Today is June 30th, the day that online voting for the 2011 All-Star game in Phoenix is closing. The team is going to be announced on Sunday on TBS. Of course, we here at the Outside Corner feel that it’s necessary to create our own All-Star team. I’ve polled the some of the staff, and this is what I’ve come up with thus far…
American League
C: Alex Avila (4), Matt Wieters (1)
Alex Avila is having himself one hell of a year, and isn’t getting much publicity about it. He has a .914 OPS as a catcher, and the only one even in his realm is teammate Victor Martinez, who is primarily a DH nowadays. Matt Wieters is having himself a solid year, but his OPS is nearly 200 points lower than Avila’s. Avila is the class of the league right now.
1B: Adrian Gonzalez (4), Miguel Cabrera (1)
Miguel Cabrera is a damn good player. But then again, so is Adrian Gonzalez. He is absolutely benefiting from the move out of Petco Park, and his .605 slugging percentage is nearly 100 points higher than the mark he posted last season. Cabrera is doing what Cabrera does, and has walked more than he’s struck out on the season to go along with his prodigious power. Neither answer is really wrong in this case.
2B: Ben Zobrist (3), Robinson Cano (1), Howard Kendrick (1)
Again we go with the adage of “none of these choices is wrong”. Zobrist is having the worst year offensively of the three, but is providing stellar defense for a Rays team that many expected not to compete. Kendrick has finally put it all together to become a solid major leaguer, and is also providing great defense along with an unexpected power surge. Then there’s Cano, the reigning superstar of the position, who is struggling with pitch recognition this year, but is still pounding the ball quite well.
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera (3), Jhonny Peralta (1), Alexei Ramirez (1)
Cabrera and his crazy power surge to start the year is apparently still fresh in people’s minds, despite cooling off lately. It’s strange that the AL Central has all three of the vote getters here, but that’s the way things go sometimes. Peralta is killing the ball in his first full year as a Tiger, and is a worthy selection. Ramirez is just another solid player in the Central that is continuing to blossom into a star. The WAR for these three players? 3.0, 2.9, 2.9. Can’t get much tighter packed than that.
3B: Alex Rodriguez (3), Kevin Youkilis (1), Adrian Beltre (1)
It’s really a two horse race offensively, though Beltre’s defense helps make him a contender and helps even out his struggling bat. Rodriguez may not be the all-world, stud of a player that he was in his heyday, but he’s still excellent offensively. Youkilis can play either corner position, and still is walking at a rate that is exceptional, no matter where you put him.
OF: Jose Bautista (5), Curtis Granderson (5), Matt Joyce (2), Brett Gardner (1), Alex Gordon (1), Jacoby Ellsbury (1)
Jose Bautista and Curtis Granderson are two of the best players in baseball, and *will* be starters in Phoenix in two weeks. As for the third man, it’s a crap shoot. Joyce was the talk of the town at the beginning of the month before a late slump has doomed him. Gardner is average offensively, but provides excellent defense. Gordon is a guy who is the poster child for unfulfilled potential, but he’s finally fulfilling it this year. Finally, there’s Ellsbury, who is a lot like Gardner on the basis of his speed and above average defense.
SP: Justin Verlander (3), Jered Weaver (2)
So, do you go with the guy who has the lower ERA, or the guy who threw the no hitter and has been downright disgusting lately? Verlander is probably going to finish with the better season, but Weaver has had the better first half. Again: neither choice is a bad one.
National League
C: Brian McCann (4), Miguel Montero (1)
McCann is not only the best catcher in baseball, but he’s a legitimate MVP candidate for a Braves team that is starved for offense. Montero is worse than McCann in every category, but in a normal year for catchers, he’d be a shoo-in. But McCann is doing something special with his .924 OPS.
1B: Prince Fielder (5)
Joey Votto may be the reigning MVP, but with no Albert Pujols, Fielder needs to be the starter. He’s having a monster walk year, and is going to make some team very happy this year. The one non-outfield position player that was selected unanimously.
2B: Rickie Weeks (4), Freddy Sanchez (1)
A second baseman with a slugging percentage a shade under .500, and his name isn’t Chase Utley. This is what Rickie Weeks can do when he’s healthy. He is a BEAST of a player. Freddy Sanchez isn’t doing a whole lot of anything for the Giants. Danny Espinosa of the Nats is having himself a solid year despite a low batting average.
SS: Jose Reyes (4), Troy Tulowitzki (1)
Talking about awesome walk years…if the Mets were contending, Reyes would be an MVP candidate. He has been out of this world for New York this season, and if they move him to a team in July, they’re getting a hell of a player in return. Tulowitzki is no slouch, and having himself a great year as well. But he just can’t compare with Reyes this season.
3B: Chase Headley (2), Chipper Jones (1), Pablo Sandoval (1), Ryan Roberts (1)
Third base is a logjam in the NL, with no one really standing out. Placido Polanco is going to win the fan voting, and none of the staff voted for him. Headley is having a great under the radar season, and is the best in the league right now. Roberts is having a good year that’s also going under the radar, and it would be a hometown pick since the game is in Arizona. Chipper Jones is a legend, and while he’s a shell of his former self, he’s still hitting. And then there’s Sandoval, who was playing very well when healthy, but has been hurt for a good part of the first half.
OF: Matt Kemp (5), Ryan Braun (3), Andrew McCutcheon (3), Justin Upton (2), Matt Holliday (1), Lance Berkman (1)
Kemp has been a total stud for the Dodgers, and with bankruptcy looming over the team, he could get moved somewhere for salary relief for the cash strapped Dodgers. Braun is having the best season of his young career, and is making a great 1-2 punch with Prince Fielder. McCutcheon is leading the charge of the plucky Pirates in the AL Central, and is providing great defense as well. Upton is a superstar having a down year, but again: it’s his home park. Holliday and Berkman are both having great offensive years for the Cardinals, but they pale in comparison to the years being had by Kemp, Braun, and McCutcheon.
SP: Roy Halladay (5)
I don’t care how low Jair Jurrjens’ ERA is. Halladay is still the best pitcher in baseball, and is showing no signs of aging. You cannot stop him, or his insanely hot Phillies right now.
