I've always thought voting for and discussing possible All-Star nods in late-May and early June didn't make a whole lot of sense when the season's not even two months old, and the game is still six weeks away. But here we are anyway, on June 3rd, and the first voting results are already in with still another month left in the voting.
I've also never understood, mostly since MLB decided that the All-Star game winner would determine World Series home-field advantage, why fans are allowed to vote. Most fans don't understand the concept of how important the All-Star game is now, even if it shouldn't be important to them or the players, now that it is tied to the World Series. The game is supposed to be an exhibition of the best players having the best seasons at their position up to that point in the season. It's supposed to reward players for the excellence over the first half of the season. Instead, it's become nothing more than another popularity contest, much like American Idol (which is why I refuse to watch thae show, or get caught up in the hype surrounding the show). That said, I thought I'd try to make sense of the current vote leaders so far, and come up with my own All-Stars, not to be confused with my pre-season picks!
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. FIRST BASE - So far, the voters have this one right. Lance Berkman is having an MVP-caliber season thus far, hitting .385 with an astounding .750 slugging percentage to go with his 17 home runs and 47 RBI. You really can make a case for Albert Pujols "quietly" hitting .366 despite having an elbow just short of requiring Tommy John surgery, but not with the season Berkman is having so far.
2. SECOND BASE - Chase Utley leads all Major League hitters with 21 home runs and all National League hitters with 52 RBI. There isn't a second baseman in either league anywhere near his production, and thus he should get the nod here. Voters are right on target here, as the MVP-candidate leads the N.L. in voting with almost 900,000 votes. However, very worthy honorable mentions to Florida's Dan Uggla (.297/16/38/1.008 OPS), and Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips (.287/11/32/.865 OPS).
3. THIRD BASE - Some guys just get better with age. And there's no question Chipper Jones is one of those guys. The N.L. early front-runner for MVP is off to an astonishing start, hitting an MLB-best .407, an OBP near .500, and slugging a robust .637. No one else should matter right now at third base in the N.L. The voters haven't missed a step yet!
4. SHORTSTOP - The N.L. is loaded with premier shortstops throughout the league: defending MVP Jimmy Rollins; Jose Reyes; Rafael Furcal; Miguel Tejada. But Rollins and Furcal are hurt, and Reyes has been inconsistent much of the season. You can make a case for either Tejada or Ramirez, but Ramirez is having a slightly better overall year than Tejada despite Tejada being ahead of him with a .312 average. Plus, Ramirez is one of the big reasons why the Marlins are in first place in the N.L. East.
5. CATCHER - Much like the shortstop position, the catcher position is stacked in the N.L. with several guys deserving of All-Star nods. Brian McCann leads all N.L. backstoppers with 10 home runs to go with his .313 average. Russell Martin, last year's starter, leads all catchers with an astounding .429 on-base percentage to go with his .321 average after a horrid 3-for-29 start. And Bengie Molina leads all N.L. catchers with 63 hits and a .332 average. But because he's getting a lot recognition on the league's best team, Rookie of the Year candidate Geovany Soto should get the nod here. Soto is hitting .296 with a .388 on-base percentage and nine home runs. The voters have chosen Soto so far, but any of the aforementioned catchers are deserving.
6. OUTFIELD - Premier N.L. outfielders are not having the best of seasons so far. Among the vote-leaders, Alfonso Soriano had a recent hot-streak after a stint on the DL and is still trying to make up ground; Kosuke Fukudome has shown flashes of greatness with a solid average and defense, but lacks power; Ken Griffey Jr is hitting .255; 2007 MVP runner-up Matt Holliday is on the disabled list; Carlos Beltran is just now starting to hit. That said, four outfielders (including three 'Ryans') who have flown under the radar this year are having All-Star type seasons and should be recognized for their achievements: Ryan Ludwick (.321/13/42/1.062 OPS), Ryan Braun (.297/15/42/.899 OPS), Ryan Church (.314/10/42/.928 OPS) and Nate McLouth (.312/13/42/1.002 OPS). You can make a case for any three of these four young outfielders to start in the All-Star game.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. FIRST BASE - The voters say Kevin Youkilis, but you can make the very same case for Justin Morneau. Both first basemen are having practically identical seasons offensively. The only other first baseman worthy of mention here is Casey Kotchman, who is leading all A.L. first basemen with a .324 average. Youk or Morneau. Take your pick.
2. SECOND BASE - Ian Kinsler leads all A.L. second basemen in every offensive category. But because he plays for Texas and not Boston or New York, the voters haven't taken much notice, and Dustin Pedroia has a commanding lead, with Robinson Cano a distant second. Kinsler should be the starter as of today, with Jose Lopez as a reserve.
3. THIRD BASE - There really isn't a worthy selection here among third basemen who haven't spent any time on the disabled list. So by default, because they're both having better seasons than any other third basemen despite having missed significant time due to injuries, Alex Rodriguez or Mike Lowell are obvious choices. The voters like A-Rod in a landslide.
4. SHORTSTOP - There really is only one obvious choice here, and it's not who you think. Derek Jeter is having an average season (.279/3/26/.747 OPS); nowhere near good enough to warrant 832,000 votes. The nod here should go to Michael Young (.296/5/26/.778 OPS), who is a distant third in the voting behind Jeter, who leads the second place vote-getter, Edgar Renteria, by more than half a million votes. Yikes!
5. CATCHER - Once again, the voters have gone with the popular vote here, which is another Boston or New York player. With Yankee catcher Jorge Posada stuck on the DL, Jason Varitek is getting the majority vote. However, Varitek is hitting .269 despite leading A.L. catchers with just six home runs. The nod here should be Joe Mauer, who leads all A.L. catchers with a .319 average and a .405 on-base percentage despite the fact he has just one home run. There really isn't any one else to mention this year here.
6. DESIGNATED HITTER - Because the game is being playing in an A.L. park (Yankee Stadium), the DH is on the ballot for the A.L. David Ortiz is running away with the votes here in a major landslide, but that all might be for naught. Ortiz struggled early in the season to keep his average above .200, and is now at .252. He leads all DH's with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. But he's headed for the DL after learning yesterday he has a partial ligament tear in his wrist, and will likely be out at least a month. Second on the voting list is Hideki Matsui, having a solid year hitting .328 with a .409 on-base percentage despite having only six home runs and 26 RBI. But Milton Bradley should get some mention here. All Bradley is doing is hitting .317, with nine home runs, 34 RBI, a .425 on-base percentage and is slugging .552. My vote goes to Bradley over Matsui.
7. OUTFIELDER - The outfielders should be three guys, and the voters have two of them right. There's no mistaking what Manny Ramirez does year in and year out, and this season is no different. Leading MVP-candidtate Josh Hamilton is having an insane year, hitting .331 with 16 home runs, an MLB-best 65 RBI, with an OPS just a tad under 1.000. You can make a slight case for Ichiro, third in the voting, and even Magglio Ordonez (.322/9/37/.908 OPS), but the third outfield starter should be Carlos Quentin, who has come out of nowhere after an off-season trade that brought him to Chicago from Arizona. All Quentin has done is hit .293 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI, with a .967 OPS. There's no reason he shouldn't be out of the Top 15 among A.L. outfield voting.
I've also never understood, mostly since MLB decided that the All-Star game winner would determine World Series home-field advantage, why fans are allowed to vote. Most fans don't understand the concept of how important the All-Star game is now, even if it shouldn't be important to them or the players, now that it is tied to the World Series. The game is supposed to be an exhibition of the best players having the best seasons at their position up to that point in the season. It's supposed to reward players for the excellence over the first half of the season. Instead, it's become nothing more than another popularity contest, much like American Idol (which is why I refuse to watch thae show, or get caught up in the hype surrounding the show). That said, I thought I'd try to make sense of the current vote leaders so far, and come up with my own All-Stars, not to be confused with my pre-season picks!
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. FIRST BASE - So far, the voters have this one right. Lance Berkman is having an MVP-caliber season thus far, hitting .385 with an astounding .750 slugging percentage to go with his 17 home runs and 47 RBI. You really can make a case for Albert Pujols "quietly" hitting .366 despite having an elbow just short of requiring Tommy John surgery, but not with the season Berkman is having so far.
2. SECOND BASE - Chase Utley leads all Major League hitters with 21 home runs and all National League hitters with 52 RBI. There isn't a second baseman in either league anywhere near his production, and thus he should get the nod here. Voters are right on target here, as the MVP-candidate leads the N.L. in voting with almost 900,000 votes. However, very worthy honorable mentions to Florida's Dan Uggla (.297/16/38/1.008 OPS), and Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips (.287/11/32/.865 OPS).
3. THIRD BASE - Some guys just get better with age. And there's no question Chipper Jones is one of those guys. The N.L. early front-runner for MVP is off to an astonishing start, hitting an MLB-best .407, an OBP near .500, and slugging a robust .637. No one else should matter right now at third base in the N.L. The voters haven't missed a step yet!
4. SHORTSTOP - The N.L. is loaded with premier shortstops throughout the league: defending MVP Jimmy Rollins; Jose Reyes; Rafael Furcal; Miguel Tejada. But Rollins and Furcal are hurt, and Reyes has been inconsistent much of the season. You can make a case for either Tejada or Ramirez, but Ramirez is having a slightly better overall year than Tejada despite Tejada being ahead of him with a .312 average. Plus, Ramirez is one of the big reasons why the Marlins are in first place in the N.L. East.
5. CATCHER - Much like the shortstop position, the catcher position is stacked in the N.L. with several guys deserving of All-Star nods. Brian McCann leads all N.L. backstoppers with 10 home runs to go with his .313 average. Russell Martin, last year's starter, leads all catchers with an astounding .429 on-base percentage to go with his .321 average after a horrid 3-for-29 start. And Bengie Molina leads all N.L. catchers with 63 hits and a .332 average. But because he's getting a lot recognition on the league's best team, Rookie of the Year candidate Geovany Soto should get the nod here. Soto is hitting .296 with a .388 on-base percentage and nine home runs. The voters have chosen Soto so far, but any of the aforementioned catchers are deserving.
6. OUTFIELD - Premier N.L. outfielders are not having the best of seasons so far. Among the vote-leaders, Alfonso Soriano had a recent hot-streak after a stint on the DL and is still trying to make up ground; Kosuke Fukudome has shown flashes of greatness with a solid average and defense, but lacks power; Ken Griffey Jr is hitting .255; 2007 MVP runner-up Matt Holliday is on the disabled list; Carlos Beltran is just now starting to hit. That said, four outfielders (including three 'Ryans') who have flown under the radar this year are having All-Star type seasons and should be recognized for their achievements: Ryan Ludwick (.321/13/42/1.062 OPS), Ryan Braun (.297/15/42/.899 OPS), Ryan Church (.314/10/42/.928 OPS) and Nate McLouth (.312/13/42/1.002 OPS). You can make a case for any three of these four young outfielders to start in the All-Star game.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. FIRST BASE - The voters say Kevin Youkilis, but you can make the very same case for Justin Morneau. Both first basemen are having practically identical seasons offensively. The only other first baseman worthy of mention here is Casey Kotchman, who is leading all A.L. first basemen with a .324 average. Youk or Morneau. Take your pick.
2. SECOND BASE - Ian Kinsler leads all A.L. second basemen in every offensive category. But because he plays for Texas and not Boston or New York, the voters haven't taken much notice, and Dustin Pedroia has a commanding lead, with Robinson Cano a distant second. Kinsler should be the starter as of today, with Jose Lopez as a reserve.
3. THIRD BASE - There really isn't a worthy selection here among third basemen who haven't spent any time on the disabled list. So by default, because they're both having better seasons than any other third basemen despite having missed significant time due to injuries, Alex Rodriguez or Mike Lowell are obvious choices. The voters like A-Rod in a landslide.
4. SHORTSTOP - There really is only one obvious choice here, and it's not who you think. Derek Jeter is having an average season (.279/3/26/.747 OPS); nowhere near good enough to warrant 832,000 votes. The nod here should go to Michael Young (.296/5/26/.778 OPS), who is a distant third in the voting behind Jeter, who leads the second place vote-getter, Edgar Renteria, by more than half a million votes. Yikes!
5. CATCHER - Once again, the voters have gone with the popular vote here, which is another Boston or New York player. With Yankee catcher Jorge Posada stuck on the DL, Jason Varitek is getting the majority vote. However, Varitek is hitting .269 despite leading A.L. catchers with just six home runs. The nod here should be Joe Mauer, who leads all A.L. catchers with a .319 average and a .405 on-base percentage despite the fact he has just one home run. There really isn't any one else to mention this year here.
6. DESIGNATED HITTER - Because the game is being playing in an A.L. park (Yankee Stadium), the DH is on the ballot for the A.L. David Ortiz is running away with the votes here in a major landslide, but that all might be for naught. Ortiz struggled early in the season to keep his average above .200, and is now at .252. He leads all DH's with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. But he's headed for the DL after learning yesterday he has a partial ligament tear in his wrist, and will likely be out at least a month. Second on the voting list is Hideki Matsui, having a solid year hitting .328 with a .409 on-base percentage despite having only six home runs and 26 RBI. But Milton Bradley should get some mention here. All Bradley is doing is hitting .317, with nine home runs, 34 RBI, a .425 on-base percentage and is slugging .552. My vote goes to Bradley over Matsui.
7. OUTFIELDER - The outfielders should be three guys, and the voters have two of them right. There's no mistaking what Manny Ramirez does year in and year out, and this season is no different. Leading MVP-candidtate Josh Hamilton is having an insane year, hitting .331 with 16 home runs, an MLB-best 65 RBI, with an OPS just a tad under 1.000. You can make a slight case for Ichiro, third in the voting, and even Magglio Ordonez (.322/9/37/.908 OPS), but the third outfield starter should be Carlos Quentin, who has come out of nowhere after an off-season trade that brought him to Chicago from Arizona. All Quentin has done is hit .293 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI, with a .967 OPS. There's no reason he shouldn't be out of the Top 15 among A.L. outfield voting.
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