for top 25, and hitting 50 RBIs, good enough to be to 35 in MLB, and boasting an OPS of .939, good enough to be top 5 in the whole league. With so many players in the league, ranking even top 50 in all of those categories is tough to do. In fact, he may be the only player in the world to do so while boasting an ERA of 1.47 as a pitcher.

Shohei’s biggest obstacle for winning Cy Young is innings pitched. Cy Young pitchers are expected to throw at least 170-180 plus innings. And, since he only pitches every six days, he could possibly come short to that distinction. The only way he could win it is if he puts up a level of dominance never seen before like lowering his ERA to .50 or something. With this many games left in the season, that’s almost unreachable just like that song “The Impossible Dream” from a Broadway musical entitled "Man of La Mancha” sung by the character Don Quixote. But who am I to say Shohei won’t. He’s proven so many people wrong before and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he proves everyone wrong once again.

I will be looking forward to seeing Shohei Ohtani play in the all-star game once again. So, yes! Shohei is an all-star beyond imagination, the very player who signifies that even the impossible can be possible. I’m very honored to have honor to watch him play in my lifetime.

 

Kazuma Okamoto

Kazuma Okamoto still has a chance to make the all-star team as a reserve pending managerial votes. He has garnered some attention lately because of his resurgence in June with a .286 BA while boasting an OPS of .913. He has been every bit an all-star as anyone guaranteed a spot in the all-star. As of now, with over 2.1 million votes, he’s second to Junior Casimero of the Tampa Bay Rays for the starting spot.

The thing that surprised me most about Okamoto’s rookie season is the 19 homers he had hit so far. Though he has been a power hitter mostly in the NPB, hitting 30+ homers annually over there, I had my reservations about how well his power would translate in the MLB level. Well, it turns it, it wasn’t a problem at all.

 

Players who will not be an all-star and could be an all-star

Jung Hoo Lee

I honestly think Lee Jung Hoo absolutely deserves to be an MLB All-Star, and as a fan, it is hard not to get excited about the way he has played this season. He has been one of the most consistent and fun hitters to watch in baseball. As of July 1, he hits .319 with a .350 on-base percentage, a .454 slugging percentage, an .805 OPS, 94 hits, 43 runs, 32 RBIs, 19 doubles, 3 triples, 5 home runs, 6 stolen bases, and only 29 strikeouts. That’s not a fluke. It shows exactly what makes him special: he puts the ball in play, gets on base, creates pressure, and gives the Giants a spark every night. Every time he steps into the box, it feels like something good can happen. In a league where so many hitters are all-or-nothing, Lee’s game feels different, and that is what makes him so easy to root for.

Jung Hoo Lee brings a different kind of excitement because he can beat you with contact, speed, gap power, and smart baseball. His 2026 season has proven to me that he is not just a good story or a player with hype from the KBO, he’s a legit MLB star. When someone’s near the top of the league in batting average, producing every day, and making his team better, I think that is exactly what the All-Star Game is supposed to recognize. I’m not going to change the way the all-star votes players in, but rather disappointed of the lack of fan votes he’s received. Come on, San Francisco! You have an all-star there, hello!

Jung Hoo Lee should be an All-Star because he has earned it. He has the numbers, the impact, the consistency, and the style of play that makes baseball fun to watch. Giants fans know how important he has been, and honestly, the rest of baseball should be paying attention too. If the All-Star Game is about rewarding the players who have been among the best in the game, then I do not see how Jung Hoo Lee gets left out. No overthinking it. Put him in the All-Star Game, although at this point most likely than not, he isn’t going to be able to be voted in. As a baseball fan, it’s very disappointing that he isn’t going to showcase his skills in the all-star game.

 

Munetaka Murakami and Seiya Suzuki

Before Munetaka Murakami got hurt, he was on pace to hit over 60 homers. The amount of attention he received at the time would have almost guaranteed him a spot in the all-star game. His rookie season was poised to be legendary in proportion. To put it in perspective, he achieved 20 homers before June, a feat never done by a rookie ever. And, even by missing more than a month, he’s only 10 homers behind Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies. If he can go on a streak of 5 homers in 5 days again a couple of times in the remainder of season, who knows? Murakami goes on streaks and when he’s destruction mode, he hits homers like no tomorrow. His return to the White Sox lineup is closing him. And it looks like it could be before the all-star break.

Seiya Suzuki is the odd man odd. Despite leading the MLB with 73 RBIs, hitting 23 homers, and leading his team in slugging at .550, fan voting kept him out of the running before the process even got hold of it. As a designated hitter, with stars like Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber, he's left out of it because it may have just the way all-stars are voted in. Many times, its star power, not necessarily because the player is absolutely much better. In comparison, Suzuki beats Schwarber in OPS at .880 to Schwarber's .820, in RBIs 73 to Schwarber's 65, and in batting average .280 to Schwarber's .240. In other words, Seiya in head-to-head comparison with Ohtani and Schwarber, he's holding his own.