The Baseball Blog: NL All-Stars

Welcome back to the blog boys and girls. Over my next two posts I’m going to tackle the absurd process that is the selection of players for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, but first a few comments. I think that rule requiring that every team get a representative should be abolished. Don’t get me wrong, I totally agree that players having great years for small-market or poorly performing teams should be given a fair shake, but when deserving players are snubbed because someone on the Royals or Pirates has to get shoehorned onto a roster, it’s simply unfair.

Also, baseball needs to go back to alternating home-field advantage for the World Series every year. It was a nice little gimmick giving it to the winner of the All-Star Game for a few years, but the plug needs to be pulled on this little experiment. Home-field advantage, particularly in the World Series when the DH rule can have a huge impact, is not something that should be determined by an EXHIBITION game played mostly by guys who won’t even be in the playoffs, let alone the World Series.

Call me a baseball purist, this is just what I believe.

Now on to the ballot…

As it stands, the current NL vote leaders look like this (voting figures and all the following stats are through June 26):
C-Paul Lo Duca, Mets         1,281,767 votes
1B-Albert Pujols, Cardinals        2,206,409
2B-Chase Utley, Phillies        1,236,143
3B-David Wright, Mets        1,386,584
SS-Jose Reyes, Mets            1,068,105
OF-Jason Bay, Pirates            1,706,105
OF-Carlos Beltran, Mets        1,537,849
OF-Alfonso Soriano, Nationals    1,484,845

I don’t really have any problems with these picks, pretty shocking since I’m usually of the opinion that the fans have things all wrong. I don’t know about Lo Duca getting so many votes, but he’s a decent candidate at a watered-down position and benefits from the well-chronicled East Coast bias. Most of the other choices are no-brainers. I don’t have a problem with the David Wright choice, even though arguments could be made for Scott Rolen or Miguel Cabrera, which I’ll get into momentarily. To make things easy we’ll go around the diamond. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a running tally to make sure that we stay within our limitations. To refresh, each roster has 31 players, and the fans then vote for the ‘Final Man’ to be added to the roster.

Let’s get started behind the plate where Lo Duca is the leading vote-getter at one of the weaker positions on the ballot. Personally, I think the most deserving backstop is Cincinnati’s David Ross, who is tied for the lead among catchers with 10 home runs, is batting at a .323 clip, and is slugging nearly .700. All this, and he’s played only 37 games. As a result he likely wasn’t on most ballots that fans filled out, but his play warrants an invitation, even if he has no shot at the starting nod. I’d love to put Brad Ausmus on the squad in recognition of his intangible ability to control a game from behind the plate, but with the Astros not having the greatest of seasons it’s tough.

Instead of Ausmus, my third catcher came down to a choice between the Cubs Michael Barrett, Arizona’s Johnny Estrada and the Braves Brian McCann. Not only was Barrett involved in the one of the moments of the year when he coldcocked A.J. Pierzynski, he’s also batting .308 (4th among regular NL catchers) with 8 homers. Estrada has comparable numbers (.309, 6 dingers) with 41 ribbies to Barret’s 30, but at the end of the day my choice is McCann. On an abysmal Braves team, McCann has been a bright spot, batting .352 with a .412 OBP. Plus, it’s always nice to get a first-time All-Star on the team.

At first base, no one else is in the same zipcode as Pujols. Pretty soon the only first basemen we’ll be able to compare Pujols to are Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. He missed three weeks with an injured oblique muscle and yet is still leading the league in home runs (26) and is second in RBI with 67 (Leader: Berkman, 68). If he hadn’t been on the DL, who knows what his stats would look like.

In the National League, first base is a loaded position. The talent there is eerily reminiscent of the glut of stars at first base in the AL during the 90s when Frank Thomas, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Jim Thome, Tino Martinez, and Cecil Fielder were all in their primes. This year, Pujols’ backups have to be selected from the following worthy candidates: Carlos Delgado, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Lance Berkman, and Nomar Garciaparra.

My picks are Howard and Berkman, based solely their numbers (.286, 25 HR, 66 RBI for Howard, .314, 22, 70 for Berkman). Delgado loses out because he plays on a superior team, benefiting from far more RBI chances and lineup protection. And he’s only hitting .262. I’d like to put Fielder on the team but his 16 homers and 42 RBI aren’t enough to get him on the team, even though he, Howard and Pujols are the likely
All-Star first basemen for the next decade.

The player I really wish I could include on the team is Nomar. I’m no fan of Garciaparra, dating back to his days with the Sox, but it’s nice that he’s proving he can still be a fearsome hitter. He’s got the second best batting average in baseball and has been one of the biggest reasons the Dodgers are setting the pace in the NL West.

Chase Utley has emerged with Howard as the best thing to happen to Philadelphia since Terrell Owens (I know it ended badly but all you Philly readers know that you loved it when it was going well). Along with Wright and Reyes, they’ll make it an all AL East infield in Pittsburgh on July 11, and both deserve to be in the game. Utley has slumped at times this year, but when a second baseman is a 30-homer candidate it’s tough to overlook him for a roster spot. Jeff Kent did for second base what Cal Ripken did for shortstop (turn a traditionally defensive position into an offensive one) and Utley is the successor to his throne.
Behind Utley, my team has Dan Uggla of the Marlins and Jose Castillo of the Pirates. Uggla’s is a nice story. He was supposed to be a stopgap for the Marlins. A player with no major-league experience who could hold the position until one of the team’s prospects was ready. All Uggla has done is turn in a .313 average, 13 homers and 43 RBI.

Castillo gets the hometown benefit since him and OF Jason Bay are the only two bright spots for the Pirates this season. He’s got 11 HR and 42 RBI with a .273 average, good enough to edge out Cincy’s Brandon Phillips and Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks.

David Wright (.336, 18, 64) warrants MVP consideration at third base. And by MVP I of course mean 2nd place in the balloting since noone is taking the award away from Pujols unless he gets hurt. Wright, at 23, is a franchise player and his clutch hitting has made him the golden boy in a city where a certain other third baseman making $25 million who shall remain nameless has been cast as the villain.

My top choice behind Wright is Florida’s Miguel Cabrera of the Marlins who has been asked to be a veteran presence on a team at the tender age of 23. All he’s done this year is hit .348 with 11 HR and 49 RBI on a bad team. The choice of another third baseman is tough. Morgan Ensberg’s out because even his 18 home runs can’t overcome a .244 average. I’d love to acknowledge hometown Freddy Sanchez’s .351 average, but his 4 longballs and 39 RBI don’t cut it at a power position.

So the choice comes down to an old hand versus an up-and-comer. Scott Rolen has had to overcome an injury-riddled’05 in which he batted .235 in just 56 games. He’s back to his old tricks this year though, hitting at a .341 clip with 9 bombs and 48 ribbies. Unfortunately for Scott though, this is a year that I’d like to see some young blood in the Midsummer Classic. For that reason, I’m giving the nod to Garrett Atkins of the Rockies. Atkins, in just his second full season is batting .310 with 10 homers and 49 runs batted in. (The fact of the matter is that Rolen will likely make the team over Atkins since bumping an established star from the game is about as easy as getting Ashlee Simpson to admit she’s had plastic surgery.)

Jose Reyes of the Mets has been named the NL Player of the Week two weeks running and is a shoo-in to start the game for the senior circuit. He’s batting over .300 with 10 triples, 8 homers, 36 RBI, 67 runs scored, and 34 stolen bases. The problem isn’t Reyes, but the assortment of players behind him. No player really stands out ahead of the rest of the pack along with Reyes. David Eckstein is a great sparkplug for the Cardinals hitting .318 and he plays great defense, but I’m not sure if that warrants a spot. Edgar Renteria is making a nice comeback with the Brave after a horrific season in Boston, but his numbers, while good, don’t blow you away (.305, 8, 30).

Between the two, I’d pick Renteria as a nod to his triumphant return to the National League. I’m also putting Milwaukee’s Bill Hall on my team (.273, 15, 36) as a nod to his tremendous ability to play different positions nearly every game and still produce. He’s the national league equivalent of Chone Figgins.

The thing I’m most happy about with this year’s fan balloting is that Pirate Jason Bay is the leading vote getter among NL outfielders. Bay has posted 20 homers and 56 RBI while carrying an absolutely abysmal team to a slightly less than absolutely abysmal record.

Carlos Beltran is yet another reason the Mets have a lot to look forward to. The 29-year-old, after an adjustment year, is now living up to the monster contract he signed before the 2005 season. He’s batting only .285, but has added 20 HR and 59 RBI along with 12 stolen bases. If Willie Randolph continues to give him the green light, count on Beltran being the next 30-30 man.

Alfonso Soriano, the reluctant leftfielder, is having quite a campaign as he prepares for free agency. He’s another 30-30 candidate and, having proven his ability as a left fielder, he could be the hottest commodity on the July trade market. He strikes out a ton and bats only .275, but it’s a decent tradeoff when you consider his 24 home runs, 51 RBI and 18 stolen bases, all coming from the leadoff spot in a spotty Washington lineup.

Behind the three starters in the fan voting is a litany of big names having solid seasons: Ken Griffey, Andruw Jones, Jim Edmonds, Adam Dunn, etc. Dunn’s 24 homers and 45 RBI are impressive, but his .221 average and 86 strikeouts are more than enough justification for giving him the snub. Same goes for Griffey, whose 13 and 41 aren’t enough to overcome his .259 average and the exploits of some lesser-known players.

My first choice as a backup is Matt Holliday of the surprising Colorado Rockies. His stats have been outstanding (.349, 15, 54), as have those of my next choice, Carlos Lee of the Brewers. Lee’s 24 homers and 62 RBI make it easy to overlook his .274 average. Jones is the final outfield choice, he’s having another great season on the worst Braves team in more than a decade with 18 longballs.

So that takes care of the position players. With 21 players, someone might have to get cut to make room for a pitcher, but all in due time.

The way I see it, there are four absolute shoo-ins among starting pitchers: Tom Glavine (11-2, 3.33), Bronson Arroyo (9-4, 2.58), Brad Penny (8-2, 3.06), and Brandon Webb (8-3, 2.48). Glavine’s had a renaissance of sorts in New York this year, and it seems like he’s got enough in the tank to join old buddy Greg Maddux in the 300-win club. Arroyo has taken to the NL like a drunk to a margarita, with the bat as well as on the mound. Penny has finally returned to the form that warranted the Dodgers trading for him two years ago, and Webb was nearly untouchable through his first 8 starts. To make things even better, Penny and Webb even take care of my Dodger and Diamondback requirements. Check and check.

I’d like to give Chris Capuano (9-4, 3.10) the nod, but with Carlos Lee and Billy Hall on the team already I don’t exactly have room for another Brewer. And since the Cubs and Giants suck, I feel compelled to include Carlos Zambrano (6-3, 2.83) and Jason Schmidt (6-3, 2.82) as reps for those disasters. I’m also giving Pedro a spot since he’s been on the wrong end of several hard-luck losses and still has a 7-3 record with a 3.01 ERA.

That brings the tally up to 28, leaving only three spots for relievers…for now.

As for NL relief pitchers, there are very few that don’t have major hollow spots in their resumes this year. Jason Isringhausen leads the league in saves with 24 for St. Louis, but he’s got a 4.06 ERA. Peace. Brad Lidge has 19 saves in 22 chances, but his ERA is even higher at 5.55. Seeya. The first closer I’m picking (even though he still can’t get David Ortiz out) is Philly’s Tom Gordon. Flash is 20 for 21 this season with a tidy 1.93 ERA, and the only reason why the Phils’ fans haven’t already coined the term ‘The Curse of Billy Wagner.’

Along with Gordon I’ve got to give a spot to Trevor Hoffman of the Padres. Not only does it fulfill my Padre requirement, but Hoffman’s 1.29 ERA is even lower than Gordon’s and he’s only blown one save in 19 chances.

That leaves me with three more candidates for one spot (two if I cut a position player): Billy Wagner, Derrick Turnbow, and Brian Fuentes. All have blown saves (3 for Fuentes, 4 each for Wagner and Turnbow), and while Turnbow has the most saves with 21 (Wagner/Fuentes-15 each), he also has an ERA more than a run higher than either of the other closers. I’ll go with Turnbow and Fuentes since they play for Milwaukee and Colorado, both typically underrepresented clubs.

All right. After all that, here’s what I’ve got:
C: Lo Duca, Ross, McCann
1B: Pujols, Howard, Berkman
2B: Utley, Uggla, Castillo
3B: Wright, Cabrera, Atkins
SS: Reyes, Renteria, Hall
OF: Bay, Beltran, Soriano, Holliday, Lee, A. Jones
SP: Glavine, Arroyo, Penny, Webb, Schmidt, Zambrano, Martinez
RP: Gordon, Hoffman, Turnbow, Fuentes

That brings me up to 32 players, one too many. In a very tough choice, I’m going to have to leave off Bill Hall, since I’ve got too many middle infielders anyway and I’ve got to leave Castillo in as the hometown favorite. Hall would be moved to my Final Man ballot along with teammate Capuano, Scott Rolen, Nomar Garciaparra, and Michael Barrett. Personally, I would pick jack-of-all-trades Hall to fill out my roster.

Here, then, is my final NL All-Star team (starters in italics):
C: Paul Lo Duca (NYM), David Ross (CIN), Brian McCann (ATL)
1B: Albert Pujols (STL), Ryan Howard (PHI), Lance Berkman (HOU)
2B: Chase Utley (PHI), Dan Uggla (FLA), Jose Castillo (PIT)
3B: David Wright (NYM), Miguel Cabrera (FLA), Garret Atkins (COL)
SS: Jose Reyes (NYM), Edgar Renteria (ATL), Bill Hall (MIL)
OF: Jason Bay (PIT), Carlos Beltran (NYM), Alfonso Soriano (WAS), Matt Holliday (COL), Carlos Lee (MIL), Andruw Jones (ATL)
SP: Tom Glavine (NYM), Bronson Arroyo (CIN), Brad Penny (LAD), Brandon Webb (ARI), Carlos Zambrano (CHI), Jason Schmidt (SF), Pedro Martinez (NYM)
RP: Tom Gordon (PHI), Trevor Hoffman (SD), Derrick Turnbow (MIL), Brian Fuentes (COL)

Phew. There you have it, Steve Schaefer’s 2006 NL All-Star Selections. Undoubtedly the real team will vary greatly from the one I’ve been picked for a variety of reasons. But that’s when the real fun begins, when I can write the column about who got snubbed and rip apart manager Phil Garner for his picks.

Next Blog: AL All-Stars

Who do you think the Final Man on the NL All-Star Team should be? Do you disagree with any of Steve’s other picks? Let him know by emailing him at steve.schaefer@atomicsportsmedia.com