MLB All-Star Ballot
July 1st 2009 21:28
Here are my choices for the All-Star Team. When making my picks, I take into account both this season and the past; this helps to make sure the All-Stars are truly the "best" players at their positions and not just some scrub on a two-month hot streak.
National League
C Yadier Molina: McCann is having the best offensive season by a catcher, but Molina's far-superior defense pulls him ahead. Molina has thrown out 45% of baserunners, compared to 29% for McCann.
1B Albert Pujols: Not even close. A .743 SLG!!!
2B Chase Utley: Freddy Sanchez is having a good year and provides some competition at 2B, but Utley's bat makes him still the clear favorite.
3B David Wright: Pablo Sandoval has arguably been the better all-around player this year, but Wright has the track record.
SS Hanley Ramirez: With Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes having sub-par years, this All-Star position is all Ramirez's.
OF Matt Kemp
OF Ryan Braun
OF Carlos Beltran
Hunter Pence and Jayson Werth (among others) are having good years, but these are the top three.
SP Dan Haren
SP Josh Johnson
SP Tim Lincecum
SP Matt Cain
SP Yovani Gallardo
RP Jonathan Broxton
RP Heath Bell
RP Rafael Soriano
RP Fransisco Rodriguez
American League
C Joe Mauer: No one else even deserves consideration.
1B Kevin Youkilis: There are a whole slew of worthy guys at 1B, but Youkilis' .443 OBP seperates him from the pack.
2B Ian Kinsler: Zobrist is having a monster season, but, due to the reasonable chance it is a fluke, Kinsler's track record and solid defense win the day.
3B Evan Longoria: After a down year by his standards in 2008, Alex Rodriguez's production has continued to slide this season. Evan Longoria, on the other hand, has followed up his tremendous rookie season with an even better sophomore year. He also plays Gold-Glove caliber defense to go along with his big bat.
SS Derek Jeter: Marco Scutaro is a better defender than Jeter and Jason Bartlett is having a much better offensive season than Jeter, but it is doubtful that anyone would consider those two as more deserving All-Stars than Derek Jeter (and this is coming from someone who thinks Jeter is one of the more overrated players in history).
OF Torii Hunter
OF Ichiro
OF Jason Bay
This was as hard a pick as 1B. A bunch of guys are deserving of these three slots. Jason Bay over Carl Crawford was basically a coin flip.
SP Zack Greinke
SP Roy Halladay
SP Jered Weaver
SP Felix Hernandez
SP Cliff Lee
RP Jon Papelbon
RP Mariano Rivera
RP Joe Nathan
RP David Aardsma
Feel free to comment and/or make your own ballot.
National League
C Yadier Molina: McCann is having the best offensive season by a catcher, but Molina's far-superior defense pulls him ahead. Molina has thrown out 45% of baserunners, compared to 29% for McCann.
1B Albert Pujols: Not even close. A .743 SLG!!!
2B Chase Utley: Freddy Sanchez is having a good year and provides some competition at 2B, but Utley's bat makes him still the clear favorite.
3B David Wright: Pablo Sandoval has arguably been the better all-around player this year, but Wright has the track record.
SS Hanley Ramirez: With Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes having sub-par years, this All-Star position is all Ramirez's.
OF Matt Kemp
OF Ryan Braun
OF Carlos Beltran
Hunter Pence and Jayson Werth (among others) are having good years, but these are the top three.
SP Dan Haren
SP Josh Johnson
SP Tim Lincecum
SP Matt Cain
SP Yovani Gallardo
RP Jonathan Broxton
RP Heath Bell
RP Rafael Soriano
RP Fransisco Rodriguez
American League
C Joe Mauer: No one else even deserves consideration.
1B Kevin Youkilis: There are a whole slew of worthy guys at 1B, but Youkilis' .443 OBP seperates him from the pack.
2B Ian Kinsler: Zobrist is having a monster season, but, due to the reasonable chance it is a fluke, Kinsler's track record and solid defense win the day.
3B Evan Longoria: After a down year by his standards in 2008, Alex Rodriguez's production has continued to slide this season. Evan Longoria, on the other hand, has followed up his tremendous rookie season with an even better sophomore year. He also plays Gold-Glove caliber defense to go along with his big bat.
SS Derek Jeter: Marco Scutaro is a better defender than Jeter and Jason Bartlett is having a much better offensive season than Jeter, but it is doubtful that anyone would consider those two as more deserving All-Stars than Derek Jeter (and this is coming from someone who thinks Jeter is one of the more overrated players in history).
OF Torii Hunter
OF Ichiro
OF Jason Bay
This was as hard a pick as 1B. A bunch of guys are deserving of these three slots. Jason Bay over Carl Crawford was basically a coin flip.
SP Zack Greinke
SP Roy Halladay
SP Jered Weaver
SP Felix Hernandez
SP Cliff Lee
RP Jon Papelbon
RP Mariano Rivera
RP Joe Nathan
RP David Aardsma
Feel free to comment and/or make your own ballot.
| 24 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
