All-Star Special

This week I will provide analysis on who the All-Stars are and who I think is deserving.

AL All-Stars:

Starter: C Joe Mauer, Twins: Joe deserves to start since he’s batting .323.
Starter: 1B Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: Justin Morneau should start. He’s leading AL starting first basemen in average, RBI’s, and is 3rd in HR’s. Kevin Youkilis should be a reserve.
Starter: 2B Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: Ian Kinsler deserves to start. Kinsler leads all of the AL in average, and he also leads AL second basemen in home runs and RBI’s.
Starter: 3B Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: Unfortunately, A-ROD deserves to start, with a .311 batting average, 18 home runs, and 50 RBI’s.
Starter: SS Derek Jeter, Yankees: Michael Young deserves to start, as he leads AL shortstops in batting average (.305), and RBI’s (50), and is 2nd in home runs (7). Jeter is batting .286 with 4 HR’s and 39 RBI’s.
Starter: OF Josh Hamilton, Rangers: Josh definitely deserves to start. He might have 100 RBI’s at the Al-Star break. He’s leading the AL in RBI’s (93), and leads AL outfielders in home runs (21), RBI’s (93), total bases (206), slugging percentage (.560), and is second in batting average (.313).
Starter: OF Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: Carlos Quentin deserves to start and Ichiro shouldn’t be an All-Star. Carlos has 21 home runs, 66 RBI’s, and a .266 batting average. Ichiro is hitting .302, but only has 3 HR’s and 21 RBI’s.
Starter: OF Manny Ramirez, Red Sox: I think Nick Markakis should start and Manny should not be on the team. Somehow, he didn’t even make the team or the final vote, but he has a .302 average, 14 home runs, 50 RBI’s, and a .400 OBP. It really surprises me he didn’t make the team. Manny has 17 home runs and 59 RBI’s, but a .289 AVG and a .384 OBP. Manny has good stats, but I think that there are better outfielders this year.
Starter: DH Milton Bradley, Rangers: David Ortiz actually got selected as starter, but he’s injured so Bradley is starting and he definitely deserves it.

Reserve: C Dioneer Navarro, Rays: Dioneer deserves to be a back-up catcher, he’s hitting .306 with 4 HR’s and 33 RBI’s.
Reserve: C Jason Varitek, Red Sox: Jason shouldn’t be an All-Star at all, with a .220 average and power numbers that aren’t very good. AJ Pierzynski should be here. AJ is hitting .288 with 7 HR’s and 35 RBI’s.
Reserve: 1B Justin Morneau, Twins: This should be Kevin Youkilis. Justin should start and Kevin should be a reserve.
Reserve: 2B Ian Kinsler, Rangers: This should be Dustin Pedroia. Ian and Dustin should flip-flop and have Ian start and Dustin be a reserve.
Reserve: 3B Joe Crede, White Sox: Joe has good power numbers, but is only hitting .254. I think Ramon Vazquez should be in for him. Vazquez is hitting .316 with 5 home runs and 31 RBI’s.
Reserve: 3B Carlos Guillen, Tigers: I think Mike Lowell should be in for him. Carlos is doing well, but it’s not an All-Star year, with a .284 average with 8 HR’s and 47 RBI’s. Lowell is doing much better. Mike is hitting .297 with 13 home runs and 56 RBI’s.
Reserve: 3B Evan Longoria, Rays: Evan Longoria deserves to be here with a .281 batting average, 16 HR’s and 53 RBI’s.
Reserve: SS Michael Young, Rangers: Michael should be starting and Johnny Peralta should be here. Johnny is only hitting .257, but his power numbers dominate all shortstops except for Young. Peralta has 15 HR’s and 45 RBI’s.
Reserve: OF JD Drew, Red Sox: JD has had a great year and this is where he should be.
Reserve: OF Carlos Quentin, White Sox: Carlos should be starting and Jermaine Dye should be here as the reserve. Jermaine has a .297 AVG, with 20 HR’s, and 53 RBI’s.
Reserve: OF Grady Sizemore, Indians: Grady should be here with his 22 home runs.

Pitcher: Justin Duchscherer, Athletics: Justin definitely deserves to be here. He’s done well enough that he might be the starter.
Pitcher: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays: Roy is pitching great this year, with a 12-6 record, a 2.71 ERA, 146.1 IP, and 121 K. I think he should start. What puts him over the top for me is his seven complete games. That’s more than the Astros, Mets, Giants, Marlins, Reds, Yankees, Pirates, Nationals, Tigers, Cubs and Rockies combined. That’s also more than every team other than his own team. It’s incredible.
Pitcher: Scott Kazmir, Rays: I think this spot should go to Nick Blackburn of the Twins. Scott has done well, but has only pitched 77 innings. Nick has pitched 111.1 and has a 7-4 record and a 3.72 ERA.
Pitcher: Cliff Lee, Indians: Cliff has been amazing and he has a very good chance of starting the game with his 12-2 record.
Pitcher: Joe Nathan, Twins: Joe should be in the All-Star game, as he has 26 saves and a 1.16 ERA.
Pitcher: Jonathon Papelbon, Red Sox: Jonathon should be on the team. He has 27 saves and a 2.27 ERA.
Pitcher: Mariano Rivera, Yankees: Mariano deserves to be in, he is 23-for-23 in save opportunities and has a 1.06 ERA.
Pitcher: Francisco Rodriguez, Angels: K-ROD is doing incredible this year with 36 saves, a 2.48 ERA, and he’s living up to his nickname K-ROD with 38 strike-outs.
Pitcher: Ervin Santana, Angels: Ervin should be in. He has 10 wins, a 3.53 ERA, and 112 strikeouts.
Pitcher: Joe Saunders, Angels: Joe should definitely be an All-Star. He’s having an incredible year.
Pitcher: George Sherrill, Orioles: Since I already have an Oriole in Nick Markakis, I don’t need George Sherrill. Instead of him I’ll take Zach Grienke of the Royals. Zach is having a terrific season with a 7-5 record, a 3.48 ERA, and 104 strikeouts in 124 innings pitched.
Pitcher: Joakim Soria, Royals: Joakim is having a terrific season, striking out more than one batter per inning, with 25 saves and a 1.50 ERA.

My Roster: (players in italics are changes from the actual roster)
C – Joe Mauer
1B – Justin Morneau
2B – Ian Kinsler
3B – Alex Rodriguez
SS – Michael Young
OF – Josh Hamilton
OF – Nick Markakis
OF – Carlos Quentin
DH – Milton Bradley

C – Dioneer Navarro
C – AJ Pierzynski
1B – Kevin Youkilis
2B – Dustin Pedroia
3B – Ramon Vazquez
3B – Mike Lowell
3B – Evan Longoria
SS – Johnny Peralta
OF – JD Drew
OF – Jermaine Dye
OF – Grady Sizemore

P – Justin Duchscherer
P – Roy Halladay
P – Nick Blackburn
P – Cliff Lee
P – Joe Nathan
P – Jonathon Papelbon
P – Mariano Rivera
P – Francisco Rodriguez
P – Ervin Santana
P – Joe Saunders
P – Zach Grienke
P – Joakim Soria

NL All-Stars:

Starter: C Geovany Soto, Cubs: This should be Brian McCann and Soto should be a reserve. Brian has a better batting average (.296), more homers (17), and has struck out 41 less times.
Starter: 1B Lance Berkman, Astros: Lance deserves to start. He is hitting .347 with 22 HR’s and 70 RBI’s. He’s in the top three in all of those categories among NL first basemen.
Starter: 2B Chase Utley, Phillies: Chase should be starting. He’s got a .292 AVG with 25 HR’s and 69 RBI’s. You just don’t see many second basemen with those power numbers.
Starter: 3B Chipper Jones, Braves: Chipper should definitely start. He’s got a .373 batting average and still has 18 home runs. It’s just incredible what he’s doing.
Starter: SS Hanley Ramirez, Marlins: Hanley should start the All-Star game. He’s got a .313 batting average with 23 HR’s and 45 RBI’s. Those are very good numbers and no other shortstop matches them.
Starter: OF Ryan Braun, Brewers: Ryan deserves to start. He’s is batting .290 and has 23 homers and 66 RBI’s. Last year he was Rookie of the Year and this year he’s an All-Star starter. Watch out for this guy.
Starter: OF Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs: Nate McLouth should be starting here and Kosuke should not be an All-Star. Nate is having an incredible breakthrough year. He’s batting .284 with 18 homers and 62 RBI’s. He’s got better numbers than Kosuke at every one of those stats.
Starter: OF Matt Holliday, Rockies: Matt (added to the starting lineup due to Alfonso Soriano’s injury) should be starting for sure. He’s got a .340 AVG and good power numbers, too. He’s quietly been doing well.

Reserve: C Russell Martin, Dodgers: Russell Martin should be here. He’s one of the best catchers in average, home runs, and RBI’s.
Reserve: C Brian McCann, Braves: Geovany Soto should be here. Brian and him should flip-flop between starting and being a reserve.
Reserve: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Padres: Adrian is hitting .281, which is pretty good. His power numbers don’t disappoint, either. He’s tied for 2nd among NL first basemen with 22 HR’s and he ranks 2nd with 71 RBI’s. He should definitely be in.
Reserve: 1B Albert Pujols, Cardinals: Pujols has a .469 OBP. Anybody with that who starts should be in with no questions asked. Not to mention a .350 batting average with 18 HR’s and 49 RBI’s.
Reserve: 2B Dan Uggla, Marlins: Dan is another slugging second baseman. He has a very good batting average, a very good amount of RBI’s and 23 HR’s.
Reserve: 3B Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: Aramis should be in this spot. He is batting .289 with 17 homers and 66 RBI’s. He’s having a terrific year.
Reserve: 3B David Wright, Mets: David is having a good year, but I think that Garret Atkins of the Rockies should have this spot. Garrett has a .311 batting average and has 14 HR’s and 54 RBI’s. Garrett should be an All-Star. David Wright is hitting .285 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI’s.
Reserve: SS Christian Guzman, Nationals: The Nationals need a player and Guzman is the rightful one. Christian has a .317 average and has been a very successful leadoff man.
Reserve: SS Miguel Tejada, Astros: This should be JJ Hardy. JJ is hitting .291, while Tejada only .276. JJ Hardy has 13 home runs and Tejada 10. And Miguel only has four more RBI’s than Hardy. JJ Hardy is the deserving recipient of this spot.
Reserve: OF Corey Hart, Brewers: This spot was Carlos Lee’s property, but was stolen away by Corey Hart. Carlos has a better batting average (.295 vs. .292), a better OBP (.346 vs. .331), more home runs (21 vs. 15), and more RBI’s (72 vs. 58) than Corey Hart. Carlos Lee should have this spot.
Reserve: OF Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals: Former Ranger Ryan Ludwick has and deserves this spot. With a .281 AVG, 19 HR’s and 60 RBI’s he’s finally breaking through about three or four years late.
Reserve: OF Nate McLouth, Pirates: Since I have Nate starting I’ll give this spot to another Pirate. Xavier Nady should have this spot on the roster. Xavier is hitting .319 and has 12 home runs and 55 RBI’s.

Pitcher: Aaron Cook, Rockies: This spot should be owned by Kyle Lohse. Kyle and Aaron both have 11 wins, but Kyle only has two losses while Cook has six. Kyle (3.39) also has a better ERA than Cook (3.57).
Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, Cubs: This, in my opinion, should belong to Jair Jurrjens of the Braves. Jair is 9-4 while Ryan is 10-3, but Jair’s ERA is 3.00 while Ryan’s is 3.13. What really made me chose Jair is the fact that on the road Ryan has really struggled.
Pitcher: Dan Haren, D’Backs: Dan deserves to be here. Whenever you’ve got eight wins and an ERA under 3.00 at the All-Star break, you should be an All-Star.
Pitcher: Brad Lidge, Phillies: Brad definitely deserves to be an All-Star. He is 20-for-20 in save opportunities and has a 0.52 ERA.
Pitcher: Tim Lincecum, Giants: Tim deserves to be an All-Star. He is 10-2 with a 2.66 ERA. Both those numbers by themselves should be enough to get him in.
Pitcher: Ben Sheets, Brewers: Ben deserves to be in. He has a 2.85 ERA and is 10-3. There’s no way he should miss it.
Pitcher: Edinson Volquez, Reds: In my opinion, Volquez has been the best pitcher in all of baseball this year and I think that he should start. He is 11-3 with a 2.36 ERA.
Pitcher: Billy Wagner, Mets: There has to be a Met player, but I think that it should be Johan Santana. It doesn’t seem like Johan’s doing too well, but he’s still got 8 wins and a 2.84 ERA.
Pitcher: Brandon Webb, D’Backs: Brandon should definitely be in. He has 13 wins (MLB lead) and a 3.27 ERA. He’s having a great year.
Pitcher: Brian Wilson, Giants: Brian is tied for the NL league in saves, so he should definitely be in.
Pitcher: Kerry Wood, Cubs: Kerry has had a good year, but he’s blown five saves. I think Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins should take his spot. Ricky is 10-4 with a 3.74 ERA.
Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, Cubs: Carlos should definitely be in. He is 10-3 with a 2.84 ERA. He’s having a great year.

My Roster: (players in italics are changes from the actual roster)
C – Brian McCann
1B – Lance Berkman
2B – Chase Utley
3B – Chipper Jones
SS – Hanley Ramirez
OF – Ryan Braun
OF – Nate McLouth
OF – Matt Holliday

C – Russell Martin
C – Geovany Soto
1B – Adrian Gonzalez
1B – Albert Pujols
2B – Dan Uggla
3B – Aramis Ramirez
3B – Garrett Atkins
SS – Christian Guzman
SS – JJ Hardy
OF – Carlos Lee
OF – Ryan Ludwick
OF – Xavier Nady

P – Kyle Lohse
P – Jair Jurrjens
P – Dan Haren
P – Brad Lidge
P – Tim Lincecum
P – Ben Sheets
P – Edinson Volquez
P – Johan Santana
P – Brandon Webb
P – Brian Wilson
P – Ricky Nolasco
P – Carlos Zambrano

Results of last weeks’ poll:
Out of all my AL and NL Award winners, who do you think has had the best year?
Josh Hamilton – 80%
Chase Utley – 16%
Geovany Soto – 4%
Everyone else – 0%

Come back next week for an All-Star game recap.