Adam Ottavino feels he was snubbed from the All-Star team, and he thinks being a member of the Colorado Rockies has a lot to do with it.
The Rockies reliever spoke after the All-Star teams were announced on Sunday and said he was “not surprised” because of a bias against Rockies pitchers.
“I’m not surprised,” Ottavino said, via The Athletic’s Nick Groke. “It’s because I’m on the Rockies. Pitchers don’t get any credit playing for the Rockies.”
Ottavino has been stellar in the Rockies’ pen this season. He’s gone 4-2 with two saves and 17 holds, impressively striking out 63 in 40.1 innings. His 1.79 ERA and 0.92 WHIP are tough to beat, too.
So what’s the issue? It seems that relief pitchers who are not closers have a tougher time receiving recognition, particularly for All-Star teams. But when you make noise like he is, that’s how you get attention so folks don’t overlook you. The strategy seemed to work for one of his AL pitching colleagues.
