The 83rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game was less than two weeks away on Tuesday, July 10 th at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium. Voting ends at midnight on June 28th th but what do we have to wait until then to find out which players are most worthy of making the team? Here is one writer’s pick that should include each team’s starting lineup, the top five starting pitchers and the top reliever for each roster:
Catcher
National League– Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia Phillies
American League– Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Carlos Ruiz is having a remarkable season behind the plate for Philadelphia. He is currently 7th in the NL in OPS and 3rd in batting average. Ruiz is also among the major league leaders in field goal percentage. Joe Mauer leads the American League catchers with an .859 OPS and is tops in the AL in hits and runs scored .
First Baseman
National League– Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
American League – Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
There is no Joey Votto here. Votto was the runaway winner of this privateer’s NL MVP award for the 1st half of this season. Votto leads the MLB in OPS and batting average. Paul Konerko has a 1.025 OPS and leads the AL in batting average. Konerko formed the half of a fairly powerful duo on the south side of Chicago, along with veteran tight end Adam Dunn.
Second Baseman
National League– Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
American League – Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
The diminutive, 22-year-old broke into the majors with Houston last season and hit .276 in 57 games. This season, he leads the majors in batting average among second basemen and gives the Astros some much-needed excitement in the lineup. Robinson Cano leads all second basemen in OPS, homeruns and is tied for the lead in RBI.
Third Baseman
National League – David Wright, New York Mets
American League- Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels
David Wright is enjoying the best season of 2012. Fortunately for him, the old contract came in the year Met. Wright was head and shoulders above all major league third basemen in performance. Wright currently has an OPS over 1.000, while no other major leaguer is over .900. Miguel Cabrera is at it again, crushing the ball, and leading the entire MLB third baseman in homeruns.
Shortstop
National League– Jed Lowrie, Houston Astros
American League – Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
Forming the other half of Houston’s dazzling middle two infield is former Red Sox, Jed Lowrie. Lowrie finally gets a chance for regular evenings, and makes the most of it. Lowrie is tops in the NL in OPS and leads all MLB shortstops in homers. Derek Jeter leads all shortstops in batting average and the future Hall of Famer helped push the Yankees to the best record in the American League.
Outfielders
National League – Ryan Braun, Brewers; Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies; Charles Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals
American League– Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers; Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees; Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
Hamilton should be the leading vote-getter here and this AL runaway winner will be awarded the private 1st half MVP. Granderson anchored the Yankees’ powerful lineup with 21 homeruns and was 2nd in the AL with 50 runs. Adam Jones finally hit his stride in his breakthrough season of 2012. His powerful hitting has the Orioles in contention in the AL East.
Ryan Braun is tied with Carlos Beltran, among National League outfielders, for the lead in homeruns. Both veterans are hitting over .300 and have over 50 RBI, each holding their own in the middle of the NL. Carlos Gonzalez has been a monster at Coors Field, putting up solid numbers on the road as well. Gonzalez leads all eligible NL outfielders in runs scored.
Starting Pitchers
National League- Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants.
American League– Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
Matt Cain’s perfect game helped the rest of the country discover what San Francisco fans, and many baseball insiders, already knew: Matt Cain is one of the best pitchers in the game. Cain is off to a dominant start in 2012 with his career-high per nine innings rate. Here the staff of the Giants emerged. Justin Verlander has, incredibly, had a better start to the 2012 season than he had in 2011. Although, unless the Tigers heat up, he could be impacted by the team’s inconsistent hitting in the winning column. Verlander is dominating again, leading the majors in innings pitched and strikeouts.
Top Four Starting Pitchers
National League– Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals; Brandon Beachy, Atlanta Braves; R.A. Dickey, New York Mets; Lance Lynn, St. Louis Cardinals
American League– C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels; Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox; Colby Lewis, Texas Rangers; Jason Hammel, Baltimore Orioles
Top Relief Pitcher
National League– Arnold Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
American League – Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles
The Cuban baseball sensation has worked hard in Cincinnati, helping to stabilize the tight end in Redson’s rotation. Chapman has an incredible 76 WHIP 61 strikeouts. He leads all the lifters in K. Jim Johnson has been a revelation in Baltimore in the tight end role. He is 22 for 23 in six starts and has given up just four runs in 32.2 innings.
