The MLB All-Star Game (being hosted by my favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds) is just over a week away (next Tuesday), and with the rosters being announced (the starters were announced last night, and the reserves and pitcher will be announced tonight, along with the final vote candidates), I've decided to select my annual MLB All-Star rosters. I am abiding by all the rules of selecting All-Star teams: 34 players (at least one from each team), consisting of 9 starters (8 in the National League), 11 reserves (12 in the National League, one of whom will be used as the DH), 13 pitchers, and one other player who could be a position player or pitcher (the final vote winner). This is who I think should be on the All-Star teams, not who I think will be on the All-Star teams. If I was predicting the rosters, I would be horrible at it, especially considering the starters have already been announced, and my starters don't all match the actual starters. I picked my teams based on statistics (courtesy of FanGraphs.com) and my opinion. Tweet me complaints @GCTosu (or rant to me on Facebook at Grant Tingley, which I may or may not see).
All-Star Teams
* - Injured
^ - Injury Replacement
AL
Starters
C Stephen Vogt, A's
1B Miguel Cabrera, Tigers*
2B Jason Kipnis, Indians
3B Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
SS Jose Iglesias, Tigers
OF Mike Trout, Angels
OF Lorenzo Cain, Royals
OF Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
DH Nelson Cruz, Mariners
Reserves
C Russell Martin, Blue Jays
C Salvador Perez, Royals
1B Albert Pujols, Angels
1B Mark Texiera, Yankees^
2B Jose Altuve, Astros
2B Brian Dozier, Twins
3B Manny Machado, Orioles
SS Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
OF Brett Gardner, Yankees
OF J.D. Martinez, Tigers
OF George Springer, Astros*
OF Alex Gordon, Royals
OF Yoenis Cespedes, Tigers^
DH Prince Fielder, Rangers
Pitchers
SP Dallas Keuchel, Astros (Starter)
SP Chris Archer, Rays
SP Chris Sale, White Sox
SP Clay Buchholz, Red Sox
SP Sonny Gray, A's
SP David Price, Tigers
SP Felix Hernandez, Mariners
SP Scott Kazmir, A's
RP Glen Perkins, Twins
RP Wade Davis, Royals
RP Dellin Betances, Yankees
RP Zach Britton, Orioles
RP Mark Lowe, Mariners
Clear Starters: Miguel Cabrera, Jason Kipnis, Josh Donaldson, and Mike Trout. Miggy won't be on the field starting (he's injured), but he's the best hitter in the league right now. Kipnis is hitting .341, 35 percentage points higher than any other AL second baseman. Donaldson is my pick for AL MVP (and has been for most of the season so far), and Trout is the best all-around player in the league.
Toughest Decision: Who should start in the outfield. There are a plethora of American League outfielders you could make a case for. Trout is the only clear choice to start. Then one could choose between the likes of Cain, Bautista, Gardner, Gordon, and Martinez, among others. I went with Cain, who's playing exceptional for the first place Royals, and Bautista, who's bashing (as he usually does) for the Blue Jays.
Toughest Omissions: Brian McCann (C, Yankees), Dustin Pedroia (2B, Red Sox), Mike Moustakas (3B, Royals), Carlos Correa (SS, Astros), and Alex Rodriguez (DH, Yankees). McCann has played very well for the Yanks, especially recently, but Perez is a good player on a first place team that went to the World Series last year, Russell Martin is the best catcher in the AL right now, and Stephen Vogt does a pretty good Chris Farley impersonation. Pedroia is always in contention for an All-Star nod, but he's dealt with injuries (he's currently on the DL), and Kipnis, Altuve, and Dozier are more deserving this year. Moose has been a key cog for the Royals, but Donaldson and Machado are too good to pass up. Correa might be the best shortstop in the American League already, but he's only played 25 games in the Majors. I don't really like A-Rod, but the numbers don't lie. However, Prince is hitting .347, so he gets the backup DH spot.
Starting Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel. ESPN baseball analyst Buster Olney tweeted last night "Decided there is no absolute right answer to this question: Who should be the starting pitcher for the AL in the All-Star Game?" My response was "Sondallix Prarchale." No, I was not tweeting in my sleep or just typing random letters. It was a combination of Sonny Gray, Dallas Keuchel, Felix Hernandez, David Price, Chris Archer, and Chris Sale. In the end, it came down to Keuchel, Archer, and Sale for me. I went with Keuchel, who's been an ace for the surprisingly great Astros, leading MLB in ERA.
Obscure Reliever Inclusion: Mark Lowe. Mark Lowe's inclusion may leave some people scratching their heads. All-Star pitchers are usually starters and closers, but in recent years there have been some set-up men chosen. Those guys should be recognized too, especially if they're pitching lights-out, which Marke Lowe is doing. Lowe has a 0.72 ERA in 25 innings pitched thus far this season. That is, to quote the illustrious Adam Sandler, "not too shabby".
NL
Starters
C Buster Posey, Giants
1B Paul Goldschmidt, D-Backs
2B Dee Gordon, Marlins
3B Todd Frazier, Reds
SS Brandon Crawford, Giants
OF Bryce Harper, Nationals
OF Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins*
OF Joc Pederson, Dodgers
Reserves
C Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers
C Francisco Cervelli, Pirates
1B Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
1B Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
1B Joey Votto, Reds
2B Joe Panik, Giants
3B Nolan Arenado, Rockies
3B Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
3B Kris Bryant, Cubs
SS Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals
OF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
OF A.J. Pollock, D-Backs^
OF Justin Upton, Padres
OF Ryan Braun, Brewers
Pitchers
SP Max Scherzer, Nationals (Starter)
SP Gerrit Cole, Pirates
SP Zack Greinke, Dodgers
SP Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
SP A.J. Burnett, Pirates
SP Shelby Miller, Braves
SP Johnny Cueto, Reds
SP Cole Hamels, Phillies
RP Aroldis Chapman, Reds
RP Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals
RP Drew Storen, Nationals
RP Jeurys Familia, Mets
RP A.J. Ramos, Marlins
Clear Starters: Buster Posey, Paul Goldschmidt, Todd Frazier, Bryce Harper, and Giancarlo Stanton. Posey is far and away the best catcher in baseball, and Goldschmidt is good as gold (I just couldn't help myself) in Arizona. The ToddFather isn't a clear starter because he's clearly the best third baseman in the NL (it's close between him, Nolan Arenado, and Kris Bryant), but because the All-Star game is in Cincinnati and he's the face of the Reds. Manager Bruce Bochy could put Frazier at DH and Arenado (who's a better fielder) at third, or vice-versa. Harper is currently living up to all the hype he got as a prospect, and Stanton, who won't be playing due to injury, is a monster.
Toughest Decision: What starting pitchers should make it. There is so much good pitching in the National League. Among the pitchers I had to omit from the roster: Jacob DeGrom (Mets), Lance Lynn (Cardinals), Michael Wacha (Cardinals), Carlos Martinez (Cardinals), Jake Arrieta (Cubs), Jason Hammel (Cubs), and Francisco Liriano (Pirates). All of those pitchers have an ERA under 3.00. Oh, I also had to leave off last year's World Series MVP, Madison Bumgarner (he's 8-5 with a 3.34 ERA). But I have an idea about how to fix this. They have a home run derby involving all of these National League pitchers. The top 8 get in the All-Star Game.
Toughest Omissions: All of those pitchers, Freddie Freeman (1B, Braves), Charlie Blackmon (OF, Rockies), Matt Holliday (OF, Cardinals), and Adeiny Hecchavarria (SS, Marlins). I've already covered the pitchers. Freeman and Holliday were both playing well when they got hurt, and I could have put them in without taking anyone out, but I decided not to. Blackmon made the All-Star Game last year thanks to a hot start, but by the time the All-Star Game came around, he had come back down to earth. However, this year, he's still playing well, with a high average and double digits in both home runs and stolen bases. Hecchavarria is a favorite of mine (and not just because of his name... anymore). He continues to hit well and play outstanding defense. He was just squeezed out by two slugging shortstops.
Starting Pitcher: Max Scherzer. Scherzer is on fire right now. You can't stop him, you can only hope to
contain him. His Wins Above Replacement (according to FanGraphs) is currently 1.6 wins higher than the next closest NL pitcher. An argument could be made for Gerrit Cole or Zack Greinke, who are also pitching fabulously, but Scherzer is on top right now.
Obscure Reliever Inclusion: A.J. Ramos. Ramos started the season as a set-up man in Miami, but took the closer role after submariner Steve Chisek struggled. Ramos has pitched wonderfully in both roles. He has a 1.19 ERA and 13 saves in 37 and 2/3 innings.
