We’re less than a month away from the All-Star Game, and the outrage over every Royal on the ballot starting for the American League team is still simmering. But instead of getting angry about the Royals, maybe we should have some fun instead and look at other potential All-Star Teams. For example, what if the starters for the AL and NL this year were solely players that had never made an All-Star Team in their MLB careers? It’s a great way to focus on some of the lesser known players in the league, so let’s give that a whirl.
American League
Catcher: Stephen Vogt. Vogt should be an AL All-Star regardless, as he’s either the best or second-best catcher in the AL behind Russell Martin This year, Vogt has hit .294/.393/.545 for the Athletics with 13 homers, the most of any catcher in baseball. The 30-year old is having a simply stunning season for a disappointing Oakland team, and he has no real competition in the AL among catchers who haven’t made an All-Star Team.
First Base: Eric Hosmer. Hey look, a Royal that kind of deserves to be here! Hosmer is hitting a very solid .298/.367/.468 this season, though his eight homers pale in comparison to some of the AL’s other big boppers. It’s looking more and more like Hosmer will be able to hold off Miguel Cabrera and earn the AL’s starting nod at first base. A trip to Cincinnati for Hosmer is deserved, but let’s be honest here – Cabrera is in a different class.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 8: Brian Dozier #2 of the Minnesota Twins reacts to striking out against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning of the game on June 8, 2015 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Royals defeated the Twins 3-1. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Second Base: Brian Dozier. Dozier should have been an All-Star last year, but he wasn’t. He should also be an All-Star this year, and hopefully he gets that recognition. Second base is a down position across baseball this year, yet Dozier is hitting .259/.339/.513 with 13 homers, the most among all second basemen in the league. However, he’s likely going to fall victim to a numbers crunch in the AL because of the Jose Altuve/Omar Infante voting mess along with Jason Kipnis putting together a stellar season that will see him get a nod no matter what.
Shortstop: Jose Iglesias. Like you’ll see with the NL’s choice here, Iglesias was always thought of as an all-glove player at short, with a bat that could eventually wind up being “adequate”. Well, Iglesias is hitting .323/.377/.390 this year with nine steals and impeccable defense. If he still played in Boston, wouldn’t he be getting a lot more love about being the best shortstop in the American League? Perhaps.
Third Base: Mike Moustakas. Hey, another Royal leading in the voting that sort of deserves it! Moustakas isn’t as good as Josh Donaldson or Manny Machado, but he’s still a damn good third baseman. He’s only homered six times this year, but has delivered a stout .325/.379/.467 line for Kansas City. After a pair of truly disappointing seasons in Kansas City and a demotion to AAA last year, Moustakas is finally putting it all together and tapping into his massive potential.
DENVER, CO – JUNE 18: Rightfielder George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros makes a diving catch on a line drive by DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies in the seventh inning during interleague play at Coors Field on June 18, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. The Astros defeated the Rockies 8-4. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Outfield: George Springer. Springer has been lost in the prospect hysteria we’ve seen this season since he debuted last year…but his first full season in the majors has been a delight. He’s hitting .284/.378/.490 with 12 homers and 13 steals (in 15 attempts, too), and perhaps more importantly, he’s slashed his strikeout rate to a more palatable 26.4%. Remember, Springer was a pretty highly thought of prospect before he was called up last year, and nearly went 40/40 in the minors in 2013. He deserves more attention for a great season.
Outfield: JD Martinez. Martinez had a breakout year in 2014 for the Tigers after the Astros cut him loose, and he’s responded by…playing nearly as well in 2015. He’s launched 16 homers after going yard 23 times a year ago, and while his triple slash has fallen off, .275/.333/.516 is still nothing to sneeze at while playing every day. He’s actually hitting for a lot more power than teammate Yoenis Cespedes, which is something that doesn’t even seen possible.
Outfield: Josh Reddick. I can’t believe Reddick was never an AL All-Star after his 2012 breakout and the success of the Athletics in 2013 and 2014, but injuries likely had a role in that. Reddick is once again performing at a high level this year, hitting ten homers while slashing .290/.353/.482 and walking nearly as much as he’s striking out. The AL has plenty of worthy outfielders, and the potential Royal flush in the outfield will knock some worthy candidates like Martinez and Reddick off the board, but I’d like to see these guys get some more recognition.
Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer. I expected this to be a tough choice, but really, it wasn’t. With all due respect to reigning AL Cy Young winner/soul taker Corey Kluber, Chris Archer has been fantastic this year for the Rays. In 15 starts, Archer has a 2.18 ERA, punching out 116 and walking 23 over 95 innings. The only other AL pitcher really in his same sphere of existence this season is Chris Sale of the White Sox, who has been an absolute monster. But for a player who has never made the All-Star Team, Archer has been stellar.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 21: Yasmani Grandal #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates at home plate after hitting a solo homerun in the third inning during the MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 21, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
National League
Catcher: Yasmani Grandal. With all due respect to the stunning Francisco Cervelli, Grandal has been too good for the Dodgers this year after coming over from the Padres in the Matt Kemp deal. He’s hit .276/.386/.494 with ten homers in just 54 games this season, and has actually been an excellent framer as well. It’s all coming together for him after some rough seasons in San Diego, and he’ll probably end up making the NL All-Star Team anyway after shoo-ins Buster Posey and Yadier Molina are selected.
First Base: Lucas Duda. Duda has very quietly turned himself into…dare I say…a competent hitter. Last year, Duda mashed 30 homers for an unremarkable Mets team after finally acquiring regular playing time, and he’s followed that up with ten more this season to go along with a more than solid .269/.374/.475 line. First base is ridiculously stacked this season in baseball, so much so that guys like Freddie Freeman and Albert Pujols might be on the outside looking in, so Duda will have to take solace in this nod.
Second Base: Joe Panik. Panik, in his second year as a regular for the Giants, is a worthy All-Star. Like Dozier, there’s only one second baseman in his league with a higher fWAR than him, and that’s the rapidly declining Dee Gordon. Panik is hitting .304/.374/.459, and is putting together quite a great year for the Giants. He’ll likely end up making his way to Cincinnati, if not as a player pick then as a manager pick by Bruce Bochy.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 14: Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants fields the ball at shortstop in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park on June 14, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford. Crawford will end up making the All-Star Team, likely the same way Panik will, and is a very deserving choice. In addition to being a solid defender, Crawford has continued progressing into a legitimately good hitter. He’s hitting .278/.351/.469 this year with nine homers, just one off of his career high. His wOBA, OBP, and wRC+ has increased in each of his years in the majors, and with two more homers this year, his home run total will also have gone up in each year. It’s honestly a little shocking to see this from Crawford – I don’t think anyone ever expected him to be more than an all-glove guy at short.
Third Base: Nolan Arenado. Arenado may end up being the lone Rockies All-Star this year thanks to Troy Tulowitzki’s struggles, and I’m OK with that. He’s a Gold Glove defender at third, and even with Coors Field helping him out, a .284/.315/.568 line is nothing to sneeze at. He’s also launched 17 homers this year, one off of the career high he set last season. Perhaps even more wild – the 24-year old Arenado is less than a year older than Kris Bryant, and already has logged 250 more career games than him. I’d make the case that he’s one of baseball’s more underrated players.
Outfield: Joc Pederson. This one is a no-brainer. Pederson is the front-runner for the NL Rookie of the Year award right now, hitting a ridiculous .251/.392/.541 with 18 homers. He won’t start, but it would be incredibly fun to see him in the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby next month. He’s an exciting young player that is flourishing with a Dodgers team that sits atop the NL West.
PHOENIX, AZ – JUNE 05: A.J. Pollock #11 of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats against the New York Mets during the MLB game at Chase Field on June 5, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Outfield: AJ Pollock. I always thought of Pollock as inferior to teammate Adam Eaton. In 2015, the opposite is looking true – Eaton is struggling with the White Sox, while Pollock is thriving in Arizona. The Diamondbacks center fielder has homered eight times to go along with 14 steals, a .304/.346/.464 line, and upper echelon defense in a giant center field. Finally healthy, Pollock has matched his homer and steal totals from last year in seven fewer games, and is proving that success in a smallish sample a year ago isn’t a fluke.
Outfield: Nori Aoki. Aoki might end up starting for the NL All-Star Team thanks to that Royals ballot box stuffing, but he’s still having a solid enough year. Aoki has been a solid outfielder for San Francisco despite his lack of power, hitting .317/.383/.385 with two homers, 12 steals, and more walks than strikeouts. He’s actually having a vastly superior year this season than he did in 2014 with Kansas City, but the general skillset is the same.
Starting Pitcher: Gerrit Cole. While many of my preseason predictions haven’t gone according to plan (AL Champion Chicago White Sox), choosing Gerrit Cole as the NL Cy Young winner looks like an inspired choice. Cole has blossomed this season for the Pirates, pitching to a 1.78 ERA (a hair behind Max Scherzer for the NL lead) in 91 innings while striking out 97 and walking only 22. And if you’re one of those people that cares about pitcher wins, Cole’s got 11 of them in 14 starts. He’s been simply fantastic, but then again, the Pirates rotation as a whole has been phenomenal this year – let’s not forget about the sterling years that AJ Burnett and Francisco Liriano have turned in.
