I have some good news and some bad news.

First the good news – Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, closer Kenley Jansen, reigning 2016 NL Rookie of the Year Corey Seager and likely 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger have been named to 2017 National League All-Star team.

Now the bad news – The best hitter in all of baseball, Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, and the only starting pitcher in the National League with a perfect record, Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood, were not.

On Sunday afternoon, Major League Baseball announced the 2017 All-Star Game selections and for reasons known to no one, Turner and his MLB-best .382 batting average and Wood with his 9-0 record and 1.83 ERA were snubbed.

Kershaw, Jansen, Seager and Bellinger being named to the 2017 NL All-Star team is a no-brainer. So, too, should have been Justin Turner, the best hitter in all of baseball.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

“The best hitter in baseball must be on the All-Star team. It’s Justin Turner,” former MLB manager and popular Dodgers broadcaster and baseball analyst Kevin Kennedy posted on Twitter. “He hits the best starters and closers in MLB like no one else.”

According to LA Times Dodgers beat writer Andy McCullough, Kennedy isn’t the only one upset with the snubbings.

The 88th annual Midsummer Classic will be played on Tuesday, July 11 at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida at 5:00 p.m. PT and televised nationally on FOX.

Turner is seeking his first All-Star selection and has made a strong All-Star push by leading the majors with a .382 batting average and .473 on-base percentage in 58 games, while recording 16 doubles, seven home runs, 31 RBIs, 26 multi-hit games and a 1.038 OPS. He currently sits with the fourth highest batting average at the All-Star Break since 1969, trailing just Larry Walker (.398, 1997), Tony Gwynn (.394, 1997) and Andres Galarraga (.391, 1993). Since joining the Dodgers in 2014, Turner ranks among NL leaders in batting average (.309, 4th), OBP (.380, 8th) and SLG (.503, 9th).

Although Wood is completely out of the running, Turner still has a shot at making the team via MLB’s Final Vote. The Final Vote is currently underway through MLB.com, and runs through Thursday, July 6, at 1:00 p.m. PT.

Fans can also vote for Turner via their smartphones by texting N5 to 89269 in the US and 101010 in Canada. Voting by text is limited to 35 per phone number. Additionally, during the final six hours of The Final Vote (7 am to 1 pm PT on Thursday, July 6), fans can cast their vote on Twitter using the hashtag #VoteJT. The Dodgers have partnered with the Kansas City Royals and Dodger fans are encouraged to also vote for Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas for the American League Final Vote via Twitter using the hashtag #VoteMoose.

Sunday’s 2017 All-Star team announcements marks the third time in the last four years that the Dodgers have had four or more All-Star representatives, having also done so in 2014 and 2015. Should Turner make it in via The Final Vote, it would be the third time in the last 12 years that the club would have five players selected, having also done so in 1995 and 2015.

But wait, there’s more!

At 21 years, 354 days old, Bellinger becomes the youngest position player to be named an All-Star in franchise history, an honor previously held by Corey Seager last year at 22 years, 69 days). He is also the third-youngest Dodger All-Star overall behind only pitchers Fernando Valenzuela (20 years, 281 days in 1981) and Ralph Branca (21 years, 183 days in 1947); this in spite of being promoted to the big leagues on April 25, four weeks into the 2017 season. Bellinger currently leads the National League in home runs (24), slugging percentage (.633) and home runs per at-bat (9.88), while ranking among the NL’s best in OPS (.967, 5th) and RBIs (56, 11th). The reigning NL Rookie of the Month has recorded the most homers by a Dodger in a season at the age of 21 or younger, besting Adrián Beltré, who slugged 20 homers at age 21 in 2000. Bellinger is in his first MLB season after being selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona.

Jansen will be making his second consecutive All-Star appearance after being selected for the first time last year. He currently leads MLB relievers with a 0.79 ERA and ranks among National League relievers in WHIP (0.53, 1st), strike-to-walk ratio (53.00, 1st – 53 SO/1 BB), wins (4, T-2nd), strikeouts (53, 2nd), saves (18, T-3rd) and strike per nine innings (14.03, 4th) in 32 appearances this season. The 29-year-old Willemstad, Curacao native, who is in his eighth big league season, is the Dodgers’ all-time leader in saves (207) and strikeouts by a reliever (685). He was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent on Nov. 17, 2004.

The 29-year-old Kershaw becomes the first Dodger to be named to seven consecutive All-Star teams (2011-17) since Steve Garvey (1974-81), who made eight consecutive appearances. He is also the leading candidate to start the game for the National League. His 12 wins are currently tied for most in the MLB while ranking among the league leaders in innings pitched (116.1, 2nd), quality starts (14, T-2nd), ERA (2.32, 3rd), WHIP (0.91, 3rd), strikeouts (135, 3rd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.75, 4th) and opponents’ batting average (.202, 5th) through his 17 starts. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL Most Valuable Player is in his 10th major league season after being selected by the Dodgers in the first round (7th overall pick) of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

Seager will also be making his second consecutive All-Star appearance while leading all National League shortstops in runs (57), doubles (19), home runs (13), RBIs (40) and walks (45) this season. The 23-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native currently ranks second in hits (81), batting average (.299), on-base percentage (.401) and slugging percentage (.513). The reigning National League Rookie of the Year leads the Dodgers in runs scored, hits (82) and doubles, while hitting .353 with runners in scoring position (18-for-51), which ranks 16th in the NL. Seager is in his third major league season, having been selected by the Dodgers in the first round (18th overall pick) of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Northwest Cabarrus High School in North Carolina.