Pick Your MLB All Star Starters...

[Collier11]

I am one that believes the All Star game should be for those having the best season, not a popularity contest so my team may be a bit different

NL

1B-Berkman
2B-Utley
SS- Hanley Ramirez
3B- Chipper
OF-Xavier Nady
OF- Matt Holliday
OF-Carlos Lee
C- McCann
DH- Pujols
SP- Lincecum
CP- Lidge


AL

1B- Morneau
2B- Kinsler
SS- Michael Young
3B- Youkolis
OF- DeJesus
OF- Josh Hamilton
OF- Milton Bradley
C- Maurer
DH- Jermaine Dye
SP- Cliff Lee
CP- KRod

[okieslp]

Here are my picks. A lot of the same, but a few wrinkles in there ;)

NL

1B - Berkman - I mean dingers, RBI's and even some steals. A fantasy league dream.
2B - Brandon Phillips - I like his speed. Not as many dingers as Utley, but a solid kid. I'm putting Utley in the DH spot.
SS - Ramirez - This kid is awesome. You gotta feel that if he were playing in a bigger market, his face would be everywhere.
3B - David Wright - I've been on his bandwagon all year. He has 16 long balls, same as Chipper and obviously nowhere near the ridiculous BA that Chipper's got, but I really like this kid and I think he's got star potential.
OF - Matt Holliday - He's hitting at a good clip right now. Keep it up Matt!
OF - Carlos Lee - His bat's been good over this past month. I gotta like him to keep it up.
OF - I like the Pirates outfield but I gotta go with a lefty and take Nate McLouth. A few more homers than Nady and few more RBI's. His average is just under .300, where Nady is over, but I think that a lefty in the lineup is never a bad thing.
C - To me a toss up b/w McCann and Soto. On paper it really is close. The question is Righty or Lefty bat. Which do you prefer. I go with Soto.
DH - Utley - He is on a tear right now!
SP - Volquez - He had a rough outing last Thursday, but I still think is a tough starter.
CP - Lidge - I like Brad too.

[B][U]AL

1B - Youkilis - He's having a pretty good year. Morneau has him on RBI's and average though. I just like Youkilis better.
2B - Kinsler - Is there a better 2B in the AL right now?
SS - Young - He is on a hot streak. He is hitting nearly .400 over the last 7. STUD!
3B - A-Rod - He's having another year of same ol' same ol'.
OF - Grady Sizemore - Almost at 20/20 - has some speed and some pop!
OF - Carlos Quentin - 19 homers and a .280+ average.
OF - Hamilton - 80 RBI's already - FREAK!!!
C - Mauer also - solid behind the plate and a good at bat.
DH -Jermaine is a solid choice - good pop and he's hitting for average, above .300.
SP - Cliff Lee - Hotter than a 2-dollar pistol!
RP - K-Rod - He is a save machine!

[tommieharris91]

OK, I'll play:

NL:

1B - Berkman/Pujols. He kinda turned into Babe Ruth this season. An efficient base-stealer, too. Pujols has been crazy good since he came into the league. It just depends on who's defense you think is better.
2B - Utley. That .988 OPS is really strong, especially for his position.
SS - Hanley Ramirez. Probably the best player no one knows about.
3B - Chipper if he's healthy, if not Ramirez.
OFs - Holliday, Burrell, and Ludwick. The three top OPS qualifiers in the NL
SP - Volquez. He pitches in a hitters park and has been nasty all season long.
Closer - Wood. That 0.86 WHIP is exactly what you want in relievers
DH - Whoever plays worse defense of Berkman/Pujols.

AL:

1B - Giambi has the 4th highest OPS in the AL, so I'll go with him there.
2B - Kinsler. Only Brian Roberts is close this season.
SS - Young, but the picking at AL SS are pretty slim so far this season. (Thank God no has said Jeter yet!)
3B - Rodriguez. Doing what he always does.
OFs - Hamilton, Quentin, and Drew. All sport .900+ OPS.
DH - Milton Bradley. Gaudy OPS. Nice season overall.
SP - Duchscherer. Lower ERA, Higher ERA+, Lower WHIP, Lower OPS against than Lee.
RP - Rivera. He is having one of his best seasons ever. 0.62 WHIP is obscene.

[tulsaoilerfan]

Is Holliday having that good of a year? I've heard talk he may be on the trade market

[Collier11]

He is on the trade market cus the Rockies suck and need pitching, he is batting over 320. with 10hr and 40rbi, not typical power numbers but I think he missed some time also

[tommieharris91]

146 OPS+ = Yes, he is having a good season.

[JLEW1818]

Berkman in the 3 hole and Pujols in the 4 hole, now thats scary.

[GrapevineSooner]

Kinsler has too many errors to be considered for a starting spot.

[Collier11]

Overall they did a good job picking the All Star teams except for Varitek, Fukadome, Soriano, Brian Wilson, and Ortiz...Varitek is horrible this year, why do the giants need two guys cus Wilson has a 4.3 era, Fukadome is average at best, and soriano and ortiz have been hurt.

[BudSooner]

**** the Yankees, stupid sons of bitches.


Yes Grapevine, I did say that. :D

[tommieharris91]

Overall they did a good job picking the All Star teams except for Varitek, Fukadome, Soriano, Brian Wilson, and Ortiz...Varitek is horrible this year, why do the giants need two guys cus Wilson has a 4.3 era, Fukadome is average at best, and soriano and ortiz have been hurt.

Fukudome isn't average, although he isn't quite all-star this season either. A lot of teams would take .287/.391/.420/.811 out of RF. Also, Soriano could be back by the end of this week. What if he goes something like 5-10 with 2 HR and 2 doubles in the last 3 games before the all star break? Also, Wilson isn't a deserving all-star. His WHIP is a nice, ugly 1.4.

Ohh and Jeter sux and shouldn't be an all-star either. He is actually having a sub-par season at the plate.

[Scott D]

Derek Jeter deserves to be a starting all-star as much as Nick Swisher does ;)

[Collier11]

Fukudome isn't average, although he isn't quite all-star this season either. A lot of teams would take .287/.391/.420/.811 out of RF. Also, Soriano could be back by the end of this week. What if he goes something like 5-10 with 2 HR and 2 doubles in the last 3 games before the all star break? Also, Wilson isn't a deserving all-star. His WHIP is a nice, ugly 1.4.

Ohh and Jeter sux and shouldn't be an all-star either. He is actually having a sub-par season at the plate.

Fukadome does not deserve to be in, the guy got in cus of the bs way that fan voting is and the japanese vote. He is a good player but is not all star caliber, his stats arent much better than Skip Schumaker and I can tell you as a Cards fan that he isnt an all-star. Wilson does not deserve to be in over Hamels or Santana

[GrapevineSooner]

Meh. ;)

Every year, there are players that get snubbed. Like every catcher in the AL not named Varitek. ;)

I used to give a damn about those snubs...about 10 years ago.

Then I realized that for the other players, it's a three day vacation. And unless you've been snubbed two years in a row, I doubt the players themselves care that much.

[Collier11]

True, they get to rest which is all they care about

[tommieharris91]

Fukadome does not deserve to be in, the guy got in cus of the bs way that fan voting is and the japanese vote. He is a good player but is not all star caliber, his stats arent much better than Skip Schumaker and I can tell you as a Cards fan that he isnt an all-star. Wilson does not deserve to be in over Hamels or Santana

Fukudome mostly got in because of his walk rate and OBP, if anything. There are certainly better choices than Fukudome, such as Burrell or Nady. I wouldn't mind Hamels in over Wilson either.


Meh. ;)

Every year, there are players that get snubbed. Like every catcher in the AL not named Varitek. ;)

I used to give a damn about those snubs...about 10 years ago.

Then I realized that for the other players, it's a three day vacation. And unless you've been snubbed two years in a row, I doubt the players themselves care that much.
Or every SS not named Jeter. ;)

Meh, the Cubs have 2 days off after the ASG. Since the Cubs are actually a contender this season, I wouldn't mind if the NL actually tried to win home-field advantage.

[JLEW1818]

Kinda random. Derek Jeter is the most overrated baseball player to ever live. Who cant hit for average when their the 2 hole or 3 hole for the yanks their entire life? His team was built with talent all around him. I'm just saying, and the catch WHERE HE CAUGHT THE BALL, then jumped into the stands is overrated. He will never compare to the wizard, and I'm a freaking Astro fan for crying out loud.

[GrapevineSooner]

Well I'm a Red Sox fan.

And I happen to think that while he can be a whiny bitch sometimes, he's also a player that every other team in the majors would love having on their team.

Sure, he's hit in a favorable spot with a great supporting cast for a number of years. But he's come up with some big hits and big plays when it matters in the post season (see Games 3 and 5 of the ALDS in 2001 and Game 4 of the 2001 World Series).

[Collier11]

Well I'm a Red Sox fan.

And I happen to think that while he can be a whiny bitch sometimes, he's also a player that every other team in the majors would love having on their team.

Sure, he's hit in a favorable spot with a great supporting cast for a number of years. But he's come up with some big hits and big plays when it matters in the post season (see Games 3 and 5 of the ALDS in 2001 and Game 4 of the 2001 World Series).

Francisco Cabrera, Scott Brosius, and Aaron Boone have big hits in the playoffs...ever heard of them? ;)

[Collier11]

Meh, the Cubs have 2 days off after the ASG. Since the Cubs are actually a contender this season, I wouldn't mind if the NL actually tried to win home-field advantage.

We sure as hell couldnt do it when the Cards were going to the Series and all the other years we had great teams this decade

[GrapevineSooner]

Francisco Cabrera, Scott Brosius, and Aaron "F**king" Boone have big hits in the playoffs...ever heard of them? ;)

Fixed.

[Collier11]

Ha Ha, you know what though...im obviously a Cards fan therefore not a big fan of Yanks or Sox but I will always love that the Sox came back from 3-0 to beat the Yanks even though they beat us in the Series...that is way better than Boone

[tommieharris91]

And I happen to think that while he can be a whiny bitch sometimes, Jeter is also a player that every other team in the majors would love having on their team.


Not now. His numbers this season are terrible, and he's been one of the worse shortstops in the majors for awhile now.

[JLEW1818]

Overall they did a good job picking the All Star teams except for Varitek, Fukadome, Soriano, Brian Wilson, and Ortiz...Varitek is horrible this year, why do the giants need two guys cus Wilson has a 4.3 era, Fukadome is average at best, and soriano and ortiz have been hurt.

Fukadome's name got him in, literally just looking at his name got him in. lol

[Scott D]

I don't know anymore. Like Grapevine, I don't get upset at snubs or perceived snubs anymore. But, it can also be argued that pure numbers aren't necessarily the best way to judge if a player is deserving of an all-star appearance.

Take Ichiro for example. By his standards, he's having a subpar year. However, he's on pace to hit over .300 and have over 200 hits again.

I also think the evil voting gods are going to select Giambi over Dye or Longoria for that last hitter spot (I voted for Dye obviously) :)