Tigers' Dillon Dingler may wind up being an All-Star snub

Whenever Major League Baseball releases the voting for the fans to select which position players will go to the Mid-Summer Classic, there are always snubs, even with players dropping out. 

This season, Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler might be one of those snubs, as he is currently fourth in the voting among American League catchers (261,084, as of June 15), but he has shown worthy of his first All-Star nod. 

Dillon Dingler has what it takes to make the All-Star Game, but is it enough? 

Dingler has been one of the best defensive catchers in the sport this season (a two-time Gold Glove winner and producing two defensive runs saved this year) and has turned up the offense to compete with the more "bat-first" catchers ahead of him. The 28-year-old's 16 home runs are second to the Athletics' Shea Langeliers (18). 

According to MLB.com's Will Leitch, Dingler's impressive slash line so far this month (.351/.381/.737) could help his case to jump Langeliers, the Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman (261,607) and the Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk (298,401) in the voting. 

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"Dingler has always been known as a terrific defensive catcher," wrote Leitch. "Most defensive metrics put him at or near the top of his position, as anyone who watches him regularly already knows. His bat has come around this season. Very much so, actually: Dingler has been an absolute monster in June, putting up a .358/.390/.774 slash line through Tuesday and launching five homers.

Leitch adds: "Dingler’s 16 homers are already a career high, and when you combine that with these defensive numbers, he is, in fact, according to FanGraphs WAR, roughly a Top 10 player in the sport so far this season. Sure, the Tigers have been a disappointment. But Dingler sure hasn’t."

Langeliers will be hard to dismiss as the starter, given how well he has done (.276/.864), but Dingler is second in runs among catchers (36) and leading in triples (two). If Dingler can add a couple more triples to his resume before the voting ends, that could help his case. 

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