The 3/8th All-Stars

[browntown653]

We’re just over one-third of the way into the 2007 MLB season, and already, promos for the All-Star Game are consistently floating across the league website. The casual fan might think this is slightly too early for All-Star voting to begin…they may be right, but unfortunately it started A MONTH AGO. MLB’s All-Star voting starts notoriously early and at this rate, fans wouldn’t be surprised if they were given those cute little ballots with hanging chads during spring training. Yet one thing remains constant; for the most part, fans don’t know what the hell they’re doing. Manny Ramirez? Ivan Rodriguez? The fans are actually much better than usual so far, but there’s a few guys who are obviously getting by on name recognition only, as always…so without further adieu, I give you a poor man’s ballot for the 2007 “3/8th All-Stars…”

The League of Americans

Catcher
Jorge Posada (NYY)

There aren’t many positions where a .358 AVG, 2nd in all of baseball, won’t get you the nod. However, Victor Martinez (CLE) presents a formidable challenge to Posada’s dominance of AL catchers this year. Vic paces AL backstops with 12 HRs and 54 RBIs, with Jorge at 7 and 40 respectively. However, Posada’s 21 doubles make up for it and give him the edge in OBP and SLG to the tune of a .980 OPS. Martinez gets the fielding nod but Posada has clearly been the best offensive catcher in the AL, if not baseball.
Others considered: Martinez, John Buck (KC), Kenji Johjima (SEA), Ivan Rodriguez (DET)
Fan’s leader: Rodriguez

First Base
Kevin Youkilis (BOS)

This was an extremely close call for me as quite a few 1B in the AL were having great years, but no one stood out of the crowd. Carlos Pena of the Devil Rays would most likely get the nod if he had played the whole season, but only playing in 49 games costs him the starting spot here. It came down to Youkilis and Mark Teixeira (TEX). Tex has more HRs and RBIs and a slightly better OPS. Both players have very high BABIPs (batting avg on balls in play) as well, but Teixeira’s 55 strikeouts lead to a 34-point advantage in batting average for Youkilis. It’s a coin flip, but you can’t completely ignore batting average. Note that I only considered players whose primary position is first, no DH because the game is in San Francisco (NL park).
Others considered: Teixeira, Pena, Justin Morneau (MIN), Casey Kotchman (LAA)
Fan’s leader: David Ortiz (BOS)

Second Base
B.J. Upton (TB)

That’s right, a Devil Ray starting the All-Star Game! Second base has quietly been a solid position in the AL this year, with 4 players hitting .316 and above, with Upton’s .320 ranking third among the group. However, his .941 OPS easily outdistances the group, by over 100 points, and his 9 HRs and 13 steals show Upton’s 5-tool power. His strikeout rate is alarming with 68 K’s, and his fielding is ugly too with 12 errors. However, in 41 less at-bats than Brian Roberts (BAL), his closest competitor, his power numbers easily outdistance him. Upton is a work in progress but has been good enough to gain the starting nod here.
Others considered: Roberts, Placido Polanco (DET), Dustin Pedroia (BOS), Aaron Hill (TOR)
Fan’s leader: Polanco

Shortstop
Orlando Cabrera (LAA)

Yes, I’m a Yankee fan and I’m not picking Derek Jeter (NYY). First off, Jeter has 11 errors and has been an awful defender while Cabrera has done a sold job with the Angels. Secondly, the numbers are too eerily similar to pick. Cabrera’s batting .335, Jeter .329. Cabrera has 112 total bases in 248 at-bats, Jeter has 111 in 246. Cabrera has one two more hits, Jeter has three more runs, Jeter has one more HR and Cabrera four more RBI. It’s so close that the subpar fielding of Jeter has to come into major consideration. And while Jeter is hitting a ridiculous .455 with RISP, Cabrera’s .338 RISP AVG isn’t doing him any harm either. It’s the third straight meticulously close case that people are sure to argue, but I give the nod to Cabrera by a hair - check back tomorrow.
Others considered: Jeter, Carlos Guillen (DET), Jhonny Peralta (CLE), Miguel Tejada (BAL)
Fan’s leader: Jeter

Third Base
Alex Rodriguez (NYY)

Finally, an easy one! A-Rod leads the league in HRs and RBIs and has a 1.081 OPS. No competition here for the 3B spot as the fans finally get one right.
Others considered: Mike Lowell (BOS)
Fan’s leader: Rodriguez

Outfielders
Magglio Ordonez (DET), Vladimir Guerrero (LAA), Grady Sizemore (CLE)

Magglio is my MVP for the first third of the season. He paces the league with a .367 batting average and a ridiculous 1.108 OPS. He also leads the league with 30 doubles and has hit 13 homers while driving in 56. Vladimir Guerrero hasn’t been too shabby either, with 12 homers and 54 RBI and a great 1.015 OPS. Here’s where things get tricky. Nobody has a clear hold on the third outfield spot, so based on his combination of power, discipline, speed, and defense, I give the nod to the emerging superstar Sizemore. He’s hitting a solid .289 with a great OBP of .405, has hit 11 home runs, scored 54 runs, and stolen 18 out of 20 bases. And no statistic can cover the all-out diving catches he makes weekly in center field. In this outfield, Sizemore would cover CF, with Ordonez in left and Guerrero in right.
Others considered: Torii Hunter (MIN), Gary Sheffield (DET), Ichiro Suzuki (SEA), Curtis Granderson (DET), Alex Rios (TOR), Nick Swisher (OAK), Carl Crawford (TB)
Fan’s choices: Guerrero, Suzuki, Manny Ramirez (BOS)

Starting Pitcher
Dan Haren (OAK)

Barry who? How about a 1.58 ERA and a ridiculous 0.86 WHIP for your All-Star starter. Another ingenious pickup by Billy Beane, Haren has been unhittable all season long and anchored Oakland’s rotation.
Others considered: Chad Gaudin (OAK), C.C. Sabathia (CLE), James Shields (TB)

The Lineup:
1. CF Sizemore
2. 1B Youkilis
3. LF Ordonez
4. 3B Rodriguez
5. RF Guerrero
6. C Posada
7. SS Cabrera
8. 2B Upton
9. SP Haren

[BREAK=The National League]

The League of Nationals…er, and 15 other teams

Catcher
Russell Martin (LAD)

Martin is definitely starting to make a name for himself in Los Angeles. He sports an .836 OPS with 7 homers and 41 RBIs, and has even stolen 11 out of 13 bases. His 40 runs scored are almost double the next NL catcher, and he leads NL backstops in steals, RBIs, total bases, walks, and hits. Easy choice here.
Others considered: Bengie Molina (SF), Paul Lo Duca (NYM)
Fan’s leader: Martin

First Base
Prince Fielder (MIL)

Everybody knows this guy is having a good season…but once you take a look at his stats, you realize he’s having an unbelievable one. Fielder paces the NL with 23 HRs and 51 RBIs and his statistics destroy anyone else in a great group of NL first baseman. You know the names: Pujols, Lee, Helton, Delgado, Howard, Berkman, Garciaparra, Adrian Gonzalez, Dmitri Young. Fielder’s 155 total bases give him an edge of 28, his .651 SLG destroys the group, and he sports a 1.033 OPS. His 38 XBH lead by nine over Gonzalez. His 43 runs lead by 7 over Pujols. Simply put, Fielder is the NL MVP to this point.
Others considered: Pujols (STL), Gonzalez (SD), Helton (COL)
Fan’s leader: Pujols

Second Base

Chase Utley (PHI)

In a fairly weak position, Utley looks like he could be starting a string of All-Star appearances for years to come out of Philadelphia. He’s hitting .301 with 11 homers and 48 RBIs and 136 total bases, power numbers that are close to those of Dan Uggla (FLA). However, Utley’s BA is 31 points higher and his OPS is 64 points higher. He’s also played Gold-Glove defense at second with only 2 errors on the year and a 5.14 range factor that’s higher than any of his offensive competitors.
Others considered: Uggla, Brandon Phillips (CIN), Kelly Johnson (ATL)
Fan’s choice: Utley

Shortstop
Jose Reyes (NYM)

From a weak position to a stacked one. The NL sports a multitude of great young shortstops and will be fun to watch for years to come. Reyes gets the nod here due to his large skill set. Despite only 2 homers, he still sports 24 extra-base hits and an .843 OPS, getting on base at a .394 clip. He also leads the league with 31 steals. It’s much closer than you would think, but Reyes gets the starting nod by a hair over a plethora of extremely talented shortstops.
Others considered: Hanley Ramirez (FLA), Edgar Renteria (ATL), J.J. Hardy (MIL), Jimmy Rollins (PHI)
Fan’s leader: Reyes

Third Base
Miguel Cabrera (FLA)

At first glance, This appears to be a three-man race between Cabrera, Aramis Ramirez (CHC), and David Wright (NYM). However, Cabrera leads the group with 14 HRs, 47 RBIs, 78 hits, 41 runs, a .332 AVG, a .993 OPS, 140 total bases, and 32 XBH. So it really isn’t that close.
Others considered: Ramirez, Wright
Fan’s leader: Wright

Outfielders

Matt Holliday (COL), Ken Griffey Jr. (CIN), Alfonso Soriano (CHC)

Holliday is the only outfielder to stand out in the crowded group of NL outfielders - a .346 AVG will usually do that for you. His 90 hits, 36 XBH, and 150 total bases are all numbers worthy of a starting spot in the game. It gets a little messy after that though. But who leads NL outfielders in home runs? Ken Griffey Jr. of course! In his 19th MLB season, the Reds RF has been superb, with 15 homers, 36 RBIs, and a .937 OPS that ranks third behind Holliday and…Barry Bonds. So why did I take Soriano over Bonds for the final outfield spot? A few reasons - one, Soriano’s been hot recently while Bonds has cooled off. Barry also has a distinctly less number of at-bats, and it’s not just because of his walks but because he’s had quite a few games where he didn’t start and only pinch-hit. Also, while Bonds has 3 more homers, the RBI advantage has to be discounted because Lou Piniella has idiotically kept Soriano in the leadoff spot so all he can do is hit solo homers. Soriano also has more runs scored and total bases - if you count walks, Bonds has more total bases but only by 3. Not to mention, he can run (8 steals) and has 7 outfield assists. I will probably get criticized for this due to the massive OPS of Bonds, but I’m going once again with the all-around player in Soriano.
Others considered: Bonds, Aaron Rowand (PHI), Eric Byrnes (ARI), Jason Bay (PIT), Carlos Lee (HOU)
Fan’s leaders: Griffey, Carlos Beltran (NYM), Soriano

Starting Pitcher
Jake Peavy (SD)

Another painfully easy call as Peavy has flat-out dominated NL hitters all season. He’s 7-1 with a 1.97 ERA, 95 strikeouts in 87 innings, and a 1.02 WHIP. So much for last year’s fluky 11-14, 4.09 performance, as Peavy has turned into the ace we all (most of us) predicted.
Others considered: Cole Hamels (PHI), Brad Penny (LAD)

The Lineup:
1. SS Reyes
2. 2B Utley
3. LF Holliday
4. 1B Fielder
5. 3B Cabrera
6. RF Griffey
7. CF Soriano
8. C Martin
9. SP Peavy

**Note: All stats as of ending of games on 6/12

[Fishercat]

I can't really disagree with any of the AL picks. Maybe Cabrera, but as you said, it's close

NL, I would prefer on Hanley Ramirez for the awesomeness that is him. And the outfield is a big cluster anyway.

Good job.

[browntown653]

The Cabrera/Jeter/even Guillen battle goes back and forth every day, as do the NL OFs...if I'm writing this today, maybe I take Rowand over Soriano.

It's open to discussion though certainly.

[redsrbetter]

Sorry it took me so long to respond to this one browntown. Great article once again. It is always intriguing to me to see where everyone sits nearing the All-Star break. My votes were submitted about a week ago and they are very similar to yours.

I like how you distinguish the difference between the fans vote and what is deserved. We all know that Jeter will be the selection by the fan vote. That is just the way it goes. Deserved or not. We wouldn't want to see him cry over this, would we? (MVP voting ring a bell?)

One guy I would want to point out for 2B in the NL would be Orlando Hudson. The guy is known for a great glove, but his bat has made a wake up call in Arizona this season. He has been going the other way with pop this year and the numbers show. Utley is clearly the better player by far, but Hudson would be a great selection for LaRussa this year.

I am excited about this year's All-Star break. I always love to see what Reds player is represented. More than likely I will just see Griffey this year. But a few years ago was great when 5 players were selected. Well, great until just before the festivities kicked off most of them got hurt.

Do most of you guys like that at least one player is represented from every team? Or would you have it simply being the best players get the nod? Selecting one player from every team may please some fans (like me), but there are times where a player is well deserving of getting the opportunity and they do not get it because someone from the Royals had to take up a spot. Just some thoughts.

Great read browntown!

DIGG, delicious, YB, FB +rep

[Providence A's]

rep+...despite the fact that I don't care for the ASG at this point. It's become such a joke to me.

[bwitty24]

At least it is better than the NBA All Star Game.

Nice article Brown.