Monday, July 5, 2010

My All-Star Lineup (National League)

Ahh, it's that time of the year again. The MLB All-Star game is here, and as always, the controversy and lobbying that comes with the selection process. Here's my NL lineup. Obviously, I'm the only fan voting here, so my selections are not based on popularity, but production. I've adhered to all of the rules (34 players, 13 of them pitchers, at least one player from each team, at least one back-up for each position). I've also accounted for injuries, so some players that deserved to be all-stars were left off because they won't be able to play. An * denotes a player that was selected to the All-Star team.
Here's a breakdown by team: Cardinals (4), Braves (3), Brewers (3), Padres (3), Reds (3), Rockies (3), Diamondbacks (2), Dodgers (2), Marlins (2), Mets (2), Phillies (2), Astros (1), Cubs (1), Giants (1), Nationals (1), Pirates (1)
Starting Lineup:
1. Brandon Phillips (CIN, 2B)*
2. Hanley Ramirez (FLA, SS)*
3. Albert Pujols (STL, 1B)*
4. Joey Votto (CIN, DH) - If Votto doesn't get in with the fan vote I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be pretty. He has a legitimate argument to start over Pujols at first.
5. Ryan Braun (MIL, LF)*
6. David Wright (NYM, 3B)*
7. Corey Hart (MIL, RF)*
8. Miguel Olivo (COL, C) - I know surprise pick, but the All-Star game is all about offense. Yadier Molina gets the nod every year because of his defense, but not from me. Olivo deserves to go, and this will probably be his only chance.
9. Carlos Gonzalez (COL, CF) - A shame that he likely won't make the team. Gonzalez would be a perfect 9 hitter because of his speed. A legitimate power and speed guy.
Reserves:
Brian McCann (ATL, C)*
Adrian Gonzalez (SDG, 1B)*
Ryan Howard (PHI, 1B)*
Kelly Johnson (ARI, 2B) - Despite the low batting average, he provides some nice pop at 2B. He'll also be a valuable left handed bat off the bench.
Martin Prado (ATL, 2B)*
Ryan Zimmerman (WAS, 3B) - Let's face it, the Nationals aren't going to get two players selected, and the choice was Matt Capps. His numbers are inflated for the simple fact that any reliever would have the high save numbers he does if they were playing for a team that was incapable of winning by more than three runs. Zimmerman is the next best selection.
Scott Rolen (CIN, 3B)*
Jose Reyes (NYM, SS)*
Andre Ethier (LAD, OF)*
Chris Young (ARI, OF)*
Matt Holliday (STL, OF)*
Matt Kemp (LAD, OF) - Kemp's numbers aren't exactly what most people expected they would be at this point in the season, but he still clearly deserves to be here.
Pitchers:
Adam Wainwright (STL, SP)*
Chris Carpenter (STL, SP)*
Josh Johnson (FLA, SP)*
Mat Latos (SDG, SP) - Even many baseball fans don't know who he his, they will soon enough. I wish the fan voters did.
Roy Halladay (PHI, SP)*
Roy Oswalt (HOU, SP) - Michael Bourn got the Houston vote but didn't really deserve it. For his consitency and not going crazy pitching for the Astros, Oswalt gets the team nod.
Tim Lincecum (SFO, SP)*
Ubaldo Jimenez (COL, SP)*
Yovani Gallardo (MIL, SP)*
Billy Wagner (ATL, RP) - 5 wins, 17 saves, Wagner has done it all for the Braves this year, quietly resurrecting his career in Atlanta.
Carlos Marmol (CHC, RP) - He gets into jams and is still wildly inconsistent, but if I need a strikeout in a key situation, there is no pitcher in baseball I would rather have take the mound.
Evan Meek (PIT, RP)*
Heath Bell (SDG, RP) - Bell continues to get overlooked despite the Padres success. Many would say he has been the best reliever in baseball the last few years.

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