Posted on 06/30/2011 1:06:08 PM PDT by Charles Henrickson
Tonight at midnight is the deadline for voting for baseball All-Stars. (Pitchers and reserves named later.) Each roster gets 34 players, and every team must be represented. What are your picks? Here are mine, with starter mentioned first, then the reserves (HM = Honorable Mention). I look at this year's performance, of course, but also factor in last year and career:
NATIONAL LEAGUE
C: McCann, Molina
1B: Fielder, Votto, Morse
2B: Weeks, Phillips
SS: Reyes, Tulowitzki, Castro
3B: Ramirez, Jones
OF: Braun, Holliday
OF: Kemp, Victorino, McCutcheon
OF: Berkman, Upton, Pence
SP: Halladay, Hamels, Lee, Jurrjens, Hanson, Lohse, Kershaw, Kennedy, Sanchez, Lincecum
RP: Hanrahan, Wilson, Bell, Venters
(HM: Montero, Polanco, Ethier, Bruce, Clippard)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
C: Avila, Martinez
1B: Gonzalez, Cabrera, Konerko
2B: Cano, Kendrick
SS: Cabrera, Peralta
3B: Rodriguez, Youkilis
OF: Granderson, Quentin, Gordon
OF: Ellsbury, Hamilton, Jones
OF: Bautista, Joyce
DH: Ortiz, Young
SP: Verlander, Weaver, Beckett, Shields, Haren, Ogando, Wilson, Gonzalez, Baker, Sabathia, Lester
RP: Rivera, Valverde
(HM: Teixeira, Lind, Hernandez, Romero, Robertson)
C: Since the game is in Arizona, I was tempted to put Montero on there. But that would knock off someone from the roster more deserving.
1B: Morse is having a heckuva year, and playing more 1B than OF. Howard has the RBIs, but his average and OPS are down. Pujols is injured.
3B: Weakest position in the league. For a long time, I was going with Polanco and Jones, but Ramirez has really come on lately, and has had many good years before.
A few comments on the AL:
C: Martinez has been more DH than C, but there is a lack of deserving catchers this year. (Martin leading in voting is a joke.)
1B: Teixeira is Howard with a better glove--HRs and RBIs, but low average and OPS, with other guys more deserving.
SP: Hernandez was great last year, but just good this year.
Baseball!
Lots of Tigers this year but they have some serious bats. You wouldn’t know it from the way they’ve let the Mets pound them in the last two games. (They’re currently leading today)
Leyland even put a position player on the mound last night.
check out the Diamondabcs s/s Steven Drew’s numbers
he is all star caliber all day
Good list, CH! Just too bad Buster Posey’s not catching for the NL...
I really only follow the Dodgers and Giants. I agree with your selections from those teams.
Yep. I was hoping to see what kind of year he had in his 2nd full season. Kid can do it all.
1 CF Brett Gardner*
2 SS Derek Jeter
3 1B Mark Teixeira**
4 3B Alex Rodriguez
5 2B Robinson Cano*
6 RF Nick Swisher**
7 DH Jorge Posada**
8 CF Curtis Granderson* +
9 C Russell Martin
For those who haven’t watched Valverde pitch, you’re in for a treat. He puts on a real show and has 18 saves in 18 games.
Papa Grande!
Verlander picked up his 19th consecutive win today as well.
Leyland even put a position player on the mound last night.And he was the best Tiger pitcher of the day!
Cards fan?
Cubs. Born and raised on the north side of the city of Chicago. Practically lived at Wrigley Field as a kid. Have lived in St. Louis for a long time now, so I follow the Cards also. First loyalty, though, is the Cubs.
I’m a Nationals fan and I love Morse at 1B. I’d also go with Danny Esinosa at 2B...I know his BA isn’t that hot although he’s hit more HR’s than any other rookie at 2B and his D is awesome. I’d also look at Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard for relief.
Sad, I thought I had made a FRiend.
;)
I had Clippard on my team for the longest time, but I picked Lincecum over him for my last pitcher, because a) a starter pitches more than a reliever, and b) Linceum has been superb the last few years. But Clippard may have been the hardest guy to leave off either team, he has been that good.
Living in St. Louis, I do cheer for the Cards, believe it or not, when the Cubs are not in it (which is most years).
So, you're the one.
Having lived in DC, I'd say that the Nats are my fav in the east. They are due.
Go Cards - they finally get rid of Frankenstein!
But will La Russa ever quit meddling with the line-up?
Posey is one of a number of guys who normally would be an All-Star but I leave off due to injury: Posey, Mauer, Morneau, Pujols, Zimmerman, Wainwright. . . .
When does Ryan Zimmerman get back? He's good.
Matt Kemp is a monster this year.
He and Kershaw and Ethier are about all we have going for us this year on the hapless Dodgers.
C---Alex Avila (AL); Brian McCann (NL)
1B---Adrian Gonzalez (AL); Prince Fielder (NL)
2B---Ben Zobrist (AL); Rickie Weeks (NL)
3B---Alex Rodriguez (AL); Placido Polanco (NL)
SS---Asdrubal Cabrera (AL); Jose Reyes (NL)
OF---Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury (AL); Matt Kemp, Ryan Braun, Lance Berkman (NL)
If I could pick the pitchers, the starters: Roy Halladay, Jair Jurrjens, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Dillon Gee (NL); Jered Weaver, Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander, James Shields, Gio Gonzalez (AL). The relievers: The Mariano (AL), probably Joel Hanrahan (NL).
Unless it's an extreme circumstance, or there's a real lack at a particular position (some positions this year only looked a little weaker than in recent years, but seek and ye can find), I won't include career performance in an All-Star selection. I'm most interested in whose performance this year (and that means all-around performance, for position players) earns him an All-Star berth.
I’m a giant Mets fan and I hate Reyes for what he’s doing this year.
NL
Atlanta (5): McCann, Jones, Jurrjens, Hanson, Venters
Philadelphia (4): Victorino, Halladay, Hamels, Lee
St. Louis (4): Molina, Holliday, Berkman, Lohse
Milwaukee (3): Fielder, Weeks, Braun
San Francisco (2): Lincecum, Wilson
Arizona (2): Upton, Kennedy
Chicago (2): Ramirez, Castro
Cincinnati (2): Votto, Phillips
Los Angeles (2): Kemp, Kershaw
Pittsburgh (2): McCutcheon, Hanrahan
Colorado (1): Tulowitzki
Florida (1): Sanchez Houston (1): Pence
New York (1): Reyes
San Diego (1): Bell
Washington (1): Morse
AL
Detroit (6): Avila, Martinez, Cabrera, Peralta, Verlander, Valverde
Boston (6): Gonzalez, Youkilis, Ellsbury, Ortiz, Beckett, Lester
New York (5): Cano, Rodriguez, Granderson, Sabathia, Rivera
Texas (4): Hamilton, Young, Wilson, Ogando
Los Angeles (3): Kendrick, Haren, Weaver
Chicago (2): Konerko, Quentin
Tampa Bay (2): Joyce, Shields
Baltimore (1): Jones
Cleveland (1): Cabrera
Kansas City (1): Gordon
Minnesota (1): Baker
Oakland (1): Gonzalez
Toronto (1): Bautista
American League:
1B - Gonzalez, Adrian
2B - Cano, Robinson
SS - Cabrera, Asdrubal
3B - Rodriguez, Alex
C - Avila, Alex
DH - Ortiz, David
OF - Bautista, Jose
OF - Ellsbury, Jacoby
OF - Granderson, Curtis
National League:
1B - Fielder, Prince
2B - Weeks, Rickie
SS - Reyes, Jose
3B - Ramirez, Aramis
C - McCann, Brian
OF - Berkman, Lance
OF - Braun, Ryan
OF - Kemp, Matt
We agreed on all our picks, except at AL 2B I’ve got Cano and you’ve go Zobrist, plus at NL 3B I’ve got Ramirez and you’ve got Polanco. But I have no problem with Polanco.
I think Cano and Ramirez deserve to be on the team but not as starters. Sleeper pick: Andrew McCutcheon. I can’t see him making it as a starter but he should be on the team, too.
I’m a giant Mets fan and I hate Reyes for what he’s doing this year.Yeah, the absolute nerve of him---managing not to suffer yet another injury, playing top-of-the-line baseball, we can't have that happening in a Met uniform, now, can we . . .
He dogs it the last couple years and now, all of a sudden, during his walk year he’s pete rose and willy mays and ozzie smith in one.
Werth has done NOTHING offensively except strike out looking. Dunn’s really suffering in Chicago, it was painful watching the Sox fans boo him when the Nats palyed there last week but he said all last year that he didn’t want to play in the AL. He didn’tg want to DH...felt that he wouldn’t be successful unless he really PLAYED. Turns out he was right....I think he’d have been fine if he stayed in DC. Zimmerman is back but not yet up to speed. He won’t win a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger this year but he’ll be back.
After today's win he's 11 - 3
You missed Correa, SP, Burgh, 10 wins.
He dogs it the last couple years and now, all of a sudden, during his walk year he’s pete rose and willy mays and ozzie smith in one.Let's see---a hamstring injury and then a calf injury killing much if not most of his 2009; thyroid trouble to open 2010, then an oblique injury around the All-Star break that aggravated yet again come September.
He dogs it the last couple years . . .If you'll pardon the expression, that dog don't hunt.
I didn't *miss* him. I didn't *pick* him. Correia is 10-6, yeah, but with a 3.79 ERA, which is .75 higher than any of the other pitchers I picked. And opponents are hitting .260 against him. The better pitchers are all under .250.
Verlander and Halladay would be my starting pitchers in the All-Star Game. Verlander would be a close choice over Weaver.
Since I follow both the Cubs and the Cards, I see a lot of the other NL Central teams. I tell you, if McCutcheon were on a better team in a bigger market, he would be a star not a sleeper. The guy is very talented, great speed, the whole package. Sad for Pittsburgh fans, he'll get to the point where the Pirates won't pay him and then they'll ship him off elsewhere. And so it goes. . . .
However, if the Pirates don't begin to learn how to think in terms of franchise player, I can think of a few teams who'd love to snap him up and wouldn't hesitate to do it.
I was lucky enough to have been living in Lee county Ga when Buster played his last two years of HS ball. The kid lives, eats, sleeps baseball.
Catchers are normally a little slow to develop. Posey is the best young catcher that I’ve seen. I’m a Phils fan and it hurt losing the pennant to the Giants last year. Posey just killed us. Great player.
Jeter’s starting. What an effin joke.
He of the 0-4 night yesterday and .257 average. A joke, indeed.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETHIER!!!!!!
Ethier is in, Hula Boy is out!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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