Ah yes, the 83rd mid-summer classic is upon us. It will be played on July 10th at 5:30pm (PST); televised on Fox. This year's All-Star Game is being held in Kansas city at Kauffman stadium, home of the Royals. As per the rules of playing in an American League park, the designated hitter will be in full effect and will be decided upon by retired NL Manager and future 1st ballot Hall of Famer, Tony LaRussa. In following with the tradition my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, I will be rooting for the Senior Curcuit.
Here is a preview of the lineup for the National League:
POSITION PLAYERS
Infield
As I may personally disagree with this particular choice, its hard to deny Buster a starting spot on this years All-Star roster. He has a line of .303/.370/.480*; with an OBP of .370, that is incredible for a catcher with durability questions who has caught 480 innings this season already. My choice would have been with either Brian McCann or Yadier Molina, but Posey is a good choice for the starting catcher.
*Denotes: Batting Average/On-Base %/Slugging %
1B - Joey Votto ~ Reds
Votto is one of the more popular players in the National League and for good reason, he's really good. Votto's line is .350/.471/.559. Votto's OBP is the highest in the Majors, he leads the NL in slugging percentage and may very well break the major league record for doubles in a season. He belongs as the starting 1B in the NL.
2B - Dan Uggla ~ Braves
It is my personal pleasure to announce that Dan Uggla will be the starting second baseman for the NL; unfortunately he is the only starter for the Braves. Ugg's line is .235/.363/.414. One might wonder why someone with a batting average that is as low as .235 and yet he has an OBP of .363. This is due to the fact that Uggs is on pace for a personal best for walks with 51. If Uggs can cut down on his strikeouts (90 already!) he will improve the dismal .235 he is currently batting.
SS - Raphael Furcal ~ Cardinals
In my opinion, Raphael Furcal is the front-runner for NL Comeback Player of the Year. Once written off as washed up and not nearly the base-stealing threat he once was, Furcal has posted a line of .282/.348/.377 with 9 steals on the year. I was lobbying for the Braves to pursue a 1 year contract with Furcal after the 2011 season, because its obvious he still has some gas left in the tank. The Cards were wise in retaining Furcal for this season, as evidenced by his 3rd All-Star selection.
3B - Pablo Sandoval ~ Giants
Pablo Sandoval has been surging at the plate as of late. Batting .357 during this streak of hitting safely in 7 of his last 10 games. During this current streak, "Panda" (as he is referred to in the clubhouse) ended his 19 game homerless drought with a blast this past Friday night at AT&T Park. Naturally a 3rd spot hitter (in the lineup) Panda has been batting 6th; but there have been talks as of late to his moving back to where he has hit the most homers (38).
Outfield
CF - Matt Kemp ~ DodgersThis is Kemp's second selection to the All-Star Game. Before Matt Kemp went down with a hamstring injury he was the most dangerous, talented ballplayer in the National League; a true 5-tool baseball player. The five tools are 1) Hitting; 2) Hitting for Power; 3) Can field exeptionally well; 4) Has a GREAT arm; 5) is great at Baserunning. Kemp is desceptively fast. Matt Kemp is currently on rehabilitation assignment right now, working the rust off of his picturesque swing. More than likely, LaRussa will use Kemp as the DH, which would be wise.
RF - Carlos Beltran ~ Cardinals
When Carlos Beltran came down to St. Louis from the NY Mets, people knew he carried a big stick, but Cardinal fans were wondering just how big 'a stick he carried. He has 20 HR's and is batting .310 so far this year and has reached base safely in 17 of the 19 games he started in the month of June.
LF - Melky Cabrera ~ Giants
In 2010 when Melky was a Brave, he batted a dismal .255 and was subsequently traded to the Kansas City Royals. Flash forward a season and a half and here's a man who is batting .350 and leading the Major Leagues with the most hits (109). This is easily the best half-season in Melky Cabrera's career and he was rewarded with a start at LF in this year's All-Star Game.
PITCHERS
Starting Pitchers
SP - Clayton Kershaw ~ Dodgers
Last year's NL Cy Young Award winner is as dominant as ever this half-season; posting an ERA of 2.74 and a misleading 5-4 win/loss record due to the lack of run support Kershaw has recieved as of late. Nothing hurts a pitcher's confidence like taking a loss after only giving up one or two earned runs; and that's what has been Clayton Kershaw's 2012 season, with the exception that the 24 year old has learned to shrug off tough losses and press forward.
SP - R.A. Dickey ~ Mets
Dickey has been the feel-good story of the year in the nation's biggest city. Here is a 37 year-old former position player turned knuckle-baller. And let me tell you, his knuckleball is for real, as evidenced by his success this season. He is 12-1. 12-1!!! Not even Tim Wakefield achieved this type of success in a the first half of a season. There is a certain mystique about knuckle-ballers that baffles baseball purists, myself included. Its hard to imagine not being able to hit a 73 mph (and thats a VERY fast knuckler) out of the park each time it is pitched, but that never happens. The ball dips darts and dives in an almost comically unpredictable manner. I tip my Braves hat to Dickey for his 12-1 record, his 3 complete games and especially his 2 shutouts. He will likely be the starter for the game, which makes Dickey the 1st knuckler to start the mid-summer classic since Dutch Leonard in 1943.
SP - Lance Lynn ~ Cardinals
Lynn started off the 2012 season completely gangbusters; recording a 10-2 record in his first 13 starts. Lynn has cooled considerably in his las few starts, giving up 17 runs in 15 1/3 innings.
SP - Stephen Strasburg ~ Nationals
The Washington Nationals ace, Strasburg, has posted a 9-3 record with an adequate 2.81 ERA. It will be interesting to see what Davey Johnson does come the end of August when his best pitcher hits his so-called inning limit that the Nationals front office placed upon the 3rd year pitcher after making (so far) a successful comeback from Tommy John surgery.
The other half of the Washington Nationals dynamic duo Gio Gonzalez is a serious contender for this season's Cy Young award. He boasts an 11-3 record and a 3.01 ERA.
SP - Wade Miley ~ Diamondbacks
While being a quiet rookie has flown a bit under the radar, Miley's pinpoint control is the reason he was chosen for the 2012 All-Star Game.
SP - Cole Hamels ~ Phillies
The Phillies are the surprise of the National League; and not in a good way. On the cusp of the midway point of the season, the Phillies are 11 games out of 1st place and there is talk of Hamels being a traded by the July 31st deadline. That being said, Hamels is 10-4 with a 3.08 ERA.
SP - Matt Cain ~ Giants
Matt Cain is the ace of the Giant's staff, as witness by his pefect game earlier this season. He's leading the National League in innings pitched and is enjoying a 2.53 ERA; this is Cain's 3rd All-Star selection.
Relief Pitchers
CL - Craig Kimbrel ~ Braves
"Killa Craig" has converted 23 of 24 save opportunities this season and is boasting a 1.50 ERA. Just to get a litmus test of how good Kimbrel truly is, he is holding left-handed batters to a miniscule .043 batting average; thats just filthy. If this game is tight with the National League leading in the 9th, look for Kimbrel to close it out. This is Kimbrel's 2nd All-Star appearance in as many years.
CL - Aroldis Chapman ~ Reds
Chapman throws harder than anyone in the majors; sorry Verlander, he just does. This guy has the All-time record for fastest pitch recorded: 105mph. I can't explain how fast that truly is, but batters have been known to remark, "Didn't see the pitch til it was in the catcher's mitt." Look for Chapman to pitch the 8th inning to set-up for Kimbrel if the game is close.
CL - Jonathan Papelbon ~ Phillies
The back end of the bullpen for the NL is riddled with closers. That's because there are some pretty good closers in the National League. Papelbon has 18 saves which ranks 4th in the NL; he also sports a 3.03 ERA.
CL - Huston Street ~ Padres
Street has bounced back impressively from missing the first month of the season. He is 12 for 12 in save opportunities and is sporting a 1.29 ERA which helped him net his 1st All-Star appearance.
CL - Joel Hanrahan ~ Pirates
The 30 year old Pirates closer has converted 20 of his 22 save opportunities and has a 2.10 ERA to earn his 2nd All-Star appearance.
RESERVES
C - Carlos Ruiz ~ PhilliesRuiz has been on a tear this year. He boasts a line of .356/.420/.579 and has 11 homers so far this year.
1B - Brian LaHair ~ CubsLaHair plays the game a lot like Michael Young of the Texas Rangers; he can play multiple positions...well. He primarily plays 1B, but during interleague play he showed everyone he can play RF as well. He's batting .284 with 13 homers on the year.
2B - Jose Altuve ~ AstrosThis is Altuve's first full season in the Majors, someone please remind him of that! He is batting .308 with 27 extra-base hits in 72 games; which gives him a slugging % of .450.
SS - Starlin Castro ~ CubsCastro is one of the few bright spots for the "Lovable Losers." He has a line of .298/.319/.432 and 16 steals this season.
SS - Ian Desmond ~ NationalsDesmond is part of those upstarts for our Nation's capitol. He has a line of .276/.305/.483, which is not too shabby for an everyday shortstop.
3B - David Wright ~ MetsIf Chipper Jones is the most hated Brave in Mets fan's eyes, then David Wright is the most hated Met in Braves fan's eyes. And for good reason; he's good every single year. Wright has the 2nd highest batting average in the NL with .354 and earned his 6th All-Star appearance.
RF - Jay Bruce ~ RedsThe only stat that isn't impressive for Bruce is his batting average (.257) but the other stats are there: 17 Homers and 54 runs-batted-in.
RF - Giancarlo Stanton ~ MarlinsThe ballplayer formerly known as "Mike" Stanton has been consistent since his Major League debut. The 22 year old is batting .282 with 19 homers and 50 RBIs.
CF - Andrew McCutchen ~ Pirates"Cutch" has had a phenomenal 1st half. He's batting .346 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs with 14 steals. If he stays this consistent, he will be in the running for MVP at the end of the season.
LF - Carlos Gonzalez ~ RockiesGonzalez is making his 1st All-Star appearance, because he is leading the league in runs as well as total bases. Not to mention is line is a smoking hot .337/.394/.604.
LF - Ryan Braun ~ BrewersThe reigning 2011 NL MVP will be making his 5th straight appearance in the mid-summer classic. With the "false-positive" steroid test behind him, he's having a typical Braun-esque year: .308 22 homers and 55 RBIs.
There is one spot left on the National League roster and it's down to Chipper Jones, Michael Bourn and the 19 year old phenom (that hurt to write), Bryce Harper. My only hope is that Chipper gets the nod and we, as fans, get to see Chipper in his final All-Star game. Results of the poll will be released this Thursday, July 5th.
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