Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

 
the dump's sportslog American League All-Stars
Took a little while, but these are our selections for the American League All-Star team. This is what we think should be, not a representation of what we think we will happen (clearly the fan balloting has a significant impact on this, as it appears Torii Hunter, for instance, will rob one of our more worthy candidates of a spot). The National League will follow relatively shortly, either later today or tomorrow. If you've got comments on any of our selections or anything else, please let us know about it...contact us at feedback@thedump.org. Enjoy.

C - Jorge Posada (NYY)
He's the best catcher in the American League, and this year has been no exception. He's hitting .264 but sporting an OBP of over .400 (he's at .408 right now) while slugging nearly .550. He'd be an excellent offensive player at any position, and having performed as he has for the Yankees while catching makes him all the more valuable. On top of his terrific offensive contributions, he's improved defensively this season as well, throwing out 33% of opposing runners from behind the plate. No, that's nothing amazing and yes, I'm rounding up (the actual number is 32.6%), but the adequate defense he provides is just gravy when looking at the total package he brings to the table.

Greg Myers (TOR)
He's been part of a very effective platoon in Toronto, and because he doesn't play every day, we had some questions about putting him on the team. But the guy is putting together the best year of his career (.345/.431/.559 right now) at age 37, and he deserves a trip to Chicago in a pretty weak catching field in the American League. I'm not going to lose any sleep in omitting A.J. Pierzynski.

1B - Carlos Delgado (TOR)
Really no question or need to explain why Delgado's an All-Star...he's been the best hitter in the American League thus far. He leads the league in homers (22), runs (61), RBI (76), slugging percentage (.660), OPS (1.091) and is second in walks (46). The Blue Jays have had a nice first half and Delgado's the MVP of the league at this point.

Mike Sweeney (KC)
We need a Royal, but Sweeney's a worthy candidate without any charity. An on-base machine in a pretty crappy lineup (aside from borderline All-Star Carlos Beltran), he's posted a terrific .316/.435/.524 line and a 45/28 walk to strikeout ratio thus far. He's proven himself to be a consistently excellent hitter over the past five seasons, and is a big reason for the Royals early season relative success.

Jason Giambi (NYY)
This certainly hasn't been his best season, but in spite of his eye problems and resulting crappier-than-usual numbers early on, he's put together a .240/.379/.494 line for the year to date, including .308/.481/.821 in June thus far, as he's begun to round into form. Sure, we're Yankee fans and like to see our guys represented, but Jason Giambi is legitimately a stone cold star, a great offensive player who will again have terrific numbers come the end of September. He's a worthy All-Star selection.

2B - Bret Boone (SEA)
I've never been able to totally get past his poorly spelled first name (I really think it should be "Brett"), but I can acknowledge that he's having another phenomenal season. As awesome as his 2001 was, he's getting on base just about as much as he did then (.375 now to .372 then) and slugging twenty points higher (.598 to .578). He's also a terrific fielder...definitely the best all-around second baseman in the American League right now.

Alfonso Soriano (NYY)
Still not sure how he does it, but the man's amazing. Soriano continues to put up terrific power numbers (slugging .526 with 33 extra base hits thus far) despite his poor plate discipline and slight frame. He's incredibly fast (18/21 on steals and three triples) and improving defensively. I still don't know if I can count on him over the long term, but I'm a lot more confident in his ability to keep this up now than I was at the beginning of the season. Not the starter at second, but that's only because Bret Boone's played so damn well.

SS - Alex Rodriguez (TEX)
The best position player in the league, whether his stats right now show it or not. His combination of offensive brilliance and his ability to play the toughest position on the field (particularly at the level he does) is unparalleled. His line reads .297/.381/.544 right now, a little below his career totals (in terms of slugging, anyway)...but more than enough to make him the starting shortstop for the American League yet again.

Nomar Garciaparra (BOS)
Doesn't walk, just hits...he's at .333/.366/.596 at the moment with a ridiculous 42 extra base hits, including 12 triples. A bonafide star overshadowed at times in the American League by Rodriguez (deservedly) and sometimes Jeter and Tejada (not as much so)...not this year, where he's clearly emerged as the second-best shortstop in all of baseball.

3B - Troy Glaus (ANA)
He's having an excellent year (.281/.382/.548), rebounding nicely from last year's disappointing regular season. Still the class of the American League at third base, but he's now got some competition biting at his heels. Still only 26, which is pretty amazing...it seems like he's been around awhile already (he has, having come up for the first time in 1998).

Hank Blalock (TEX)
It took an extra year, but here he is. We're giving the start to Glaus on reputation and past performance, but Blalock (.341/.400/.556) has slightly outperformed him this year, which is quite a feat. He's doing this at age 22, and while we're giving him an All-Star spot based solely on his first half production, there's plenty of reason to believe there'll be a lot more appearances in his future.

Aubrey Huff (TB)
He's primarily been a rightfielder this year, but he's listed at third (where he's played most of his career to date) on the ballot, so we're going to list him there. It doesn't matter either way...we've got three third basemen and plenty of outfielders, and Huff's an All-Star in both categories. On a brutal offensive team in desperate need of a big-time hitter, Huff's come through to the tune of .304/.370/.570, hitting for average, getting on base and injecting serious power (23 doubles, 15 homers) into a dead lineup.

OF - Manny Ramirez (BOS)
Fairly typical Manny Ramirez year (.319/.419/.560), pretty much in line with his career numbers, and more than enough to be an All-Star starter in a really weak field (especially compared to the absolutely stacked National League outfield). Still only 31, he's a sure fire Hall of Famer if he can keep up this pace through the end of the decade.

Vernon Wells (TOR)
Overshadowed in Toronto by the awesome Carlos Delgado, Wells is having a very nice season (.296/.338/.529) in his own right. We'd like to see that OBP go up a bit, but he's our starting centerfielder anyway at age 24. If Bernie Williams were healthy, this spot (starting centerfielder) would be his.

Garret Anderson (ANA)
I don't really like him for a variety of reasons, but he's a good outfielder having a very nice Garret Anderson-type year (.315/.343/.585) with a bit more power than usual. The fact that he can play a reasonable centerfield is a plus. I think he'd look a lot better if he showed some emotion occasionally and shaved that stupid looking moustache, but that's his prerogative.

Mike Cameron/Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)
It's a copout, but take your pick. I'm partial towards Cameron (.267/.373/.475 and amazing defense in center), but I can live with Suzuki (.339/.384/.448) if he's the choice. Both are phenomenal defenders and excellent offensive players, worthy All-Stars who would both make the team if not for the one-player-from-every-team rule. We'll let them duke it out over the next couple of weeks to see who's more deserving.

Milton Bradley (CLE)
On the Indians, it's either Bradley or Sabathia, and we just weren't comfortable enough with the idea of Sabathia as an All-Star this year. Bradley's been injured a bit this year, but when healthy has put together a fine season (.330/.437/.508). We like the walks (33), we like the doubles (19) and we like the age (25) and defense. He's a borderline All-Star, but he's not going to embarrass us.

Melvin Mora (BAL)
Only the second-best hitter in the American League thus far, behind Carlos Delgado. Off to a ludicrous .360/.465/.585 start, Mora is putting up huge numbers extremely quietly. He's never been an All-Star in years past, which doesn't bode well for him being able to maintain this kind of production over the course of the full season...but the Orioles need a representative anyway, and there's really no way to dismiss a guy who is leading the AL in OBP and second in OPS (1.050) at this point. Oh yeah, he can play just about any position on the field too. Think the Mets (who traded him, Mike Kinkade, Pat Gorman and Lesli Brea for Mike Bordick at the 2000 trading deadline) could use him now?

Dmitri Young (DET)
Really not All-Star caliber without the player-per-team rule, but not a complete embarrassment either (.289/.362/.534). Still defensively versatile, which is nice (he has played 12 games and 102 innings at third...granted, he's made 4 errors and has a .867 fielding percentage there, but he does play for the Tigers, so what's the difference?), he'd be a nice bat for a contending team especially weak at a corner infield/outfield/DH position. Again, not necessarily an All-Star, but there's really no alternative.

DH - Edgar Martinez (SEA)
No idea how much more of this we'll get out of him, but Edgar continues to be extremely productive when he gets a chance to hit (posting a .303/.403/.561 line so far), and having the game in an AL park gives us the opportunity to get him on the roster, perhaps one last time. The fact that he's rebounded like he has from his downturn last year (at age 38, very understandable that he would drop off a bit at that point) is remarkable.

Frank Thomas (CHW)
He's been better than some of his numbers would indicate (notably the 35 RBIs, since the lineup he's in is so bad), but he'll get on the team anyway, as he's having his best year (.280/.418/.569) since his phenomenal 2000 season. He'll have 2000 hits and 400 homers before the year is out, but at 35, you have to wonder how much higher those totals will get a chance to climb. It's easy to forget how just awesome he's been over his career because he's had a few down seasons in recent years, but even with all that, he's still got a career OPS of .999.

SP - Barry Zito (OAK)
He's been victimized by poor run support (hence the 7-5 record), but his 3.01 ERA paints a more accurate picture...he's been terrific again. The defending Cy Young Award winner has pitched a lot (eighth in the American League with 95.2 innings pitched, including two complete games) and well (leading the league in batting average against at .198 and 4th in WHIP at 1.10). Absolutely dominant when he's on and pretty good even when he's not, he's probably the AL starter at this point.

Tim Hudson (OAK)
Our final addition to the AL pitching staff (when we realized that we were required to have 11 pitchers, which seems ridiculous...why on earth would Scioscia run through that many guys?), but he's having another excellent year in his own right. Like his teammate Zito, he's pitched a lot (105.1 innings) and done so very effectively (.231 BA against and 3.08 ERA). He's already got eight no-decisions this year.

Mark Mulder (OAK)
Yeah, we're taking all three of them. The AL isn't exactly awash in starters having great years, and Mulder's consistency and durability earn him the nod. Despite winning 40 games over the past two seasons (21 and 19 wins in 2001 and 2002, respectively), he's not yet made an All-Star appearance, so it'll be nice to get him in there and allow the Oakland triumverate to bask in midsummer glory together in Chicago. He's got five complete games in his 14 starts so far, which is worthy of note.

Mike Mussina (NYY)
Absolutely dominant at the beginning of the season (he was 5-0 with a 1.70 ERA in five games in April), he's tailed off considerably, but still has nice numbers on the year and appears to be rounding back into form with his last two starts (against the Astros and Cardinals this week at the Stadium). Nine wins and leading the league in strikeouts (99) combined with a 2.99 ERA and the best WHIP in the league (0.99) is plenty, and with a few more good starts, he could probably take the starting job from Zito.

David Wells (NYY)
His ERA has risen steadily since the beginning of the year, as he's allowed five runs in four of his last ten starts to reach his current number of 3.63 thus far this season. At the same time, he's 8-2 (the Yankees are scoring runs for him, as they always seem to do) and has given up a ludicrous four walks in 91.2 innings so far. That stat alone would be almost enough to get him on the team...but he's been pretty effective for most of the season, and in the relative dearth of pitching that is the American League, he makes our cut.

Kyle Lohse (MIN)
He's been kind of up and down...got off to a great start in April before crapping out and finishing the month with a 4.80 ERA and a 2-3 record before winning 4 of his next five decisions with an ERA under 2.00 since. Very quietly putting together his second real good year in a row with this one being a substantial improvement over last...I wasn't sure initially whether he belonged on the team, but it's hard to ignore the second best ERA in the American League (2.91), he's in.

Pedro Martinez (BOS)
He's been hurt, but he's back and reportedly feeling well. When he's pitched (just 63.1 innings so far) he's been terrific (2.70 ERA, .204 BAA, 1.01 WHIP, 65 strikeouts)...a bit off typical Pedro numbers, but that's only because of his ridiculously high standard. His track record would get him on this team if he was having a crappy year, and he's not. If he's healthy come the middle of July and can get another couple of wins between now and then, he'd be as good a pick to start the game as anyone.

Esteban Loaiza (CHW)
Of course he's unlikely to keep this up over the whole season, but the White Sox stink and Loaiza's put up terrific numbers over the first half. Lousy track record or no, I can't in good conscience leave off a guy who's posted a 9-2 record and 2.24 ERA in the first half. He's not starting the game, but were he judged solely on this year's antics, he would certainly be a worthy candidate. On top of those impressive numbers I've already given, he's 4th in the league strikeouts (78) and second in WHIP (1.04) and BAA (.213). I realize that we put more emphasis on the current season's performance than some other people when making our selections, but I just don't see anyway you can deny Loaiza this year. So far.

Jamie Moyer (SEA)
Every year we wonder whether or not Moyer can keep it up, and he continues to amaze. Pitching for the terrific Seattle Mariners, Moyer and friends have had to compensate for their oft-crappy "number one" starter in Freddy Garcia. He's certainly succeeded...he's got a 2.99 ERA through 14 starts and leads the majors with 10 wins. The fact that he strikes as many batters out as he does (66 thus far, ninth in the league) is simply amazing...he does more with less than anyone in baseball.

RP - Brendan Donnelly (ANA)
There's simply no way we could leave a guy with an ERA of 0.26, even in just the 34.2 innings he's worked, off the team. It's June 16th, he's been on the roster all season, and he's allowed just ONE earned run (Carlos Mendez of the Orioles scoring on a single by Jay Gibbons in the eighth inning at home on May 22nd). On top of that, he was excellent out of the bullpen on a World Series winner last year, so we can reward him for that too. Just as Jeff Zimmerman made the team a few years ago, Donnelly's making the trip this time.

Eddie Guardado (MIN)
We figured we should probably include a closer somewhere on the team, and since there's nobody as dominating in the American League as a Smoltz or Gagne or Wagner, Guardado gets the call. Limiting a rubber-armed guy like Guardado to 28 games (and 28.2 innings) at this point seems silly, but when/how he's used is out of his control, and the bottom line is that he's been very effective. He's got a 2.51 ERA at present with 19 saves (in 20 opportunities), which leads the league.

So yeah, those are our 32 American League All-Stars...the NL is coming up. Again, if you've got anything to say on this...talk to us. Thanks for reading.
posted by VZW Watcher at 9:16 AM -