By: Tyler Ward
With the All-Star game right around the corner, I decided to give my picks for who I think should represent both leagues.
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
Pitcher: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays: Price has had an outstanding season thus far. He has posted an 11-3 record with a 2.42 ERA. He has been the most dominant pitcher in the AL this year, and for that, he deserves to be the starter for the All-Star game. Leading the Rays off to a sizzling start, they have struggled down the stretch, but it shouldn't take away from Price, who has made AL batters look silly this year.
Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins: He hasn't had off the chart stats this year, but it's Joe Mauer. Mauer, the reigning AL MVP, has only hit 3 HR's this year with 34 RBI's. He is batting .300 this year, which is why I have him as my AL starter. Mauer has a terrific eye for the ball. His numbers are slightly better than those of his counterparts like Mike Napoli, Jorge Posada, and Kurt Suzuki. In the end, I think he's a lock to start.
First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: I was trying to choose between Cabrera and Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox. But, with a better batting average, Cabrera wins out. He is hitting lights out this year with a .337 batting average and 20 HR's and 68 RBI's. He could very well be the AL MVP this year, and for that fact alone, I have him as my starter. He is having one of the best seasons he's ever had this year and is on track to hit 45-50 home runs.
Second Base: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees: As much as it pains me to give him the selection, I have to. Statistically, he is having the best season for second basemen this year. Cano is hitting a gaudy .353, which leads the American League right now. And not only is he leading in that category, he also has 16 HR's and 53 RBI's. Like Cabrera, this can possibly be the best season of his career, too. He is in the prime of his career and is taking full advantage of it. I give the nod to Cano.
Third Base: Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox: I have no idea how Beltre has done this well. I didn't expect him to do anywhere close to what he's doing right now. He has earned every bit of his paycheck so far, batting .349 with 12 HR's and 53 RBI's. He is on track to have his best season since he played for the Dodgers a number of years ago. I am honestly surprised that he's doing this well, and I'm not just giving him the nod because he plays for Boston. He has better numbers than the other third basemen in the AL - the only one giving him competition, in my opinion, is Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria (.292 BA, 12 HR's, 52 RBI's).
Shortstop: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees: Yep, another Yankees infielder in the All-Star game. Jeter is having a good year for the Yankees, even though he is getting older. He is still a great player and deserves to be in the All-Star talks year after year. The Yankees captain is batting .281 with 8 HR's and 39 RBI's.
Outfielder: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: Hamilton has been on fire in the past month or so. He is currently on a long hitting streak and hit .454 in the month of June. At this rate, he will probably receive MVP votes at the end of the season. But, for now, I am content with naming him to my All-Star team. Hamilton has battled back from personal issues and has become one of the bright spots in baseball. He deserves all the respect in the world for what he has accomplished and with a great statistical season, he's a lock to start the All-Star game. So far this season, Hamilton is batting .340 with 18 HR's and 58 RBI's.
Outfielder: Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays: Wells has been spectacular this year and has battled back from an off year last year. He is hitting .307 for the season, along with 19 HR's and 47 RBI's. Although they play in the toughest division in baseball, the Blue Jays have hit the most home runs this year, and Wells is a big part of that. The Blue Jays remain 4th in the division, but chances are that if they were in any other division, they wouldn't be a .500 team. Wells has led the Jays for the better part of the last five years and he is capable of leading a team. He has done spectacular this year for the Blue Jays.
Outfielder: Alex Rios, Chicago White Sox: I was trying to figure out if I should give the last spot to Carl Crawford or Rios, but I chose to give it to the latter. Rios, statistically, is having a better season than Crawford, even though they play different types of baseball. Rios is batting .307 with 13 HR's and 42 RBI's this year and this could be one of the best seasons of his career, too.
Designated Hitter: Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers: Vlad is surprisingly having one of his best season's ever. He is leading the Rangers with a .336 batting average with 18 HR's and 68 RBI's. In my opinion, he has run away with the DH voting. I think this could also be one of Vlad's best seasons ever when it's over, and he definitely deserves to be a starter in this year's All-Star game.
NATIONAL LEAGUE:
Pitcher: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies: This is a no-brainer. Jimenez has thrown a no-hitter this year and is 14-1 with a 1.83 ERA. What more could you ask for? He's one of the best young pitchers in baseball right now and could very well win the NL Cy Young award, if he keeps up the pace he's at. He should be a lock to start this year's game, as he could have one of the best pitching seasons in recent memory. Jimenez deserves to make his first All-Star game appearance this year.
Catcher: Miguel Olivo, Colorado Rockies: Here's another Rockies selection. Most people are taking McCann as their starter, but how can you argue with Olivo? He's batting .312 this year, the best batting average of his career. Not only does he have a good batting average, but he also has 11 HR's and 39 RBI's. He's been a really nice role player to Colorado this year as they try to make their way back to the playoffs. I think that if they make the playoffs, Jimenez and Olivo are the reasons why. They have been the bright spots on this team and deserve to be recognized for it.
First Base: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals: This is also a no-brainer. The former MVP is hitting lights out so far this year, batting .309 with 19 HR's and 58 RBI's. There are many players that could have won this, but Pujols gets it at the end. He is arguably the best player in all of baseball, so how can he not be in the All-Star game? Pujols is an intimidating force that has an exceptional eye for the ball. Second Base: Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves: Prado persaudes my vote because he is currently leading the NL in batting average (.333). This would be his first All-Star selection, and many people are praising him for leading the NL at such a young age. He is a good player that should be in the MLB for a long time. He also has 7 HR's and 34 RBI's this year.
Third Base: Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds: Rolen has rejuvenated his career this year. Many people didn't expect him to be a starter in the MLB after his release from the Cardinals. But, Rolen has proved almost everybody wrong, as Rolen is batting .302, with 17 HR's and 54 RBI's. I give Rolen the nod over the Mets' David Wright, just for the fact the Rolen is getting older and this could be his final All-Star appearance if he isn't careful. He and Wright have around the same stats, but Rolen beats him out this time.
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins: No, I'm not picking Ramirez because he's one of my favorite players. I picked him because he is having the best season out of any NL shortstops so far this year. He is perhaps the best player on a mediocre Marlins team. The bad thing is that Ramirez hasn't even reached the peak of his career, so he's got plenty of time to become one of the best playersin baseball. He is batting .296 with 12 HR's and 51 RBI's.Outfielder: Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers: Entering this season, I did not expect Hart to outplay teammates Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. But, he has and is the best offensive player so far on a bad Brewers team. He has done nothing, but play exceptional this year, batting .281 with 18 HR's and 60 RBI's. He is on track to have the best season of his career, by far, and he deserves to be recognized for it.
Outfielder: Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers: Well, Ethier is no longer a triple crown threat, but he is good enough to be on my All-Star team. So far this year, Ethier has been the king of clutch hits. He has been the best outfielder for the Dodgers, even beating out Manny Ramirez and Matt Kemp. Ethier is batting .312 with 12 HR's and 47 RBI's.
