Roberts and Murphy defend Misiorowski's selection to NL All-Star roster

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The addition of Milwaukee Brewers rookie phenom pitcher Jacob Misiorowski to the National League All-Star team drew mixed reactions around Major League Baseball.

Some players and fans took to social media to express their frustrations over a player with only five starts in the majors being added to the NL roster instead of other players who have put up as good, if not better, numbers during the first half of the season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who will lead the NL squad Tuesday in Atlanta, is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Roberts made it clear that he had no voice in selecting Misiorowski but sees the move as a positive, given the entertainment value of the Midsummer Classic.

“The All-Star Game is about the fans,” Roberts said Saturday. “Yes, this kid hasn’t pitched a whole lot in the big leagues, but I do think it sparks some more excitement, seeing the velocity.”

The 23-year-old Misiorowski, who is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA, quickly gained attention when he threw a 100.5 mph fastball for his first pitch in the big leagues.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said he understood the backlash from around the league but sees it as giving fans what they want.

“People want to see Miz pitch,” Murphy said. “He’s the new shiny toy in the league. It’s not deserving, that has nothing to do with it. He’s been given this opportunity. It’s not his fault.

“This wasn’t a fly-by-night decision. This is something they thought through. I think it would be really tough for the kid to say no to that.”

Murphy likened Misiorowski to former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych.

Fidrych was an All-Star his first two seasons in the majors, an unusual player who often would talk to the ball while on the mound.

Fans embraced Fidrych and his eccentricities because he had the stuff on the mound to back it up. He pitched 24 complete games as a rookie in 1976, including back-to-back games when he logged 11 innings each time.

“From what I know of The Bird, it just seems that he was really authentic and really super talented,” Murphy said. “There’s some parallels there for sure.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora thinks MLB needs to do a better job getting the best players to the All-Star Game. However, he noted that Boston left-hander Garrett Crochet had opted out of pitching in the game even before he threw a complete game shutout Saturday in order to rest his arm.

“I understand, and we’re living through it right with our ace, he went nine (innings) yesterday,” Cora said Sunday before the Red Sox hosted Tampa Bay. "He’s not going to pitch in the All-Star Game. I think we’ve got to do a better job to get the ‘best of the best’ out there. I don’t know if moving it back to Wednesday or making it that whole week event or something? There’s too many All-Stars.”

Rays manager Kevin Cash agreed that the game should be a showcase of the best.

“I know the All-Star Game, you want the players that are deserving to go and representative for their teams to go, and be able to contribute and be able to play," he said Sunday. “The fans want to see that.”

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AP freelancers Jim Hoehn in Milwaukee and Ken Powtak in Boston contributed to this report.

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