Nico Hoerner's All-Star snub is just as noteworthy as Seiya Suzuki's

Much has been made (rightfully so) of Seiya Suzuki, the league's RBI leader, not making the All-Star roster. While second baseman Nico Hoerner might not be as high-profile of a snub as Seiya, it is worth looking at what he has done this year compared to others at second base in the National League.

How Nico Hoerner's All-Star credentials stack up in NL

Right now, the National League has Arizona's Ketel Marte penciled into the starting lineup at second base, with St. Louis' Brendan Donovan as a reserve. Donovan is the qualified fWAR leading second baseman (2.7) in the league, with Marte and Hoerner tied for second (2.4) as of July 7. Purely going off that, the three are pretty close.

What is more interesting is looking at the offensive stats. Donovan is slashing with .330/.397/.485 with seven homers, 26 RBIs and a 149 wRC+. Marte is slashing .280/.388/.555 with 16 homers, 31 RBIs and 158 wRC+. Hoerner is slashing .289/.338/.385 with three homers, 37 RBIs and 106 wRC+.

It's funny to see Hoerner with more RBIs than Donovan or Marte, as he is hitting .400 with RISP, but his wRC+ is notably lower with the other two's ability to slug and get on base more. It's no secret that Hoerner's main value as a hitter is putting the ball in play. He just will not take a ton or walks or slug the ball over the fence.

Now, that does not mean Hoerner has no value as a hitter by any means; he hits for average and puts the ball in play, rarely striking out while setting up the next hitters in the order. From a team-building perspective, he's incredibly valuable, but slugging and on-base percentage carry a lot of weight in the All-Star voting and selection processes.

Something that does not carry as much weight as it maybe should is defense. It certainly does in fWAR calculations, but not as much in All-Star voting. Hoerner is by far the best defender at second in baseball this year. He is first in MLB among second basemen in DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) at 12, rPM (Fielding Bible's Plus/Minus Runs Saved Above Average) at 11, OAA (Outs Above Average) at nine, and tied for first in fielding percentage at .994. He is in prime shape to win the Gold Glove at this rate.

In effect, Hoerner has arguably played well enough to be worthy of All Star honors, but it's understandable why Marte and Donovan were named to the Midsummer Classic ahead of him. Unfortunately, his defensive mastery does not get the votes as the offensive numbers do, and today, people love their power and OPS numbers.

From a fan perspective, it's extremely noteworthy, but in the larger MLB landscape, it's not as egregious as Suzuki's snub, or arguably even Michael Busch. This should not, however, take away from how good Hoerner has been for the Cubs.