Insider: AL All-Star ballot is in, and there's a DH issue
NL All-Stars | Love Letters | 
Hot Topic
Got my All-Star ballot. Got stacks of statistics. Got coffee, a No. 2 pencil and, if things get really ugly, the Papa John's number is around here someplace.
Now, how should the American League line up in San Francisco week after next?
First base: David Ortiz, Boston.
|
|
| David Ortiz is our All-Star pick for first base in San Francisco. (Getty Images) |
Silly, silly. One of these years, baseball should completely do away with the DH, which ranks somewhere near orange baseballs and the White Sox wearing Bermuda shorts in terms of less-than-noble ideas over the years. That said, isn't the All-Star Game the one place even those who abhor the DH should agree that the DH is always a good idea?
So this is where we fit the round peg into the square hole. Ortiz at mid-week ranked second in on-base percentage (.440) and third in slugging percentage (.584). He's nails in the clutch, he's all over the leaderboard and he wouldn't need too much WD-40 on his first baseman's glove. In fact, he played first in NL parks during Interleague play and no emergency vehicles were required.
If you prefer Minnesota's Justin Morneau, the reigning AL MVP, I won't argue. He's having another marvelous year and definitely is All-Star-starting-worthy. Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis is terrific. And don't look now, but Carlos Pena is on the comeback trail in Tampa Bay. Among AL first basemen, Pena's 17 homers rank second to Morneau.
Second base: Placido Polanco, Detroit.
Many of his numbers are almost interchangeable with those of Baltimore's Brian Roberts, who should also be on the team. But what sets Polanco apart, and earns him the starting nod, is his work in the clutch. Polanco at midweek ranked fourth in the AL with a .408 batting average with runners in scoring position. The guy is having a marvelous season and, like Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen, is vastly underrated.
Waiting in the wings are Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton (.320, nine homers, 31 RBI and a .396 on-base percentage) and Boston's Dustin Pedroia (.322, .396 on-base percentage), both of whom are having breakout seasons.
Third base: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees.
Yawn. This is the easiest pick of all. A-Rod's got more than twice as many homers (28) as any other AL third baseman, his .700 slugging percentage leads the league, his .431 on-base percentage is tied for third and what we're talking right now with A-Rod isn't simply a starting nod in the All-Star Game, but another league MVP.
