As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, Seed Spitters is encouraged to post our own potential ballot for this years All-Star game.
As a member of the Giants chapter, my impulsive selection may seem a little... ahem, biased. Alas, I was as fair as possible.
First up, the American League:
C- Alex Avila (DET)- By far, the most productive hitting catcher in the AL. He has a .303 average, along with 10 home runs (second among AL catchers), 45 RBIs and a .918 OPS to lead the pack.
1B- Adrian Gonzalez (BOS)- Well, let's look at the numbers: .361 batting average, 16 home runs, 71 RBIs and a 1.026 OPS. Far a head in most statistics when compared to other slugging first basemen.
2B- Asdrubal Cabrera (CLE)- I'm going with my gut on this one. I feel that Cabrera has been extremely valuable to his team. Without his 12 home runs, 44 RBIs, .293 batting average and 12 steals (zero caught stolen) the Indians would look like a much different team.
SS- Jhonny Peralta (DET)- After a mediocre season, Peralta is finally hitting again, leading all shortstops in almost every category, including a .882 OPS.
3B- Alex Rodriguez (NYY)- A-Rod has been good this season. He has hit 13 home runs, 51 RBIs along with an impressive .300 batting average (not to mention a .890 OPS to lead all third basemen).
OF- Jose Bautista (TOR)- Okay, this was an easy pick. Bautista has 23 home runs (1st of AL OF), a .325 batting average, 65 walks against 46 strikeouts and a 1.123 OPS to lead the entire league. He's an All-Star.
OF-Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS)- This is where I look at speed as an important asset. Ellsbury leads the league with 35 steals as an out fielder. He is also batting .303. The next player to hit over .300 and steal some bases as an outfielder is Bautista with 5...
OF- Adam Jones (BAL)- He has been as good as any other outfielder in the AL, and on a terrible team. Thirteen home runs and 45 RBIs with a .294 batting average goes a long way, I think he deserves the spot.
SP- Justin Verlander (DET)- Dude is good this year. Leading the American League with 10 wins and 124 strikeouts, he has been lights out. He also owns a 2.38 ERA and an impressive 0.84 WHIP.
RP- Mariano Rivera (NYY)- He is second in the AL in saves (20 with 3 blown), has a 1.78 ERA (best of AL closers) and he has only allowed one home run this season. He gets my vote.
Okay, now that that is out of the way, here are my picks for the National League:
C- Brian McCann (ATL)- I wish I could choose Buster Posey, but alas, the next best is clearly McCann. Leading the NL catchers in home runs (13), RBIs (43), batting average (.300), on-base %, Slugging and OPS. Easy pick here.
1B- Prince Fielder (MIL)- Twenty-one home runs, 68 RBIs, a .305 batting average and a high 1.037 OPS. He is an All-Star.
2B- Rickie Weeks (MIL)- Fourteen home runs and a .290 batting average is impressive for a second baseman. He also leads all NL second basemen with a .858 OPS.
SS- Jose Reyes (NYM)- He has 14 triples and 28 stolen bases so far this season with a .341 batting average... enough said.
3B- Ryan Roberts (ARI)- Where there aren't many great third basemen out there in the NL, Ryan leads them all with 10 home runs and a .790 OPS. I'll give him the nod.
OF- Matt Kemp (LAD)- He leads all NL outfielders with 21 home runs, 60 RBIs, a .327 batting average and an OPS of 1.036. Whats more impressive than his power, is his speed: 21 steals this season.
OF- Lance Berkman (STL)- This 35-year-old man can still swing. Hitting 18 home runs thus far along with 54 RBIs and a .297 batting average, Berkman is well deserving of an All-Star spot.
OF- Ryan Braun (MIL)- I know there are already 2 other starters from Milwaukee, but Braun deserves this spot. Sixteen home runs, 59 RBIs, a .308 average AND 17 steals is quite an impressive first half.
SP- Roy Halladay (PHI)- The Doc is performing like the Doc. Leads NL with 10 wins, he holds a 2.40 ERA with 123 strikeouts. I'll let him start over Tim Lincecum.
RP- Brian Wilson (SF)- This is where my "homer" feelings are justified. Wilson leads NL closers in saves (23 with two blown) and wins (five), but is also top 5 in ERA (2.50) when his first few appearances inflated that number. Go Giants.
So there ya go, my starters ballot for this years All-Star game. Even though Wilson is my only Giant on that list, I still believe guys like Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and even Ryan Vogelsong can make the reserves.
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