Should Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio have been an All-Star in 2026?
Every year, there’s a group of players who miss out on making the All-Star team and believe they should have made it over someone else, and the 2026 season is no different.
The Cleveland Guardians had three players named All-Stars, but there is one in particular who has a strong argument for being an All-Star snub: Brayan Rocchio.
Rocchio is clearly having the best season of his big-league career. The 26-year-old has bounced around the diamond from second base to shortstop, and all through the lineup, too, and he hasn’t missed a beat.
Defense has always been Rocchio’s calling card, and that has remained true once again in 2026. He owns a fielding runs value of +7 (94th percentile) and an outs above average of +7 (97th percentile).
What has really put Rocchio into the All-Star conversation in 2026 has been how consistent his bat has been so far this year. The switch-hitter owns a .276/.347/.395 slash line this season. Rocchio’s .761 OPS and his 116 wRC+ rank seventh among American League shortstops.
Jun 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) fields a ground ball for the third out of the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn ImagesWhen you combine the consistent defense with the strides Rocchio has made on offense, his total WAR for the season is 2.7.
He’s one of just five shortstops in MLB this season with at least a 2.5 fWAR. The others in the American League are Bobby Witt Jr. (4.5) and Kevin McGonigle (3.6), both of whom were named All-Stars.
Even though Rocchio didn’t make the American League All-Star roster, that shouldn’t take away from how great a season he’s putting together and how vital the 25-year-old has been to Cleveland’s success through the first half of the year.
His stats do beg the question: Was Rocchio snubbed from being an All-Star?
Given how strong the American League shortstop group is, it’s hard to say Rocchio should be ahead of players such as Witt, Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, or Ben Rice. If there’s one player, there’s a strong argument that Rocchio deserves the All-Star spot over, it’s his own teammate, Travis Bazzana.
However, Rocchio is right there in the conversation, and if any American League players opt out of the All-Star Game for any reason, Cleveland’s shortstop should be among the top candidates to replace them.
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
