Lets all admit that since the turn of the century the MLB All-Star voting has been consistently decided by popularity. MLB fans were obnoxiously voting for their favorite players, and it was like a fan voting of American Idol gone wrong.
Whether it was A-Rod, Jeter, Ortiz, Nomar, Sheffield, Soriano, Clemens, Damon, etc, the popular players were getting the majority vote. And if those players in question were having a bad season? Meh, who cares? Everyone else likes them anyway right?
Over the last several years the voting has gotten even more out of hand. The voting starts at the beginning of May which is way too soon, and now you can cast 35 ballots just yourself! When you can vote for Jacoby Ellsbury 35 times in a row, that’s just too much.
Our baseball writing staff at AGSH have grown tired of this decades long popularity contest a.k.a MLB All-Star voting. It only takes us one time to get it right. We have even added a little analysis to back up our votes, because it’s not hard to defend a player that you only vote once for. Enjoy!
Matt Spraybery @SprayBall
AL
C- Derek Norris
1B- Jose Abreu
2B- Jose Altuve
3B- Josh Donaldson
SS- Alexi Ramirez
OF- Mike Trout
OF- Yoenis Cespedes
OF- Nelson Cruz
DH- Edwin Encarnacion
SP- Felix Hernandez
Being a Oakland Athletic is not always as glamourous as being a Yankee, or a Red Sox. It’s common for casual fans to wonder who the heck Derek Norris is when the A’s play a 3 game set in Boston.
That being said, Norris has quickly established himself as one of the best catchers in the American League. In 2014 Norris is 51/169, with 25 runs, 8 HR, 35 RBI, a .305 batting average, and a .402 OBP.
Norris may not be as flashy as a Carlos Santana, but he has the numbers to secure him a starting spot for the AL in this year’s All-Star game.
While slightly more obvious then maybe a Dallas Keuchel type starting for the AL, Felix Hernandez in my opinion should get the nod over Masahiro Tanaka.
Tanaka has been impressive in the first half (AL leader in Wins (11), and ERA (2.11) ) of his rookie season with the Yankees, but I think we can all agree King Felix is proven will always bring it. A quick glance at Felix Hernandez’s AL numbers this season: 1st in WHIP (.95), 2nd in ERA (2.24), 2nd in K’s (122), 2nd in IP (120.1), 4th in BAA (.215), 4th in Wins (9), and 10 perfect PQS starts. Oh, and he pitches for the Seattle Mariners. Why shouldn’t he start for the AL!?
Logan Grubbs @NotFakeFantasy
AL
C- Derek Norris
1B- Jose Abreu
2B- Brian Dozier
SS- Derek Jeter
3B- Josh Donaldson
OF- Mike Trout
OF- Michael Brantley
OF- Jose Bautista
DH- Victor Martinez
SP- Masahiro Tanaka
I could take this time to harp on what a clown move it is to have the all-star game be the determiner of home field advantage in the World Series, but alas, I digress. I’ve been ask to give my case for two players to be selected from the AL for the All-Star team. I decided that I could stump for an obvious player like Mike Trout or Nelson Cruz, but I decided to try to vouch for the under-hyped.
Currently sitting at 6th among AL outfielders in All-Star votes is Michael Brantley, and it’s a crying shame. Players tend to be underrated if they’re a jack of all trades and a master of none. Brantley doesn’t mash, and he’s not a rabbit, but he’s pretty darn fantastic all the way around. Among AL Oufielders, Brantley currently ranks 6th in WAR at 2.7 and 3rd in Weighted On Base Average (my favorite catch-all offensive measurement) with a stellar 3.97. His current stat-line sits at:
315 PA, 51 Rs, 11 HRs, 49 RBIs, 9 SBs, .323 AVG
Good enough to be 1st in AVG, 2nd in Runs, 5th in RBIs among his outfield peers in the AL. This guy should be an all-star this season, but he came out of relative obscurity and he’s behind guys from team Canada like Melky Cabrera, who rate behind him (sometime’s significantly) in every offensive measurement. If this were more than a popularity contest, Brantley would be a hands down be a starter in the AL.
This is a serious logjam, folks. We’ve got perennial powerhouse Robinson Cano, we’ve got rejuvenated Ian Kinsler, we’ve got speedy Jose Altuve, and we’ve got the young gun Brian Dozier. While I can make a strong argument for anyone of them, I think the answer is Brian Dozier. He’s got the most homers of any AL 2-bagger with 15! He’s got the same number of Stolen bases which is good enough to rank him 2nd in the AL, and at 59 Runs, he leads the field by 8 Runs! His season-to-date looks like:
340 PA, 59 Rs, 15 HRs, 38 RBIs, 15 SBs, .252 AVG
Talk about filling the stat sheet! And this is coming from a position with a traditional dearth of solid offensive output. I get it, the average is a bit of a downer, but if we’re looking at overall output, he ranks 1st in both WAR (3.3) and wOBA (3.63). He’s clearly the best offensive option and is still a plus defender. Cano leads the field in voting, and Pedroia ranks 3rd in voting during this very mediocre season. Dozier currently sits in 5th among AL second baseman, but he deserves the nod based on merit. The one silver lining… with the game being at Target Field, I think there’s a decent chance he’ll be a manager pick by John Farrell. I’m not saying the twinkie fans will put quite as much pressure as the KC folks put on Robinson Cano to pick Billy Butler for the HR-derby in 2012 (Seriously, can’t believe how much they booed him for that). But, I think Farrell will feel enough heat to make the right move!
Dave Smith @BirdmanBelt
NL
C- Evan Gattis
1B- Paul Goldschmidt
2B- Anthony Rendon
3B- Todd Frazier
SS- Troy Tulowitzki
OF- Yasiel Puig
OF- Giancarlo Stanton
OF- Andrew McCutchen
The All Star game determines home field advantage for the World Series. Even though it is an important game the most deserving players don’t always get a chance to play because the fans vote for the starters. The two National League players most deserving of a starting nod are Troy Tulowitzki and Giancarlo Stanton.
Troy Tulowitzki is the best shortstop in baseball and puts up monster numbers when he is able to stay healthy. A healthy first half has Tulo at the top of every almost every stat category in the NL. He currently ranks first in runs (60), average (.354), slugging (.634), OBP (.447), and OPS (1.081). He is also second in home runs (18) and in the top ten in hits (90) and RBIs (45). His home/road splits are pretty dramatic but Tulowitzki is dangerous no matter what park he is hitting in. He currently leads all National Leaguers in votes so we should definitely see him lead the way for the NL.
It doesn’t matter what stadium Giancarlo Stanton hits in either. They are all too small for him. The scariest power hitter in the game leads the league in home runs (20) and RBIs (58) and is second in slugging (.592) and OPS (.993). He’s not all power, though. His batting average (.308) is also in the top ten in the league. While Stanton is the most deserving outfielder to start the All Star game for the NL the fans aren’t showing him the love. He’s only fourth in voting. I can’t think of another bat I would rather have in the lineup or a better arm in the outfield. Stanton is a player that could propel the NL to home field advantage in the World Series. He has to start the game.
Stuart Shoemake @StuShoemake
NL
C- Evan Gattis
1B- Paul Goldschmidt
2B- Chase Utley
3B- Todd Frazier
SS- Troy Tulowitzki
OF- Giancarlo Stanton
OF- Justin Upton
OF- Andrew McCutchen
For me Paul Goldschmidt was a no-brainer at 1B. He is in the top three of every major stat category for first baseman including a slugging percentage of 542, OPS 925, and even 7 stolen bases( a rarity for first baseman.) The guy can hit and for all you fantasy junkies, he is on pace for a 30/20 season with over 100 RBI. If this guy is not batting 3rd or 4th in the NL line up something is wrong.
Evan Gattis got my vote for Catcher for the NL. Yeah, I know about that Lucroy guy hitting 330 at the time but Gattis is just so much fun to watch. There’s a reason for the El Oso Blanco nickname and that is because he is a beast. He has a ton of power which is proven by his 16 HRs and if he is not in the HR Derby I will be sorely disappointed. He is in the top 5 of all major stat categories and is doing all this in his sophomore season. He is the real deal.
Join us during the Home-Run Derby, and the 2014 All-Star Game as our baseball writing staff tweet live!
Follow us on Twitter: @SprayBall, @BirdmanBelt, @StuShoemake, and @NotFakeFantasy
