Tenorio: All-Star voters shouldn’t knuckle under to pressure to pick Wakefield

Last time I checked, an earned-run average over 4 tends to decrease one’s chances of making an All-Star team. But some members of Red Sox Nation disagree.Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, they say, is the baseball version of Peter O’Toole, the consummate pro who never won the big prize – in O’Toole’s case, a Best Actor Oscar; in Wakefield’s case, an All-Star nomination. Given that Wake’s been unleashing his knuckler for almost 20 years, and given that he’s currently tied for the American League lead in wins, his supporters claim Major League Baseball owes him one this year.Now, I’ve been following Wakefield ever since he became one of Dan Duquette’s boldest and best acquisitions in 1995, and his big-league achievements are considerable. Here was a guy who nearly pitched the Pittsburgh Pirates into the 1992 World Series, twice beating Tom Glavine in the playoffs. And in his first season with the Sox, he looked like the new and improved version of Cy Young, winning 14 of his first 15 decisions.But just when fans were ready to anoint Wakefield as the successor to Cy, Satch, or Spaceman, he fizzled, dropping seven of his last nine regular-season decisions and losing Game Three of a playoff sweep by the Cleveland Indians.That first season in Boston foreshadowed Wake’s subsequent career here: moments of brilliance, like the near no-hitter he pitched earlier this year, and moments that make you want to switch the remote to something more upbeat, like the economic predictions or the weather forecast. It’s no surprise that not only is Wakefield tied for the all-time Sox lead in starts, he also leads the team in career losses.This year, Wakefield seemed to put much of the package together. There was the near no-no against Oakland, and the seven innings of one-hit ball against Cleveland. Entering Friday’s start against Seattle, his record this season was 10-3, and those 10 wins tied him for the league lead with three other pitchers. But there is the not-so-small matter of his ERA, which stands at 4.18. Twenty-six of the 50 AL pitchers listed on ESPN.com had lower ERAs, including Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals and his tops-in-the-league 1.95.All-Star nominations are supposed to represent excellence in a season, not a lifetime achievement award. Yes, there is room for a 13th pitcher now on each team thanks to the recent roster increase. But the All-Star Game must reflect fairness – each team must have at least one representative – and the AL would be best represented by pitchers who can keep their ERAs low, not by pitchers whose unpredictable offerings keep their fans guessing which side they will see of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.Some might call another All-Star snub for Wakefield unfair, but they’re ignoring the fact that during his career, he’s enjoyed other honors that some All-Stars never had. Carl Yastrzemski was an 18-time selection to the Midsummer Classic, but I’d bet he’d have traded all those awards for the World Series title he never won and that Wakefield helped the Sox capture in 2004. And Wake’s unconventional pitch, plus his postseason successes, make him a far more recognizable figure in the Red Sox pantheon than, say, Scott Cooper, a two-time All-Star with Boston.So let’s hope Wakefield continues to rack up those wins, lower that ERA, and baffle more batters with that crazy knuckler. Just not for the AL All-Star team this year.Rich Tenorio is an Item sports copy editor.