Knobler: Look Ahead | All-Star Game: Rosters
The Weekend All-Star Buzz ... the leagues, the starters and why the swarm of bees that delayed Thursday's game in San Diego for 52 minutes should have made a sharp left turn toward New York and interrupted some of those voting proceedings:
American League
First base: Mark Teixeira, Yankees.
My pick: Justin Morneau, Twins.
Bzzzzzz ... Teixeira? Come on. Obviously, New York fans are working on a project to prove that fans in St. Louis, host city for this year's Midsummer Classic, really are the most knowledgeable in the game. Teixeira ranks no higher than fourth on my ballot, behind Morneau, Boston's Kevin Youkilis and Seattle's Russell Branyan. Morneau is the right choice to start. But of course he's from Canada, plays hardball somewhere just south of Canada and I don't think the rest of the country can receive wireless or cell phone signals outside of the Metrodome. Morneau entering the weekend ranked second in the American League in RBI and total bases, was tied for second in games played, fourth in slugging percentage, tied for fourth in extra base hits and sixth in batting average with runners in scoring position. He's in position to make a serious run at a Triple Crown. Only two players in the American League rank ahead of Morneau in OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage): Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist and Youkilis. Bzzzzz ...
Second base: Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox.
My pick: Aaron Hill, Blue Jays.
This isn't even close. Hill already has set a Blue Jays franchise record for home runs by a second baseman (19 into Sunday), blowing past Roberto Alomar. In the midst of a breakout season, he led all major league second basemen in hits (105), RBI (56) and total bases (175) and he was tied for first in homers. And yet, Hill finished fourth in fan balloting, behind Pedroia, Texas' Ian Kinsler and the Yankees' Robinson Cano. Guess what? Hill should have finished first and Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist, the AL's OPS leader, should have finished second. The bees should have left New York and swarmed north to Boston.
Shortstop: Derek Jeter, Yankees.
My pick: Jeter.
You go with Tampa Bay's Jason Bartlett (.402 OBP, eight homers, 37 RBI and 17 steals) and I won't argue. But Jeter (.384 OBP, nine homers, 32 RBI, 17 steals) has similar numbers and has played 74 games. Biggest difference between the two is average. Bartlett is hitting .362 and, into Sunday, was nine plate appearances shy of qualifying for the leaderboard (he would have ranked second in the majors). Jeter was at .308. Bartlett missed 19 games with a sprained ankle -- I'll give the very slight edge to Jeter because he has been there every day.
Side note: Remember a decade ago when the AL was noted for such power-laden, young shortstops as Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra? Into the weekend, what AL shortstops specialized in were sacrifice bunts. Three ranked atop the league: Detroit's Adam Everett (nine) and Seattle's Yuniesky Betancourt and the Angels' Erick Aybar (eight apiece).
Third base: Evan Longoria, Rays.
My pick: Longoria.
No-brainer. And Longoria's dominance speaks not only to his incredible talent and emerging stardom, but it's also interesting to note he was more than two million votes ahead of Alex Rodriguez. Granted, A-Rod didn't start playing until May, but extended absences didn't prevent Texas' Josh Hamilton and the Mets' Carlos Beltran from winning starting slots.
Catcher: Joe Mauer, Twins.
My pick: Mauer.
The only catcher ever to win a batting title in the American League (he has won two, and counting), Mauer is a hitting machine, a heady player behind the plate and a model for all that's right with the game. Can he hit .400? Tough to see, given what a demanding position he plays. But then again, he didn't swing a bat once all winter (literally) while recovering from kidney surgery, and when he returned in May, he promptly hit .414 with 11 homers and 32 RBI for the month.
Outfield: Jason Bay, Boston; Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle; Josh Hamilton, Texas
My picks: Bay, Ichiro and Torii Hunter, Angels.
Manny who? To all those who thought Boston would suffer production-wise after trading Manny Ramirez last July (yes, that's my hand among those raised), Bay leads the AL in RBI and the first-place Red Sox in homers, RBI and total bases. Ichiro had the 27-game hitting streak and remains as exciting a player as there is in the game. Hamilton has been on the disabled list since June 1, and Hunter, having a career year and carrying the Angels in an injury-plagued year, deserves the start. Anyone wants to support Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford, who leads the majors in steals, step right up.
National League
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| Albert Pujols is the clear choice in a crowded field at first base. (US Presswire) |
My pick: Pujols.
Leads the majors in home runs, RBI and causing pitchers' anxiety. And by the way, if there's a place for the designated hitter in baseball, it should be in the All-Star Game when it is played in an NL park. The NL is overloaded with first basemen: Pujols, Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, Milwaukee's Prince Fielder and San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez. Good luck to manager Charlie Manuel juggling that rotation -- each is easily deserving of more than one at-bat.
Second base: Chase Utley, Phillies.
My pick: Utley.
The most productive second baseman in the NL over the past four seasons, Utley leads all of them in homers (17), RBI (54), slugging percentage (.549), OBP (.424), runs (55), total bases (152) and walks (49). He's headed for a fifth consecutive season of 100-plus RBI. While you can find Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez high among the NL hitting leaders, the Dodgers' Orlando Hudson is healthy and outstanding.
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins.
My pick: Ramirez.
He has been slowed by a hip injury, which we can only hope does not prevent him from playing in St. Louis because the Marlins already are more invisible than ultraviolet rays, and Ramirez is a treat to watch. For a guy who did not want to hit third and only did so with some convincing from manager Fredi Gonzalez, he has done OK, don't you think? With runners in scoring position, he's hitting a blistering .459 with a .506 OBP.
Third base: David Wright, Mets.
My pick: Wright.
Though new Citi Field has robbed Wright of some of his power numbers (after smashing 33 home runs last year, he has only five in 2009) and former Met John Franco recently criticized him for a lack of leadership, Wright's quirky season still includes a .329 batting average (sixth in the NL into Sunday's games) and a .415 OBP (fifth). He's striking out more, but he also has far less protection in the lineup with the extended absences of the Dos Carloses, Delgado and Beltran. The NL third base field isn't exactly loaded: Arizona's Mark Reynolds ranks in the top 10 in RBI and homers but is a strikeout machine. San Francisco's Pablo Sandoval is a future star but hasn't yet grown into his shoes.
Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals.
My pick: Brian McCann, Braves.
Score one for the hometown St. Louis voting bloc. Molina is a fine catcher, but McCann, since returning from a left eye infection in early May, is the better overall player. McCann's .394 May batting average ranked third in the majors. There just is not much depth in the NL behind the plate. The deeper you look at the impact players and depth across the board on these rosters, the more the AL stands out.
Outfield: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee; Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia; Carlos Beltran, Mets.
My picks: Braun, Ibanez and Brad Hawpe, Colorado.
What do Braun and Milwaukee Hall of Famer Robin Yount have in common? With Braun's selection, he joins Yount as the only Brewer slated to start consecutive All-Star Games. Just 25, Braun should have plenty more of these in his future. Ibanez, who never before has been selected to an All-Star Game, is nursing a groin injury and could wind up being a game-time decision. At 37, he's having a first half that the man he replaced in left in Philly, Pat Burrell, could only dream of. Beltran is a deserving All-Star -- if he had two good legs. But a knee injury has kept him on ice since June 21. Enter Hawpe, having the season of his life, who ranks fourth in the NL with a .999 OPS.
