Why did Charlie Manuel add Omar Infante to the All Star team?

Jeff Passan is puzzled:

"This was the choice of one man, Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who did something remarkable: delivered baseball its worst All-Star ever on his own volition."

Worst All Star ever? The guy's batting .300, for crying out loud.

If you include replacement All Stars, there is no way Omar Infante is the worst All Star ever.

I could so easily find worse All Stars. I can probably find a worse All Star each and every year. But I'll just chalk it up to hyperbole. Passan isn't being literal.


"Nor was Manuel satisfying some sort of positional need. He’s got Brandon Phillips to back up Martin Prado at second base and Jose Reyes to spell Hanley Ramirez at shortstop. And, thanks to a new rule, one designated player who leaves the game can re-enter – and Prado, a former utilityman who has played every position but center field and catcher, could fill that role."

Wrong.

Of course Joey Votto deserves to be on the All Star team, etc., etc. Every year, dozens of underserving players miss out. Lucky for them. Take a few days off and catch up on episodes of "Dancing With the Stars." (Sorry, Lupica, you don't have a copyright on that particular cultural reference.)

Jose Reyes is hurt right now and, even if it's a minor injury, there really is no reason for the Mets to allow him to play in the All Star game. So Jeff Passan's solution is that Martin Prado plays every infield position for the whole game?


In any case, the decision to include Infante is not puzzling at all. You can ask Charlie Manuel and I know 100% what he's going to say.

Manuel chose Infante because the NL All Stars has enough power-hitting first basemen and Manuel is looking for some diverse skill sets which may provide decision-making flexibility.

Heck, if I was composing a roster, I probably don't need Joey Votto when I've already got Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Adrian (don't call me Juan) Gonzalez.


Tie game, ninth inning and I need a homerun. Where is Joey Votto when I need him? Oh, wait, it's not a problem. I still have Ryan Howard available to pinch hit.

Tie game, ninth inning and I need a sac bunt. Who you gonna call? Omar Infante, that's who. (To be fair, I have no idea if Infante can bunt. Or hit and run. Or steal bases. But I'm making a leap of faith that Manuel wants some balance on his roster.)


You can agree or disagree with the decision, but please don't act like you're puzzled. The reasoning behind the decision is obvious.