2011 BASEBALL ALL-STARS SO FAR [Vanity]

[Hebrews 11:6]

Two months into the season, here is my list of All-Star position players so far. My main criteria were offensive, using OPS ("On-Base Plus Slugging") and RC27 ("Runs Created per 27 outs"). In nearly every case this produced a clear stand-out, essentially making defensive comparisons unnecessary for this purpose, given the difficulty of determining them accurately anyway. Additionally, I selected based only on this year's performance; Pujols and ARod don't measure up, so far.

I found only one essential tie, AL SS.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
C CHRIS IANETTA, COL
1B JOEY VOTTO, CIN
2B RICHIE WEEKS, MIL
3B RYAN ROBERTS, AZ
SS JOSE REYES, NYY
LF RYAN BRAUN, MIL
CF MATT KEMP, LAD
RF LANCE BERKMAN, StL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
C RUSSELL MARTIN, NYY
1B MIGUEL CABRERA, DET
2B HOWIE KENDRICK, LAA
3B KEVIN YOUKILIS, BOS
SS ASDRUBAL CABRERA, CLE/JHONNY PERALTA, DET
LF ALEX GORDON, KC
CF CURTIS GRANDERSON, NY
RF JOSE BAUTISTA, TOR

[cripplecreek]

Martinez has hit a two run homer in the game they’re playing now.

[txroadkill]

Yeah, Wash was who they could afford at the time, but yeah, you cant fire the guy who took you to the World Series.

But you also got to wonder who is really calling the shots, it may be Nolan.

[Poser]

“Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox is hitting .329 and leads the league in RBIs at 45”

+1 on that AG is getting the job done AFTER getting the big payday.

[Hebrews 11:6]

As a Dodger fan, I don't need to be sold on Gonzo's merits. I watched him practically carry the Padres' offense singlehandedly the past several years.

I was just wondering, after losing both Gonzalez and Texeira, what the Rangers need to do to actually keep a good first-sacker.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Afraid David Ortiz nips Young:

OPS RC27

Ortiz .918 6.90

Young .878 6.47

[Charles Henrickson]

I selected based only on this year's performance

That's not a good way to do it. This year's performance should be a factor, certainly, but 50+ games is not a big enough sample size. A true All-Star is someone who has done it in the past and is doing it again this year.

NL
C Molina (McCann)
1b Votto (Fielder)
2b Phillips (Weeks)
SS Reyes (Tulowitzki)
3b Polanco (Jones)
OF Holliday (Bruce)
OF Braun (Kemp)
OF Berkman (Ethier)

AL
C Martin (Avila)
1b Gonzalez (Cabrera)
2b Cano (Kendrick)
SS Cabrera (Peralta)
3b Rodriguez (Youkilis)
OF Bautista (Ellsbury)
OF Granderson (Quentin)
OF Joyce (Span)

But it's still early. I never vote for All-Stars until close to the deadline, which is a month away.

[Charles Henrickson]

I can't agree with Ianetta or Roberts in the NL. They haven't ever done much in the past. Neither should be starting in an All-Star game. Molina and McCann are clearly better than Ianetta. Polanco is better than Roberts, and Jones I pick as backup, mostly because it's a down year for 3b in the league (Zimmerman out, Wright struggling).

In the AL, Gonzalez overall is the best, at the plate and in the field (Cabrera is a butcher, defensively). Kendrick was having a good year, but he's on the DL, and Cano was superb last year and is good this year. Gordon, no, hasn't done much before, and is "OK" this year. Joyce hasn't done much before, either, but is *sizzling* this year.

For AL DH, I would pick Ortiz. Young might make my team as a DH/Utility.

It's a down year at a number of positions this year--slumps and injuries affecting a number of perennial stars.

[Hebrews 11:6]

My purpose was to track who is doing well so far this year, in order to watch the next month-and-one-half unfold. The players I listed are this year's All Stars to date.

[be-baw]

ESPN is wrong. Martinez has caught several games.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Thanks for the correction. If it’s only “several,” I presume that’s hardly enough for All-Star qualification.

[TexasNative2000]

You can thank Atlanta’s GM lapse of judgement for Andrus, Harrison, and Feliz.

I don't know if it's one of the Top Ten most fruitful trades in the history of baseball, but it's got to rank up there.

[conservativebuckeye]

That doesn’t always work. The Indians tried that years ago when they fired Mike Hargrove and replaced him with Charlie Manuel.

[big'ol_freeper]

No way Miguel Cabrera over Adrian Gonzalez at first base. Not even a competition.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I made it clear that I was looking primarily at 2011 offense.

Superficially, Gonzalez's offense might appear superior--he has made a fine beginning in the AL. (I greatly appreciate him, having watched him carry the Padres for several years against my Dodgers.) Gonzalez's batting average is higher, .329-.311 as of today. He has more RBI, 46-40, but with two major advantages: 41 more at-bats, and he has Boston's superior lineup to drive in. And, Gonzalez had no off-season DUIs.

But overall, in 2011, Cabrera is outhitting Gonzalez by a huge margin, which is all I claimed. Despite Gonzalez's higher average, Cabrera has an enormous advantage in on-base percentage, .432-.377--Cabrera walks more than twice as often, making himself a potential run-scorer, while Gonzalez seldom does (Cabrera's BB=41, Gonzalez's BB=18); indeed, although he has 41 fewer at-bats, Cabrera has scored 40 runs to Gonzalez's 34 (this 6-run advantage exactly offsets Gonzalez's RBI advantage). And, also despite Gonzalez's higher average, Cabrera outslugs him, .568-.541.

Here are today's summary stats (ESPN.com):
OPS: Cabrera 1.001, Gonzalez .918, a 9% margin
RC27: Cabrera 8.97, Gonzalez 6.82, a 32% margin (in an arguably more important measurement).

Both Texeira and Konerko compare favorably with Gonzalez on offense so far, with all three trailing Cabrera substantially. If you want to argue for Gonzalez other than by blustering, make your case.