All right boys and girls. It’s the post you’ve all been waiting for. It’s my annual MLB All-Star Ballot post where I reveal to you, my intrepid readers, who you should vote for in this year’s All-Star Game. With only 8 days left to vote, it’s time to get the word out here. (It’ll be a travesty if Alfonso Soriano starts over Matt Holliday. Vote, people.) So here’s my ballot, starting with the AL:
1B – Justin Morneau, Twins. It’s a shame that Kevin Youkilis (aka, the Greek god of walks) can’t be on the ballot, but they have to put Big Papi somewhere. Morneau may be the most nondescript reigning MVP in recent memory. Then again, would we really remember nondescript reigning MVP’s? But I digress. Morneau rakes and he’s an actual first baseman, unlike Ortiz. He deserves to start.
2B – B.J. Upton, Devil Rays. Upton has been touted as an uber-prospect for years and he’s finally delivering on the hype. Upton’s blend of speed and power make him my choice over a pretty lackluster crowd of keystoners in the AL.
SS – Orlando Cabrera, Angels. There are actually three deserving candidates here, in my opinion: Cabrera, Derek Jeter and Carlos Guillen. You could certainly make a case for Guillen, but look at Jeter & Cabrera’s numbers: they’re nearly identical. Until you look at their fielding stats: Jeter’s 11 errors are nearly three times Cabrera’s number of miscues (four). I figure D Jete has enough accolades. I’m going with the lesser known player here.
3B – Alex Rodriguez, Yankees. Case closed.
C – Victor Martinez, Indians. Forget Ivan Rodriguez, the current leader at this position. This should really be a two-horse race. Either Martinez or Posada should be starting. Both guys have fielded their positions well and they’re both scorching the ball. Flip a coin. Just don’t let Ivan win. (Note: there’s only one Pudge and his last name was Fisk.)
OF – Magglio Ordonez, Tigers; Vlad Guerrero, Angels; Torii Hunter, Twins. The current leaders are Ichiro, Vlad and Manny and I doubt we’ll be able to do anything to change that. And I don’t have a problem with Ichiro or Vlad. (I have to confess that I have something of a man crush on the Impaler. I once bid a league record $70 to acquire him in my fantasy league.) But if Magglio Ordonez isn’t honored for the MVP numbers he’s putting up, it’d be a shame. I guess if he dropped more fly balls and held up a sign saying “That’s just Maggy being Maggy”, then he’d be starting. Ridiculous.
And now for my NL picks:
1B – Prince Fielder, Brewers. You’ll notice a complete lack of St. Louis Cardinals on my ballot. I’m all business when it comes to this process. No homer picks. And as much as I’d love to see my son’s favorite player, Albert Poopholes, starting at first base for the National League, in my heart of hearts, I can’t vote for him. Not with the season Cecil’s kid is having. I really hope Prince gets the start. He deserves it.
2B – Chase Utley, Phillies. After Utley, the NL pack is pretty weak here, kinda like the AL. Personally, I’d like to see the Braves Kelly Johnson earn a back-up spot on the team. I love the way that kid plays.
SS – J.J. Hardy, Brewers. The NL East is like the SEC of MLB shortstops. Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins and Hanley Ramirez are three of the most exciting players in the majors right now, and Edgar Renteria is enjoying a nice renaissance season in Hot’Lanta. But nobody expected J.J. Hardy to explode onto the scene like this. He’s leading NL shortstops in homers and his .280 average is certainly respectable. I hope he makes the team; he deserves to start.
3B – Miguel Cabrera, Marlins. Again, this one comes down to the NL East, with Cabrera and David Wright duking it out. Wright has come on as of late, but Cabrera has had the better season of the two.
C – Russell Martin, Dodgers. Martin had a great first two months of the season, but he’s really faded lately. Still, his numbers are better than any other NL catcher. I hope Bengie Molina makes the club as a backup.
OF – Matt Holliday, Rockies; Adam Dunn, Reds; Ken Griffey, Reds. The AL’s superior talent is probably most noticeable here in the outfield. I don’t know if any of these guys start in the Junior Circuit. But they’re the best the NL has to offer. Holliday is not just the product of Coors Field; he’s a legit stud. Dunn always hits for power, but his average is finally respectable again. I could’ve gone with a couple of guys with the final spot, but chose Griffey. After being all-world for the first decade of his career, injuries have really taken their toll on the Kid. It was supposed to be Griffey, not Bonds, breaking Aaron’s record. The least he deserves is to be honored for the great half-season he’s had. Stay healthy, Kid.
Click here to cast your own ballot, even if they are homer picks! And watch the MLB All-Star Game on July 10th.
I agree with *almost* all of your picks. Some comments:Upton – almost had to recuse myself since he’s on my fantasy team, and is doing well. Hard to be objective about those kind of guys.Cabrera? Guillen is slugging 100 points higher than Cabrera. I’m going with Carlos.Torii Hunter? Yeah, he’s great defensively, but with the bat, he’s a pretty ho-hum centerfielder having a somewhat better than average year. Granderson gets my vote here.Nice comment about the NL being the SEC of shortstops. Lots of good choices, and I can see Hardy being a sentimental pick with his breakout year. But just on the cold numbers, I’d have to go with Ramirez or Renteria – flip a coin.I agree on Holliday and Griffey. But Adam Dunn? Sorry, I’m going to go with a guy who’s hitting and slugging 20 points higher, and who’s OBP is about 150 points higher – Bonds. Regardless of what anyone thinks about what he might have ingested in past years, almost everyone agrees that with all the scrutiny he’s under now, he’s NOT taking anything now. And if he can still put up these kinds of numbers at age 42, he’s got my vote. Amazing.
You make some good points, Eric. But I can’t see how Granderson is more deserving than Hunter. Granderson has a significant lead in runs scored (52 to 40), and he holds a slight lead in OBP (349 to 346), but otherwise Hunter has better numbers in every other category. And he’s played a flawless CF. I can see your point on Bonds. There’s just no way I could bring myself to vote for him. I’m certainly no Adam Dunn apologist, though (I remember when he used to be named Dave Kingman). If Bonds and Griffey start, we might as well start a write-in campaign for Ruben Sierra and other ’90’s OFers. If Albert Belle isn’t busy stalking his girlfriend, maybe he could show up, too!
Don’t forget Juan Gonzalez, Ron Gant, Andy Van Slyke, Kenny Lofton, Ellis Burks, Moises Alou, Dante Bichette, and Rickey Henderson.
Mike Greenwell.Jay Buhner.Brady Anderson.How many of these guys do you think were juicing?
I definitely think Brady Anderson was juicing. And Gant looked like he was one of the strongest guys in basesball, pound for pound. In John Schuerholtz’s book he says that there was only one player that he thought was on the juice while with the Braves. He didn’t give a name, but I just assume he meant Caminiti.When I vote, I try to put together the NL team with the best chance to win the game, and that means Jose Reyes, not J.J. Hardy.And no love for Carlos Lee? I’d take him over Dunn.
Oh yeah, Anderson was juicing. And I’m pretty sure about Jay Buhner, Mickey Tettleton, Todd Hundley, Piazza, Bagwell, etc. You know, it’s funny how it’s easy to rattle off a ton of power hitters from that era and say they were using steroids. But what about the pitchers? There’ve been whispers about Clemens for years now. He was pretty league average for a couple of years there in his mid-thirties before coming back with a vengeance with Toronto. Makes you wonder. I also wonder about a guy like Kevin Brown. He was a pretty good pitcher until around ’96 or ’97 when he just exploded. Strikeout rate, innings pitched, they all spiked around that time after about 10 years in the league. I’m just saying…
And Eric, in the sake of full disclosure, Hunter and both Cabreras (Orlando and Miguel) are on my fantasy team! So much for no homer picks, right?!
Ramirez at SS. Go Marlins!!!