Should Stephen Strasburg Be an All-Star? Does MLB Need Him To Be?

Major League Baseball will announce the All-Star rosters on Sunday, and there has beenmuch debate about whether or not Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg, deserves to be a member of the National League team.

Those who want Strasburg in the All-Star game mention that he has been dominant in four of his five starts and point to his 2.27 ERA and 48 strikeouts in just 31.2 innings pitched. But, that last stat is exactly why the Nationals' starting pitcher does not deserve to be a 2010 National League All-Star.

31.2 innings pitched. He will have one more start before the rosters are announced, so if he pitches a complete game, (even though the Nationals will not let him) the most possible innings he could pitch before the break would be 40.2.

The All-Star game is supposed to reward players that have played a great first half to the season, not a great month.

Players should earn a spot on the team by pitching in or playing in the majority of the first half. If Strasburg is as good as he has shown in his first few starts, he will have plenty more opportunities to make an All-Star team.

While it is unclear whether or not he should be on the team, it is clear Major League Baseball needs him on the team.

With Strasburg on the team and the possibility of him pitching an inning, the viewership for the game would undoubtedly increase. There has been an insane amount of hype and media attention each time he has taken the mound and there is no reason to believe the attention wouldn't continue if he was at the Midsummer Classic. People are dying to see the young phenom every chance they get and would love nothing more than to see him pitch against the best that baseball has to offer. 

The viewership that would be generated by Strasburg's presence is necessary because baseball needs to restore an All-Star game that seems to be losing interest each year.