My MLB All-Star teams (Voting ends tonight)

July 4, 2013 | Charles Henrickson

[Charles Henrickson]

Voting for All-Star starters ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern).

Here are my All-Star teams. 34 players on a team, at least 13 pitchers, every team must have a representative.

NATIONAL
C: MOLINA, Posey
1B: VOTTO, Goldschmidt, Craig
2B: CARPENTER, Scutaro, Phillips
SS: SEGURA, Cabrera, Desmond
3B: WRIGHT, Alvarez
OF: GONZALEZ, Brown, Harper
OF: GOMEZ, McCutcheon
OF: BELTRAN, Cuddyer, Bruce
P (13; 9 S, 4 R): HARVEY, Kershaw, Wainwright, Zimmermann, Lee, Corbin, Locke, Wood, Fernandez; Melancon, Mujica, Kimbrel, Grilli

DL: Tulowitzski

Honorable mention: 1B Freeman, OF Puig

AMERICAN
C: MAUER, Santana
1B: DAVIS, Fielder
2B: CANO, Pedroia, Kipnis
SS: PERALTA, Lowrie
3B: CABRERA, Longoria, Donaldson
OF: TROUT, McLouth
OF: JONES, Ellsbury
OF: BAUTISTA, Cruz
DH: ORTIZ, Encarnacion
P (14; 10 S, 4 R): SCHERZER, Iwakuma, Hernandez, Darvish, Colon, Sale, Santana, Kuroda, Masterson, Norris; Crain, Robertson, Nathan, Rivera

DL: Buchholz

Honorable mention: 2B Kendrick, 3B Machado

[campaignPete R-CT]

i am campaigning not voting. I think I influenced 1 million of the 15 million votes in day one.

I am “Stop Puig”. The anti-Puig coalition is rallying around Braves’ Freeman, who leads.

In the AL: anybody but Benoit. No more Tigers.
And NOT Robertson, as a payback for the Torre years when the Yankees got 9 all-stars every year.

[campaignPete R-CT]

rules require at least 13 pitchers, so when Leiland made a roster of 12, he was required to make it all pitchers for the final spot.

And it is all RHP bull-pen set-up guys.

NL already has 13 pitchers. Desmond is a great player.

[campaignPete R-CT]

there are 4 all-stars who are scheduled as starting pitcher on SUNDAY. Pitchers in that position are usually replaced.

Hisashi Iwakuma SEA
Verlander DET

Wainwright STL
Wood CHI

There are quotes from their managers that each of them will indeed make their Sunday start.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/07/07/2668701/felix-iwakuma-going-to-all-star.html

As of TUES morning,
Robertson has moved slightly ahead of Koji for second place ... close behind Delabar.

Freeman continues to lead Puig.
33 million votes cast thus far.

There is plenty of BoSox bullpen news.

[Impy]

W Sox played their first game against the Tigers all year, tagged Verlander with the L for the first time in 2 years. Rios, 6 for 6.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Koji drops another spot down to 4th place. no other changes.

American League

1. Steve Delabar (TOR) - #RaiseTheBar (A2)
2. David Robertson (NYY) - #HighSocksForVotes (A3)
3. Joaquin Benoit (DET) - #BackBenoit (A1)
4. Koji Uehara (BOS) - #HighFiveCiti (A5)
5. Tanner Scheppers (TEX) - #TakeTanner (A4)

National League

1. Freddie Freeman (ATL) - #VoteFreddie (N2)
2. Yasiel Puig (LAD) - #VotePuig (N5)
3. Hunter Pence (SF) - #VotePence (N4)
4. Ian Desmond (WSH) - #DesiIn13 (N1)
5. Adrian Gonzalez (LAD) - #VoteTitan (N3)

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/star-game-mlb-com-final-154100108.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CYGod1RSWkAjk2TmYlQ

more than 50 million online votes cast ... 17 million in past 24 hours

DELABAR ... CANADIANS ARE STUFFING THE BALLOT BOX???

[darkangel82]

I voted Gonzalez but he won’t come back from 5th place.

[campaignPete R-CT]

there are 2 more starting pitchers who will be pitching on Sunday (in addition to the 4 mentioned above).

Locke PITT
Colon OAK
both on long rest Sunday.

The rules seem to be changed this year ... these 6 pitchers can still play on TUES if they insist.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130708&content_id=53118962&notebook_id=53119714&vkey=notebook_pit&c_id=pit

http://blog.sfgate.com/athletics/2013/07/07/melvin-confirms-bartolo-colon-to-start-sunday-before-all-star-game/

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130708&content_id=53124228&notebook_id=53124704&vkey=notebook_oak&c_id=oak

[campaignPete R-CT]

http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/9468182/yu-darvish-texas-rangers-go-15-day-disabled-list

Darvish to the DL, so he is out of the all-star game ... expect another pitcher to replace him .... total of 7 starting pitchers out as my count.

7 who have not been replaced yet.

[campaignPete R-CT]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rays-moore-replace-darvish-star-204023054—mlb.html

LHP Moore of TB replaces Darvish (injury)

Delabar TOR and Freeman ATL win the final spot vote.

[Impy]

You did it, you stopped Puig!

[campaignPete R-CT]

amizing ... what strategies did youze Chicago guys uze to stp Puig? Not much diffrent than da ways we elect a Prez, eh?

[Impy]

After receiving payment (part of which was passed on to the Supreme Court to forestall any attempt at a recount) from the Freeman campaign we put a dead raccoon in Bud Selig’s granddaughter’s bed to send a message that he better instruct his people to make sure the MLB website was mysteriously down in Southern California and Southern Florida (home to Cubans and elderly Brooklyn born Jews who may still like the Dodgers).

[campaignPete R-CT]

dead raccoons are gruesome. Was it tested for rabies?

Selig’s granddaughter that is.
(Selig’s granddaughter is aBrooklyn born Jew who may still like the Dodgers).

[Impy]

Lefty set up man Matt Thornton changes his Sox in a trade for a Carmine OF prospect.

He was the 2nd longest tenured White Sock, after Konerko.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Brandon Jacobs, LF
Age: 22
Born: December 8, 1990
Lilburn, GA
Height: 6-1
Weight: 225
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 10th round, 2009
High School: Parkview (GA)

Scouting report
http://www.soxprospects.com/players/jacobs-brandon.htm

discussion of trade:
http://forum.soxprospects.com/thread/994/acquire-matt-thornton-brandon-jacobs

Jacobs got off to a slow start at the plate thru May, but hit well in June/July in A ball.

5 homers in June with an OPS of .861
http://www.soxprospects.com/stats/hitting.php?split=14&page=1&sortby=YR&team=414&year=2013&type=1&min=0

He is Rule 5 eligible in DEC ‘13, so ChiSox have an decision to make on Jacobs ...

[Impy]

Well presumably they’ve already made it and will place him on the 40-man roster unless he turbo sucks the rest of the year. I’ve read the organization has had their eye on him for a while.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Jacobs wasn’t going on the BoSox 40-man, which is why they were lookin to trade him before the draft.

He is scouted as exclusively LF, maybe 1B, but cannot play RF in Fenway. BoSox want power from their LFer. Jacobs is ranked about #5 OF in the BoSox minors behind 4 guys with better speed and better arms.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Zimmermann, RHP WASh is out of all-star game due to injury
Locke, injured, is one of 6 others who are likely to be replaced today.

see above

[campaignPete R-CT]

Awaiting replacements today

NL:
Freeman ATL ... Injury
Zimmermann WASH ... Injury

Wainwright STL ... Sunday
Wood CHI ... Sunday
Locke PITT ... injury

Romo SF is one of the replacements

AL:
Darvish (injury) replaced by LHP Moore of TB
Colon OAK
Hisashi Iwakuma SEA
Verlander DET

expect Balfour

[campaignPete R-CT]

NL:
Sergio and Melancon replace Locke and Zimmermann
AL:
SP Chris Tillman, RHP 11-3 Orioles replaces Verlander

Still need 3 more for NL and 2 more for AL