What Are Your Baseball All-Star Selections?

June 19, 2002 | Charlie Henrickson

[Charles Henrickson]

Thirty players on each side, at least one player from each team, starters listed first:

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Catcher:
Mike "Deep Dish" Piazza
Damian "The Omen" Miller

First Base:
Todd "Stayin' at the" Helton
Richie Sexson "The City"

Second Base:
Jose "In" Vidro
Luis "They Call Him 'The Streak'" Castillo

Shortstop:
Jimmy Rollins
Jose Hernandez

Third Base:
Mike Lowell
Edgardo Alfonzo

Outfield:
Barry "U.S." Bonds
Sammy Sosa
Jim Edmonds
Vladimir Guerrero
Luis "Gummo" Gonzalez
"The Life of" Brian Giles
Larry "Sky" Walker
Andruw "I Got a Baseball" Jones

Pitcher:
Tom Glavine
Curt "Half" Schilling
Randy Johnson
Matt Morris
Greg Maddux
Roy Oswalt
Byung-Hyun "A Slider" Kim
Eric "Vern" Gagne
Jason Isringhausen
Danny "Unmarked" Graves
Robb Nen
Trevor Hoffman

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Catcher:
"Jorgeous" Jorge Posada
A. J. "That Part Was Easy" Pierzynski

First Base:
Jason Giambi "Hind in My Payments"
Paul Konerko "The Dots"
Mike "Itsy Bitsy Teeny" Sweeney

Second Base:
Alfonso "Say You're" Soriano
Ray "Chicago Bull" Durham

Shortstop:
Alex "A+ Rod" Rodriquez
Nomar "Tears" Garciaparra
Omar "He's a Hitmaker, Too" Vizquel
Derek "Four Shortstops? Yes!" Jeter

Third Base:
Eric Chavez "Ravine"
Tony Batista

Outfield:
Ichiro Suzuki "Method"
Bernie "Down the House" Williams
Torii "Loyalist" Hunter
Johnny "Notre" Damon
"Artist's" Garrett Anderson
Randy "On a Team That Can't" Winn
Rob "Gotta Have a Tiger" Fick

Pitcher:
Derek "His ERA Is" Lowe
Bartolo "Semi" Colon
Mark Buehrle
Pedro "Dry" Martinez
Barry Zito
Freddy Garcia
Roy "Roman" Halladay
Ugueth "Yewz" Urbina
Kaz Sasaki
Eddie Guadardo

[Charles Henrickson]

OK, now, let's hear your choices. Also, I can defend my selections, omissions, etc., if you like. Post your stuff. I'm be going to the Cardinals-Angels game soon, so I'll be able to write some more when I get back.

[Charles Henrickson]

Ping.

[Charles Henrickson]

Baseball ping.

[Slip18]

National League: The whole darned Diamondback team!

Sorry, I'm prejudiced. But aren't we great?

I'm hoping the Angels and the Diamondbacks battle it out in the World Series. There would be some fabulous games, and only six hours driving apart.

[andysandmikesmom]

Well, I dont really follow much baseball, except for our Seattle Mariners...

And you have already named my pick for the outfield, our wonderful 'Ichiro'...a fine outfielder, and hes a great hitter, no doubt about that, and an even greater hitter, with men on base...

I am an avid 'Ichiro' fan, no doubt about it...

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Sorry, I'm prejudiced. But aren't we great?

Wow! You're a Diamondback. What position do you play? /sarcasm

[Willie Green]

Alex "A+ Rod" Rodriquez

I thought JimRob banned A+Rod.

[Slip18]

I play a major league role. I watch the games! LOL!

[Slip18]

No, Willie. That was Bert and Ernie.

[Willie Green]

No, Willie. That was Bert and Ernie.

Well, they must be related, somehow.
"A+" isn't a very common surname... not like "Green" anyhow.
I bet they're cousins.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Here is a list of AL catchers with at least 100 ABs and with better batting avgs than Jorge Posada.

A.J. Pierzynski, .323
Dan Wilson, .300
Sandy Alomar jr., .287
Jason Varitek, .271
Benjie Molina, .271
Tom Wilson, .262
(Ben Davis with 98 ABs is hitting .276)

That is an old fashioned argument for several players being above Posada in the All Star race.

If you look at OPS though he is clearly only behind Pierzynski.

OPS for AL Catchers
A.J. Pierzynski, .872
Posada .845
The next closest is Tom Wilson with a .776 and it drops off pretty rapidly from there, not to mention most other Catchers are not playing nearly as much as Posada and P-ski. They all have caught much fewer games than those two except for Benjie Molina but his OBP is only .289 which is lousy and barely more than his Batting avg.

It's clear that Dan Wilson is having a comeback year this year and Varitek is clearly a very good catcher, but Posada and P-ski are by far the best two catchers in the AL this year and Posada's HR advantage, 10-4 over P-ski, makes him a notch above P-ski in many people's eyes but that is debatable due to the closeness of their OPS values.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

If you have to have a Tiger I go with Jeff Weaver over Fick because Weaver is just victimized by his run support and is a very good pitcher. He's not relying on power and movement alone this year from what I've seen but is actually learning how to pitch.

I think he's hit that magic "Innings Pitched" number where a talented pitcher puts talent to better use through the knowledge he's learned over his first 3-4 years of getting beat up by the league (look at guys like Mac Suzuki of the Royals who has the ability to hit 95 and has a very good splitter for an out pitch but can't even make it as a set-up man because he just hasn't figured out how to use those two pitches effectively).

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I would also take Hinske at 3b instead of Halliday as a pitcher for my Blue Jay selection. Only because there are more pitchers out there deserving in the AL that will get left off the squad than deserving 3rd basemen. It's not really wrong to go either way on that choice and you could even take both but that won't happen because the Blue Jays' record stinks this year.

[socal_parrot]

Anyone but John Burkett.

[Charles Henrickson]

National League: The whole darned Diamondback team!

They're the defending champs, of course, and are playing great again this year. Notice that I have five D-Backs (Johnson, Schilling, Kim, Gonzalez, and Miller) on my All-Star team (tied with the Yanks and Red Sox for the most). I could reasonably have had a sixth D-Back, as well: Junior Spivey at second base.

[Slip18]

There's also the three-time Golden Glove recipient, Steve Finley. He's awsome in center field!

I agree with you on your "Dooner" Junior Spivey choice. He's such a great person and a darned good player.

[Charles Henrickson]

OPS for AL Catchers
A.J. Pierzynski, .872
Posada .845

They're very close, aren't they? But I give the edge to Posada for having the better career.

Of course, we're only looking at offensive value with OPS. I could check the defensive stats to see if there's much difference there. But defensive evaluation is also helped by seeing the guys play, and I have not yet seen Pierzynski in action.

For catchers, defense is so important to their value. I pick Piazza in the NL because of his huge offensive numbers over the years, miles ahead of the other catchers. But his defense pulls him down. Piazza is by far the easiest catcher to run on.

[Charles Henrickson]

If you have to have a Tiger I go with Jeff Weaver over Fick. . . .

I thought about that, but still went with Fick. Weaver is much improved, no doubt, and a workhorse. But his ERA is only OK, not great, and he does have that losing record. But I wouldn't object if Weaver is the Tiger chosen--especially if he throws another shutout or two, like he did the other night.

[Charles Henrickson]

I would also take Hinske at 3b instead of Halliday as a pitcher for my Blue Jay selection.

I hear you, but still would pick Halliday and not Hinske. Halliday legitimately may be among the top seven starters in the league and not just the Blue Jays' "charity choice." As for Hinske, while he is putting up good numbers--as good as Chavez and Batista and Hillenbrand so far--Hinske is a rookie, I believe, and I have hard time putting a guy on the All-Star team when he's only played in the bigs for less than three months. (Notice I didn't pick Kaz Ishii for the NL pitchers.)

[Charles Henrickson]

As always happens in picking All-Star teams, I had to leave off a lot of deserving guys who wouldn't be bad choices:

NATIONAL LEAGUE (15)

Catcher: Benito Santiago, Paul LoDuca, Michael Barrett

First base: Ryan Klesko

Second base: Jeff Kent, Fernando Vina, Junior Spivey

Shortstop: Edgar Renteria

Outfield: Lance Berkman, Shawn Green, Chipper Jones, Albert Pujols, Pat Burrell

Pitcher: Odalis Perez, Mike Williams

AMERICAN LEAGUE (11)

First base: Jim Thome, John Olerud

Third base: Shea Hillenbrand

Outfield: Manny Ramirez (rehab, otherwise on), Jacque Jones, Magglio Ordonez

Pitcher: Mariano Rivera (DL, otherwise on), Roger Clemens, Jamie Moyer, Steve Karsay, Billy Koch

[AmishDude]

Well, my ballot is: NL

• 1B - T. Helton
• 2B - J. Vidro
• SS - J. Hernandez
• 3B - M. Lowell
• C - M. Piazza
• OF - B. Bonds, S. Sosa, V. Guerrero

AL

• 1B - J. Thome
• 2B - A. Soriano
• SS - A. Rodriguez
• 3B - T. Batista
• C - J. Posada
• OF - I. Suzuki, G. Anderson, T. Hunter

I haven't thought further. But who do you take from the Tigers?

[Charles Henrickson]

That's a good ballot, no bad choices. Who do you take from the Tigers? I pick Fick (see #18).

[AmishDude]

I'll have to give the full roster some thought. When are the managers due to pick their lineups?

[BluesDuke]

I wouldn't choose Danny Graves this year - his performance to date clearly marks him as overrated. Nen (who's beginning to show too much of his wear and tear and age) isn't doing close to the level of Gagne, Kim, and Hoffman. And Glavine is the more clear-cut All-Star pitching choice on the Braves than Maddux this season among the starters. Tom Glavine may actually be the most underrated front-line pitcher of his time. I can't recall his name off the top of my head, but that new guy on the Cardinals who bounced around the minors and indies and even the Italian Olympic team until he got a callup this season is putting on an All-Star worthy show so far, a starting pitcher. I'd pick him in a New York minute.

[Dales]

Oh man. I haven't done this in at least a year. Let's see. NL first.

C Mike Piazza, NYM
1B Todd Helton, Col
2B Junior Spivey, Ari (out by injury, replaced in lineup by Jose Vidro, Mon)
SS Rollins, Phi
3B Pujols, StL
OF Bonds, SF
OF Sosa, ChC
OF Green, LA
P Glavine, Atl

Damien Miller, Ari
Ryan Klesko, SD
Jose Vidro, Mtl
To take Spivey's place on the roster, Jeff Kent, SF
Jose Hernandez, Mil
Lowell, Fla
Berkman, Hou
Giles, Pit
Dunn, Cin
Walker, Col
(Boy, NL OF is a bear)
Schilling, Ari
Johnson, Ari
Leiter, NYM
Morris, StL
Padillia, Phi
Ishii, LA
Perez, LA
Burnett, Fla
Oswalt, Hou
Kim, Ari
Gagne, LA
Nen, SF

I think I counted right. That should be 31 names, with Spivey out to make 30.

AL is tougher. Give me a few.

[Dales]

If Pujols is listed as an OF in the ballot, then Lowell is my starter at 3B, and Pujols rides the pines (no need to carry another 3B, Pujols can be the backup).

[Dales]

I can't believe there is no room on my roster for Luis Gonzo, Vlad the Impaler, and Jim Edmonds. The NL outfield is loaded for bear.

[Dales]

Now my AL ballot.

C Pierzynski, Min
1B Jason Giambi, NYY
2B Alphonso Soriano, NYY (stay healthy, you are the only 2B I carry- a SS moves in an emergency)
SS Alex Rodriguez, Tex
3B Eric Chavez, Oak
OF Manny Ramierez (replaced in lineup by Bernie Williams, NYY)
OF Torii Hunter, Min
OF Ichiro, Sea
P Derek Lowe, Bos

Fick, Det
Sweeney, KC
Thome, Cle
Garciaparra, Bos
Jeter, NYY
Hinske, Tor
Williams, NYY
Salmon, Ana
Ordonez, ChW
Anderson, Ana (replacing Ramierez on the roster)
Beuhrle, CHW
Colon, Cle
Kennedy, TB
Ortiz, Ana
Zito, Oak
Garcia, Sea
Clemens, NYY
Martinez, Box
Rivera, NYY
Guardado, Min
Julio, Bal

This team sucks in comparison to the NL. As a matter of fact, two guys I left off the NL team probably would start in the AL OF.

[Charles Henrickson]

I can't believe there is no room on my roster for Luis Gonzo, Vlad the Impaler, and Jim Edmonds. The NL outfield is loaded for bear.

You got that right! Next to AL SS, I'd say NL OF is the most loaded position in baseball--I count about 14 guys who could go. You didn't even mention the Jones boys from Atlanta or Pat Burrell.

[Charles Henrickson]

If Pujols is listed as an OF in the ballot, then Lowell is my starter at 3B, and Pujols rides the pines (no need to carry another 3B, Pujols can be the backup).

2B Alphonso Soriano, NYY (stay healthy, you are the only 2B I carry- a SS moves in an emergency).

I thought about exactly the same roster considerations as you did. Pujols is hard to leave off, considering the year he had last year and is having this year, yet the NL outfield is so deep. But Alfonzo is not nearly the offensive force that Pujols is, and Pujols has played some 3b last year and this.

The AL move may be even more justified. Durham is kinda borderline to be an All-Star, and you ought to carry all three great shortstops, and this year you can make a strong case for Vizquel, too--not only is he still Omar the Outmaker on defense, he's even hitting a little better than Jeter.

[Charles Henrickson]

I wouldn't choose Danny Graves this year - his performance to date clearly marks him as overrated. Nen (who's beginning to show too much of his wear and tear and age) isn't doing close to the level of Gagne, Kim, and Hoffman.

I know what you're saying about Graves and Nen. It wouldn't be an outrage if either of them were left off the roster. However, they still are having pretty good years, and, based on their careers, I give them the edge over Odalis "Fort Worth" Perez and Mike Williams, for example. Also, Graves is my lone Reds' rep. Elmer "Fudd" Dessens or Adam "12" Dunn would be just as qualified as Graves for this season, but again, Graves has the slight edge based on career value.

And Glavine is the more clear-cut All-Star pitching choice on the Braves than Maddux this season among the starters. Tom Glavine may actually be the most underrated front-line pitcher of his time.

I agree with you on Glavine. He's my All-Star game starter, the Cy Young leader, and a realistic Hall of Famer. Maddux I picked because when I look at a sure Hall of Famer like Maddux, if he's having a pretty good yet borderline All-Star year, I'll pick Greg Maddux over an Odalis Perez or Kaz Ishii or Vicente Padilla or Pedro Astacio or Andy Ashby or even an Al Leiter. That's why I was thisclose to picking Roger Clemens in the AL--he has probably the highest career value of any pitcher, had a great last year, and an almost-pretty-good this year. Jamie Moyer also came close for me--he's no Hall of Famer, but has been very, very good the last five-seven years, and is doing all right this year.

In picking All-Stars, I consider three factors:
1) This season
2) Last season
3) Career

I think picking All-Stars just based on the first two or three months of the current season is not enough.

I can't recall his name off the top of my head, but that new guy on the Cardinals who bounced around the minors and indies and even the Italian Olympic team until he got a callup this season is putting on an All-Star worthy show so far, a starting pitcher. I'd pick him in a New York minute.

Jason Simontacchi. He's 5-0 so far, a real Cinderella story, but seven career starts in the major leagues is not enough for me to pick a guy as an All-Star.

[BluesDuke]

I know what you're saying about Graves and Nen. It wouldn't be an outrage if either of them were left off the roster. However, they still are having pretty good years, and, based on their careers, I give them the edge over Odalis "Fort Worth" Perez and Mike Williams, for example. Also, Graves is my lone Reds' rep. Elmer "Fudd" Dessens or Adam "12" Dunn would be just as qualified as Graves for this season, but again, Graves has the slight edge based on career value.

Career value has slightly more validity for picking the Hall of Fame than the All-Star Game, which by implication is a recognition of the here and now. (How many times have you seen players picked on career value despite incumbent seasons even worse than Graves is having?) Mike Williams is a way worthier All-Star pick than Danny Graves, even if he's slightly short of Gagne, Kim and Hoffman. So would be Adam Dunn and Elmer Dessens.

I agree with you on Glavine. He's my All-Star game starter, the Cy Young leader, and a realistic Hall of Famer.

He's a realistic Hall of Famer - he's a no questions asked Hall of Famer - and will likely finish in the top Cy Young voting. I'm not so sure he's quite earned the All-Star start, not with the year Schilling is putting up, but he belongs on the team and in the game. Ishii, Maddux and the Unit also belong on the team, though I'd give the edge to Ishii based on the season's cumulative performance. (Reality check: rookies make All-Star teams ahead of even high career value veterans, and Ishii has more than earned the honour this year.)

Roger Clemens isn't having a bad year, but methinks Derek Lowe has earned the top slot for the All-Star team this year and should get the game start.

[Charles Henrickson]

I can't go purely by the current season, because then you never consider the second halves of seasons, which are just as important (if not more so) than first halves. Think about it. A guys gets off to a hot start, it's the only year he's ever done anything, he gets named to the All-Star team, but then tails off in the second half, and in later years you wonder how this guy ever made an All-Star team. It happens. Just read the rosters of All-Star teams past. Conversely, sometimes a guy gets of to a so-so start, then really cranks it up in the second-half and ends up doing well in the MVP or Cy Young race, even though he didn't make the All-Star team. I've seen that happen many times. So I give the edge to consistently good performers, guys you know who are going be there at the end of the year.

I think you have to at least consider the previous season (if not career value) in making close decisions on All-Star selections.

[BluesDuke]

A guys gets off to a hot start, it's the only year he's ever done anything, he gets named to the All-Star team, but then tails off in the second half, and in later years you wonder how this guy ever made an All-Star team. It happens...Conversely, sometimes a guy gets of to a so-so start, then really cranks it up in the second-half and ends up doing well in the MVP or Cy Young race, even though he didn't make the All-Star team. I've seen that happen many times.

So it does. And I'm not entirely crazy about the thought, either. Unfortunately, you cannot pick an All-Star Game based on what a player could do, or might do, or should do, but what he did do. And unless you think baseball is ready (I'd better not talk too loudly, the assholes running the game now just might go for it) to play the All-Star Game after the World Series (I sure wouldn't consider it, considering the regular season grind and the assoholically-assembled longer postseason, but what do I know, I think baseball should never have gone to three divisions and the wild card), to paraphrase Art Rust: last season's a canceled check and the rest of this season is a promissory note.

[Charles Henrickson]

Here are some objective stats, complete through June 20. I got them from the mlb.com website. This gives you a good pool of players from which to choose your All-Stars. There are a few surprises here! I know I will have to change some of my picks.

Listed are offensive players who rank in the top five at their position in Total Bases, with an OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) Percentage of at least .770. They are listed in order of OPS.

* An asterisk marks players who rank in the top two at their position in TB, with an OPS of at least .870.

Listed are starting pitchers who rank in the top sixteen in Innings Pitched, with an ERA under 3.30. They are listed in order of ERA.

* An asterisk marks starting pitchers who rank in the top twelve in IP, with an ERA under 3.00.

Listed are relief pitchers who rank in the top eight in Relief Man Points (accounting for wins, losses, saves, tough saves, and blown saves), with an ERA under 2.70. They are listed in order of ERA.

* An asterisk marks relief pitchers who rank in the top four in RMP, with an ERA under 2.50.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Catcher (OPS, TB):
* Mike Piazza, NYM - .918, 113
Damian Miller, ARI - .869, 94
Michael Barrett, MON - .868, 85
Benito Santiago, SF - .812, 104
Paul LoDuca, LA - .806, 106

First Base (OPS, TB):
* Todd Helton, COL - 1.049, 160
Ryan Klesko, SD - .949, 123
Richie Sexson, MIL - .924, 150
Jeff Bagwell, HOU - .863, 122
Derrek Lee, FLA - .855, 136

Second Base (OPS, TB):
( * ) Junior Spivey (DL), ARI - .997, 125
* Jose Vidro, MON - .877, 137
Jeff Kent, SF - .834, 125
Luis Castillo, FLA - .793, 109

Shortstop (OPS, TB):
* Jose Hernandez, MIL - .873, 121
Edgar Renteria, STL - .779, 98
Jimmy Rollins, PHI - .775, 130

Third Base (OPS, TB):
* Mike Lowell, FLA - .937, 147
Todd Zeile, COL - .869, 116

Outfielders (OPS, TB):
* Barry Bonds, SF - 1.362, 144
* Sammy Sosa, CHC - 1.122, 174
Brian Giles, PIT - 1.060, 141
Larry Walker, COL - 1.032, 136
Adam Dunn, CIN - 1.018, 126
* Shawn Green, LA - .995, 154
Lance Berkman, HOU - .987, 152
Pat Burrell, PHI - .982, 142
Vladimir Guerrero, MON - .966, 151
Andruw Jones, ATL - .954, 150
Luis Gonzalez, ARI - .939, 136
Albert Pujols, STL - .933, 139
Cliff Floyd, FLA - .929, 125
Richard Hidalgo, HOU - .875, 124
Chipper Jones, ATL - .872, 124

Pitchers, Starting (ERA, IP, W-L):
* Tom Glavine, ATL - 1.71, 110, 11-3
* Odalis Perez, LA - 2.52, 107, 8-3
* Randy Johnson, ARI - 2.55, 116, 11-2
Pedro Astacio, NYM - 2.71, 96, 7-2
Vicente Padilla, PHI - 3.01, 104, 9-4
Matt Morris, STL - 3.06, 109, 10-4
A. J. Burnett, FLA - 3.12, 112, 8-5
Brian Lawrence, SD - 3.21, 103, 7-4
Roy Oswalt, HOU - 3.24, 102, 7-5
Russ Ortiz, SF - 3.24, 94, 6-4
Curt Schilling, ARI - 3.28, 115, 12-3

Pitchers, Relief (ERA, IP, RMP):
Jason Isringhausen, STL - 1.08, 33, 49
* Eric Gagne, LA - 1.22, 37, 75
* Byung-Hyun Kim, ARI - 1.25, 43, 62
* Trevor Hoffman, SD - 1.37, 26, 59
Robb Nen, SF - 2.10, 30, 54
Mike Williams, PIT - 2.30, 27, 51
Danny Graves, CIN - 2.63, 41, 57

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Catcher (OPS, TB):
* A. J. Pierzynski, MIN - .879, 104
Jorge Posada, NYY - .844, 115

First Base (OPS, TB):
* Jason Giambi, NYY - 1.022, 157
Jim Thome, CLE - .964, 129
Mike Sweeney, KC - .934, 134
Carlos Delgado, TOR - .920, 128
Paul Konerko, CWS - .894, 144

Second Base (OPS, TB):
* Alfonso Soriano, NYY - .924, 177

Shortstop (OPS, TB):
* Alex Rodriquez, TEX - .961, 153
* Nomar Garciaparra, BOS - .906, 145
Omar Vizquel, CLE - .880, 131
Miquel Tejada, OAK - .816, 142
Derek Jeter, NYY - .813, 130

Third Base (OPS, TB):
Robin Ventura, NYY - .915, 118
Eric Chavez, OAK - .890, 135
Tony Batista, BAL - .869, 139
Shea Hillenbrand, BOS - .847, 141
Troy Glaus, ANA - .808, 118

Outfielders (OPS, TB):
* Magglio Ordonez, CWS - .919, 139
Tim Salmon, ANA - .908, 124
Bernie Williams, NYY - .906, 130
* Torii Hunter, MIN - .903, 155
* Ichiro Suzuki, SEA - .901, 131
* Garret Anderson, ANA - .879, 157
Jacque Jones, MIN - .875, 147
Johnny Damon, BOS - .868, 132
Randy Winn, TB - .829, 128
Rob Fick, DET - .827, 121
Carlos Beltran, KC - .821, 128
Jay Gibbons, BAL - .801, 105
Melvin Mora, BAL - .770, 103

Pitchers, Starting (ERA, IP, W-L):
* Derek Lowe, BOS - 1.85, 97, 11-2
* Bartolo Colon, CLE - 2.58, 108, 9-4
* Mark Buehrle, CWS - 2.86, 110, 10-5
Pedro Martinez, BOS - 2.92, 95, 8-2
Barry Zito, OAK - 3.01, 95, 9-2
Freddy Garcia, SEA - 3.02, 110, 10-4
Roy Halladay, TOR - 3.11, 107, 8-3

Pitchers, Relief (ERA, IP, RMP):
* Kaz Sasaki, SEA - 0.35, 26, 48
( * ) Mariano Rivera (DL), NYY - 1.69, 26, 48
* Ugueth Urbina, BOS - 2.05, 26, 54
* Eddie Guardado, MIN - 2.41, 33, 56
Troy Percival, ANA - 2.49, 21, 46

[Charles Henrickson]

Updated stats and rankings ping. See post #35.

[BluesDuke]

I can tell you at least one sleeper in the pack: Eddie Guardado, the Twins' reliever. He's been one of the unsung stoppers in the American League this season. I'd put him on the AL All-Star club in a New York minute. He's actually having a better season than Mariano Rivera, if anyone would care to believe that.

[BluesDuke]

By the way, I hope like hell that Luis Castillo breaks Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak. It would serve Bug Selig and today's baseball governors right.

[socal_parrot]

I'm not a Dodger fan, but I think Ishii should get some consideration at pitcher.

[Charles Henrickson]

Ishii's W-L record is spectacular, 11-2, one the three or four best in the league. However, he ranks tied for 40th in innings pitched, with 84. And of those pitchers, he ranks tied for 23rd in ERA, with a 3.54. He really hasn't pitched that great--his teammates Odalis Perez and Andy Ashby have pitched much better--but apparently Ishii has been the guy blessed with the most run support. Also, Ishii is a rookie, and less than three months in the majors is not enough to prove oneself.

[Charles Henrickson]

We are now in the last two hours of voting! You can vote until 11:59 (Eastern) tonight at mlb.com. You can vote as many as 25 times.

To help you vote, I checked the stats today and I'm listing the top four offensive players at each position. Here's the formula I used:

Total Bases + Net Stolen Bases + On-Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage = Total Offensive Points (TOP, a statistic I created today!)

* The asterisk marks my choice for starter.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Catcher:
* Piazza 1012
Miller 971
LoDuca 926
Santiago 910

First Base:
* Helton 1235
Klesko 1056
Sexson 1035
D. Lee 1013

Second Base:
Spivey 1119
* Vidro 1040
Kent 977
Castillo 892

Shortstop:
* J. Hernandez 984
Rollins 887
Renteria 874
Furcal 848

Third Base:
* Lowell 1105
Houston 1046
Zeile 983
Alfonzo 924

Outfield:
* Bonds 1557
* Sosa 1262
Giles 1208
Walker 1182
* Green 1167
Edmonds 1152
Dunn 1141
Berkman 1134
Guerrero 1124
Burrell 1102
Gonzalez 1082
Floyd 1072

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Catcher:
Pierzynski 973
* Posada 955
D. Wilson 833
Varitek 826

First Base:
Sweeney 1180
* Giambi 1165
Thome 1131
Konerko 1106

Second Base:
* Soriano 1139
Kennedy 885
M. Young 845
Durham 834

Shortstop:
* A. Rodriguez 1180
Garciaparra 1022
Vizquel 1021
Tejada 988

Third Base:
Hinske 1052
* Chavez 1046
Hillenbrand 1030
Ventura 1021

Outfield:
Ordonez 1082
* Hunter 1079
Anderson 1053
* Suzuki 1043
* B. Williams 1011
Salmon 1010
Damon 997
Winn 986
J. Jones 972
Fick 968
Beltran 967
Gibbons 918

A few observations:

A first-place ranking at a position should not be the only factor in deciding who should start. You should also consider what, if anything, the guy has ever done before. For example, Junior Spivey has never done anything before, but Jose Vidro has been very good for several years, so I give the nod to Vidro at NL 2b. Likewise, at AL 3b, Eric Hinske is a newbie, so I am picking Eric Chavez.

This chart only considers offense. If certain players are much better defensively than others, you might put them ahead of those other players, even if they're behind them a little offensively.

Consider "bunching." If players are within 50 points of each other, that's close. For example, look at AL 3b. All four are within 31 points, so the #4 guy is not that far behind the #1 guy offensively. Or for the third NL OF, do you pick Giles, Walker, or Green--or do you go further down the list to Edmonds, Guerrero, or Gonzalez? You could make a case for each.

[NeoCaveman]

Sorry, I'm prejudiced. But aren't we great?

Go Diamondbacks! My team has dreary prospects for the next few years, may I borrow yours.

Freakin' Indians trade or lose every good player. (/screaming like a maniac)

[Slip18]

I'm sitting here laughing with your names of the baseball players.

Thought I was going to hemorrhage today with the Diamondbacks. Sheesh, what's going on? One last darn strike to end the 9th, and then a GRAND SLAM. I think I want to hide!

[BluesDuke]

That's a damn good stat you invented. What the hell, you and I ought to take our act on the road, since I think (underline that, gang, since I'm not for certain sure) I invented the stranded runs average/inherited runs average tabs for relief pitchers. But I only voted once (none of this 25 times option jazz, this ain't Florida!), at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. I pretty much picked the guys you tabulated as leaders, though I still maintain that just because a guy's never "done anything" before it should not deter from his All-Star worthiness, and Junior Spivey this season is the best second baseman in the National League (he's very well improved with the glove, too). Then again, there's almost no perfect way to pick the All-Star Game roster.

On the other hand, I'm thrilled that Baseball Weekly writer Paul White's idea about jamming the All-Star ballots for the Twins and Expos didn't really get much off the ground when all was said and done. His heart may have been in the right place but his brains must have gone to bed, if he really thought a) the idea would really work, and b) if it did, that Bug Selig wouldn't have seized upon it as an excuse to void the vote and yank it away from fans, using as precedent the ballot-box stuffing campaign of 1956 that put the entire Cincinnati Reds' starting lineup (including Frank Robinson, who really did deserve the honour) into the All-Star starting lineup and provoked then-Commissioner Elmer Fudd Frick to take the All-Star vote away from the fans.

[AmishDude]

I picked the whole roster. The AL was easier (starter listed first):

• C - Posada (NYY), Pierzynski (MIN)
• 1B - Thome (CLE), Giambi (NYY), Sweeney (KC)
• 2B - Soriano (NYY), Durham (CWS)
• SS - Rodriguez (TEX), Garciaparra (BOS), Jeter (NYY) [Come on, you KNOW Torre will pick him.]
• 3B - Chavez (OAK), Batista (BAL) [Team choice]
• OF - Anderson (ANA), Hunter (MIN), Suzuki (SEA), Ordonez (CWS), Beltran (KC), Winn (TB) [Team choice]
• SP - Lowe (BOS), Colon (CLE), Martinez (BOS), Piniero (SEA), Zito (BOS), Buehrle (CWS), Halladay (TOR), Weaver (DET) [Team choice]
• RP - Guardado (MIN), Urbina (BOS), Rivera (NYY), Sasaki (SEA)

The NL was a little harder.

• C - Piazza (NYM), Miller (ARI)
• 1B - Helton (COL), Sexson (MIL), Klesko (SD)
• 2B - Vidro (MON), Castillo (FLA)
• SS - Hernandez (MIL), Rollins (PHI)
• 3B - Lowell (FLA), Houston (MIL)
• OF - Bonds (SF), Sosa (CHI), Guerrero (MON), Walker (COL), Green (LA), Giles (PIT), Berkman (HOU) [Team choice]
• SP - Glavine (ATL), Johnson (ARI), Shilling (ARI), Perez (LA), Astacio (NYM), Padillia (PHI), Burnett (FLA), Dessens (CIN) [Team choice]
• RP - Gagne (LA), Hoffman (SD), Kim (ARI), Nen (SF)

As far as Castillo, I cannot imagine not having him on the team after his streak. Spivey probably deserves that spot and, who knows, injuries might put on 3 second basemen, but I doubt it. I chose Rollins because his fielding stats are really good despite playing on turf. Remember that catcher substitutions are permitted in the All-Star game for injury.

Nice stat, but Bill James is still the king. :)

PS, I didn't take Colon's trade into account. I don't want to now!

[Charles Henrickson]

OK, I've crunched all the numbers, considered all the factors, and come up with my final All-Star Roster. Thirty players on each side, with all thirty teams represented:

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Catcher:
Mike Piazza, NYM
Damian Miller, ARI

First Base:
Todd Helton, COL
Richie Sexson, MIL

Second Base:
Jose Vidro, MON
Junior Spivey, ARI

Shortstop:
Jose Hernandez, MIL
Jimmy Rollins, PHI

Third Base:
Mike Lowell, FLA
Tyler Houston, MIL

Outfield:
Barry Bonds, SF
Sammy Sosa, CHC
Shawn Green, LA
Brian Giles, PIT
Larry Walker, COL
Vladimir Guerrero, MON
Luis Gonzalez, ARI
Jim Edmonds, STL
Lance Berkman, HOU

Pitcher:
Randy Johnson, ARI
Tom Glavine, ATL
Bartolo Colon, MON
Odalis Perez, LA
Matt Morris, STL
Curt Schilling, ARI
Eric Gagne, LA
Byung-Hyun Kim, ARI
Robb Nen, SF
Danny Graves, CIN
Trevor Hoffman, SD

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Catcher:
Jorge Posada, NYY
A. J. Pierzynski, MIN

First Base:
Jason Giambi, NYY
Mike Sweeney, KC
Paul Konerko, CWS

Second Base:
Alfonso Soriano, NYY

Shortstop:
Alex Rodriguez, TEX
Nomar Garciaparra, BOS
Omar Vizquel, CLE
Derek Jeter, NYY

Third Base:
Eric Chavez, OAK
Tony Batista, BAL

Outfield:
Torii Hunter, MIN
Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
Bernie Williams, NYY
Magglio Ordonez, CWS
Garret Anderson, ANA
Johnny Damon, BOS
Randy Winn, TB
Rob Fick, DET

Pitcher:
Derek Lowe, BOS
Mark Buehrle, CWS
Pedro Martinez, BOS
Roy Halladay, TOR
Barry Zito, OAK
Jamie Moyer, SEA
Eddie Guardado, MIN
Ugueth Urbina, BOS
Mariano Rivera, NYY
Kaz Sasaki, SEA

Now let's hear your rosters. We can discuss reasons for selections, omissions, just-misses, etc.

The All-Star Selection Show will be on ESPN Sunday at 7:00 (Eastern).

[AmishDude]

Well, we missed on 5 people on the NL and 6 on the AL. I believe there's no way Torre takes 4 shortstops. I could see him carrying 1 second baseman, though. I don't mind that we were different on a few starting pitchers, though. Often times, those pitchers are picked for weird reasons -- promising rookies that look good or veterans for one last go. I have to agree with you, though. Bernie Williams goes before Carlos Beltran.

Of course, there will be the phantom hamstring injuries that will change this and there is that neat 30th man vote, which will fuel talk shows for a few days.

Here's a monkey wrench: Hillenbrand (MIN) is already going to be starting AL third baseman and Ramirez (BOS) is already in the AL outfield.

[BluesDuke]

I have a feeling you're not going to be the most popular guest in Joe Torre's clubhouse. The Yankee manager has said he's not putting anyone on the team who won't be available to pitch in the Game, which translates to mean he's not going to pick Barry Zito for the team. Which translates to mean Joe Torre is a horse's ass. So Zito pitches the Sunday before the Game? Big deal. This guy singlehandledly kept the Athletics from going into the sewer when he kept winning while the rest of the boys continued rounding out and working the bugs out in May. So he starts the Sunday before the Game? Ever heard of a throwing day between starts, Big Joe? Put the man on the team. Maybe even let him pitch an inning. The man has earned the honour. Refreshing surprise: Eddie Guardado. They were calling him at best the likely setup man going into the season - who'da thunk he'd end up for now maybe the top closer in the American League this year? It says here the Twins are in deep do-do without him. Call him, almost, the Eric Gagne of the junior circuit for the time being. I have a feeling there's a general manager in Cleveland who is going to be burned in effigy on All-Star day when Indian fans see Bartolo Colon warming up in an Expo uniform. My call on that trade: Either Colon is going to prove to be an older 29 than he looks this year, or he's going to prove to be the Indians' answer to the Frank Robinson deal that got Dick Wagner burned in effigy in Cincinnati - if not the 21st Century version of the Curse of Rocky Colavito. I can understand Indian fans wanting to open up the proverbial can of whoop-ass on Shapiro and company, but aside from Shapiro's God-fool omission of 2003 (he spoke of rebuilding for 2004 and 2005 as though 2003 had been called due to rain) it's just too soon to tell about this deal, unless you consider the possibility (is anything an impossibility in the Bug Selig Era?) that someone is looking to fat the Expos' calf for a shot at the division and, building on that, a move out of Montreal...

[BluesDuke]

Thought I was going to hemorrhage today with the Diamondbacks. Sheesh, what's going on? One last darn strike to end the 9th, and then a GRAND SLAM. I think I want to hide!

Relax. Don't sweat it. Like the man used to say on radio, yesterday's a canceled check and tomorrow's a promissory note. If it makes you feel any better (it makes me feel better - reality check: Kim has the stones to recuperate, he already proved it for damn near all the first half), John Smoltz got tommyhawked in the middle of a nine-run ninth that blew him a save and put the Mets into extra frames and toward a win in the earlier part of the season, and Smoltz threw a legitimately questionable pitch (if I remember, he tried to sneak one a little inside, and it got snuck over the fence, and that opened the dike) on a lesser count than Kim threw his two-striker to Greg (Going, Going) Zahn. He won't be the last prime closer to get wrecked by the four-shot with the last out coming. I still see the NL West going wire to wire, maybe coming down even to a Dodger-Snake tiebreaker. That should be fun to watch.

[Charles Henrickson]

Tonight the All-Star squads were announced, 29 of the 30 spots on each team, the eight fan-voted starters plus 21 reserves and pitchers selected by the manager. (The 30th man on each team will be chosen by the fans in online voting that will run on mlb.com until 6:00 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday.)

All in all, pretty good. Only one really wrong choice on either squad, and that was a fan-voted starter who narrowly edged out the deserving player at the NL's weakest position: Scott Rolen over Mike Lowell at 3b. Lowell was chosen as the back-up, so Rolen essentially knocked Tyler Houston or Todd Zeile or Edgardo Alfonzo off the squad, which was no great loss, since none of them has gotta-be-there credentials.

In the NL, there were six players named that I did not have on my roster: Rolen, Benito Santiago, Luis Castillo, Adam Dunn, John Smoltz, and Mike Williams. All are worthy except Rolen. Instead of those six, I had these seven players: Houston, Brian Giles, Larry Walker, Jim Edmonds, Bartolo Colon (the league-switch cost him), Robb Nen, and Danny Graves. Giles or Walker could still make the team as the 30th man, as could Andruw Jones, Ryan Klesko, or Albert Pujols. I will vote for either Giles or Walker, I'm not sure which yet.

In the AL, there were five players named that I did not have on my roster: Miquel Tejada (I had four shortstops with no back-up second baseman, Torre did the same thing, except he picked all five deserving shortstops), Shea Hillenbrand, Robin Ventura, Manny Ramirez, and Freddy Garcia. No bad choices there, but Ventura may be the weakest, and he kept my starter, Eric Chavez, off the team. Instead of those five, I had these six players: Chavez, Bernie Williams, Magglio Ordonez, Johnny Damon, Jamie Moyer, and Ugueth Urbina. Chavez, Ordonez, or Damon could still make the team as the 30th man, as could Jim Thome or Darin Erstad. I'll probably vote for Chavez or maybe Ordonez.

Of course, between now and July 9, we could see all sorts of mysterious injuries appear (that will somehow get better by July 11), so we could end up with all these guys making the teams, plus Delino DeShields.

Here are the rosters announced tonight:

NL All-Stars

Starters
C M. Piazza, Mets
1B T. Helton, Rockies
2B J. Vidro, Expos
3B S. Rolen, Phillies
SS J. Rollins, Phillies
OF S. Sosa, Cubs
OF B. Bonds, Giants
OF V. Guerrero, Expos

Reserves
C D. Miller, D-Backs
C B. Santiago, Giants
1B R. Sexson, Brewers
2B J. Spivey, D-Backs
2B L. Castillo, Marlins
SS J. Hernandez, Brewers
3B M. Lowell, Marlins
OF L. Berkman, Astros
OF L. Gonzalez, D-Backs
OF S. Green, Dodgers
OF A. Dunn, Reds

Pitchers
R. Johnson, D-Backs
C. Schilling, D-Backs
B. Kim, D-Backs
O. Perez, Dodgers
E. Gagne, Dodgers
M. Morris, Cardinals
T. Glavine, Braves
J. Smoltz, Braves
M. Williams, Pirates
T. Hoffman, Padres

AL All-Stars

Starters
C J. Posada, Yankees
1B J. Giambi, Yankees
2B A. Soriano, Yankees
3B S. Hillenbrand, Red Sox
SS A. Rodriguez, Rangers
OF I. Suzuki, Mariners
OF M. Ramirez, Red Sox
OF T. Hunter, Twins

Reserves
C A.J. Pierzynski, Twins
1B M. Sweeney, Royals
1B P. Konerko, White Sox
SS N. Garciaparra, Red Sox
SS M. Tejada, A's
SS D. Jeter, Yankees
SS O. Vizquel, Indians
3B T. Batista, Orioles
3B R. Ventura, Yankees
OF G. Anderson, Angels
OF R. Winn, Devil Rays
OF R. Fick, Tigers

Pitchers
M. Buerhle, White Sox
D. Lowe, Red Sox
P. Martinez, Red Sox
F. Garcia, Mariners
K. Sasaki, Mariners
B. Zito, A's
R. Halladay, Blue Jays
M. Rivera, Yankees
E. Guardado, Twins