Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

 
the dump's sportslog National League All-Stars
The full rosters have been completed, so here they are for your perusal. The players on both rosters (the American League immediately follows the National if you scroll down further) are not in any particular order other than that the guys listed first are our starters at each position...generally there's a note made of that in the player comment as well. When the real rosters are announced, we'll revisit these and see how close we were...perhaps we'll take a look back at the end of the season as well. We don't expect these to conform to reality, but we'll see how it works out anyway. If you've got any comments, please do let us know: email us at feedback@thedump.org.

C - Javy Lopez (ATL)
Having the best year of pretty good career. I'm surprised to see that he's still only 32, so maybe he's got a few more years of good production left in him if this season-to-date turns is at all indicative of what he'll be like going forward. He's drawn very few walks (only 9 right now), but that's slightly more acceptable when you're hitting over .300, as he is (.306) and slugging a ridiculous .694 with 19 homers. The Braves' offense is having a great first half, and he's a huge reason why.

Paul Lo Duca (LA)
Could give this spot to Jason Kendall, but Lo Duca's as good a choice as any to backup Lopez. He's posted a .328/.383/.460 line thus far while playing adequate defense and catching for the best pitching staff in baseball. I have no idea how much his presence has to do with the fact that guys like Kevin Brown, Hideo Nomo and Kaz Ishii are pitching as well as they are...but there you have it. Anyhow, he's been consistently decent since he came into the league and stuck two years ago, and while he hasn't shown the power he did that first season (when he slugged .543), he's a decent contributor to a crappy lineup.

1B - Todd Helton (COL)
Playing at Coors helps him (he's a ridiculous .383/.474/.699 at home this year), but that shouldn't discredit the terrific overall numbers he continues to put up every season (.329/.429/.552 so far in this particular one). While the next two guys are good first basemen, Helton's the clear choice to start this season.

Richie Sexson (MIL)
There's no one else worthy from the Brewers, but he's deserving of a spot on his own merits. His 21 homers thus far get most of the attention (nothing wrong with that), but he's also getting on base at a .365 clip, drawing 40 walks to offset his modest .257 average. He'd be a nationally popular player if he played in a reasonable market, even with all those strikeouts.

Ryan Klesko (SD)
We need a Padre, and unfortunately, nobody's really made much of case for themselves. I suppose we could take Mark Loretta or Rondell White...but we're relying on track record, knowing that Klesko's been a consistent performer since he arrived in San Diego three years ago. His .250/.364/.495 line is hardly awe-inspiring and there are guys who probably deserve this third first base spot more (Jim Thome, notably), but when we added things up, he's our pick.

2B - Jeff Kent (HOU)
He's having a pretty typical Jeff Kent season (a little less power than we're accustomed to, with only 10 homers thus far), posting a .315/.376/.518 line. His numbers away from Minute Maid Field are a little bit disturbing (.261/.324/.440), but we'll overlook that for the time being because he's been so great over the past few seasons. He's still a deserving starter at second and, amazingly, the only position player Astro on this team.

Jose Vidro (MON)
For guys who have firmly established themselves as major league stars at their positions, the individual season's performance is less important, while still a factor in their potential selection. Vidro's having another excellent year, hitting .329/.418/.500 thus far, and I'd be absolutely fine with flip-flopping he and Kent, making Vidro the starter. He's our only Expo unfortunately...we'd love to be able to put Vladdy Guerrero on this team, but with his injury problems and the packed outfield, there's simply not room.

Marcus Giles (ATL)
We weren't sure whether or not we'd have room for him, but we're awfully glad we did. He's having a fantastic season, hitting at a .317/.395/.535 clip. A lot of people thought he could do this if ever given the chance to settle into a steady job, and here he is. Not that it matters at all, but we've got the Brothers Giles on the same team for once, so the family Giles can be unconflicted about their rooting interest.

SS - Rafael Furcal (ATL)
Another Brave having a tremendous offensive season, Furcal's posted a .309/.374/.522 line that is far better than anything he's produced thus far in his career. There are real questions about how old he is (he's still listed at 25), but it's irrelevant in terms of evaluating current performance...he's been awesome. He's got a cannon at short and is continuing to improve offensively, which'll become more and more necessary as young guys like Jose Reyes enter the league. Renteria's closed the gap quite a bit, but we're still going with Furcal.

Edgar Renteria (STL)
Having a terrific season in a great lineup that features four guys we've selected for this team. His line of .348/.394/.508 is a lot better than his career numbers bear out to this point (especially in terms of slugging, where he's up over 100 points). Of course, he's still only 27, so it's very possible that some of the gains we've seen over the first half are real and will stick. He would've been the starter in many seasons in the National League.

Alex Gonzalez (FLA)
I'm still not convinced that he's anywhere near this good, but picking guys like this is one of the pitfalls of basing your selections as heavily as we do on first half performance. We can't ignore .332/.375/.594 coming from anyone, let alone a guy who plays shortstop. We don't need a Marlin and we've already got two shortstops...we'll just have to bite our collective lip and hope he isn't a All-Star a la Scott Cooper.

3B - Mike Lowell (FLA)
You can definitely make the argument that Rolen should be starting here over Lowell, but we've been very impressed with him thus far, as this season appears to be the culmination of his developing since he arrived in Florida. He's been terrific (.305/.360/.621), and is finally turning some of the doubles power he's shown over the past few years (at least 37 in the past three seasons) into homers (he's got 21 already).

Scott Rolen (STL)
The best defensive third baseman in baseball is also a terrific offensive player (.293/.397/.537). While he has yet to show the same kind of power that Lowell has this season, he's getting on base with a bit more regularity. I'm still a bit conflicted as to who should get the nod here as the starter...either way, both are very worthy candidates and All-Stars.

OF - Barry Bonds (SF)
Having another dominant year (.315/.498/.685) as he approaches some really big counting numbers (he's got 632 homers, 1694 RBI, 2520 hits, 498 stolen bases, 1878 runs...the list doesn't stop). He can DH in the All-Star Game if he decides to play (it apparently depends on the condition of his ailing father at the time), as we've got three capable outfielders in the other three spots.

Andruw Jones (ATL)
The best defensive centerfielder in baseball today (definitely) and perhaps ever is having a pretty awesome offensive season as well, having hit .300/.366/.571 with 30 extra base hits at this point. He's our starter in center and, at this point, pretty clearly the best at his position in the majors.

Albert Pujols (STL)
Having a huge year worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence with Barry Bonds. His absurd .379/.442/.706 line with 45 extra base hits despite being limited for about two weeks would make him our starter at any position, but since he's listed as an outfielder on the ballot and has played most of his games out there this year, that's where we're putting him.

Gary Sheffield (ATL)
He's having his best season in three years (since 2000, in Los Angeles) and has been an essential cog in the Braves' tremendous first half offensive exploits. Thus far he's posted a .345/.427/.647 line with 36 extra base hits while striking out just 21 times. He's got some off-the-field issues as always, but he's a hell of a hitter and our starting rightfielder.

Brian Giles (PIT)
No way he makes the team if not for the player-per-team rule, but that's only because he's been hurt. When healthy (43 games, 194 plate appearances), he's posted a terrific .293/.448/.507 for a bad team. While his power's down a bit (slugging down to .507 from .622 in 2002), he's still an All-Star caliber player, even in the packed National League outfield.

Jim Edmonds (STL)
Jumped out of the gate with a .391/.500/.768 April before cooling off considerably in May (.223/.305/.479). Of course, he's back to his old tricks in June, posting a .354/.426/.854 line so far this month. He's a terrific defensive centerfielder as well, and has established himself as an offensive star and borderline All-Star every season...this one is no exception.

Austin Kearns (CIN)
The Reds need a representative, but we wanted to get Kearns on the team anyway. Adam Dunn's the six-and-a-half foot monster who hits baseballs a mile, but it's Kearns who's been far more productive this season, posting a .294/.396/.525 line to date. It's pretty scary to realize that he's only 23 and has just over a full season of major league service time, after which his career line reads .307/.403/.510. The Reds don't have the best outfield in baseball yet, but it's not his fault.

Luis Gonzalez (ARI)
We were going to put Sammy Sosa in this spot based on past performance until we realized we didn't have a Diamondback. Injuries have wrecked Arizona so far this season and have probably already ruined their chances at contention, but Gonzo's been a stabilizing force, hitting .305/.375/.544 thus far. It's a far cry from his unbelievable 2001, but he's continued to perform at a very high level.

SP - Kevin Brown (LA)
Having an amazing year at age 38, Brown gets the call as our NL starter. He's only leading the league in ERA (2.00), wins (9), WHIP (0.96) and has struck out 81 while walking 22 over 94.1 innings. He appears to be all the way back from the injury that ruined his 2002 season...he's been head and shoulders the best starter in the National League and a huge reason why the Dodgers have had as successful a first half as they have.

Woody Williams (STL)
His ERA was at 1.99 until his last two starts, as he's allowed five runs in each of them (vs. the Yankees and Red Sox) and seen it balloon to 2.66. Regardless, on a team desperate for pitching, he's provided it. It's pretty amazing what he's done since coming to St. Louis from San Diego during the 2001 season, having pitched nearly 300 innings now with an ERA right around two and a half.

Jae Seo (NYM)
I'm more than a little uncomfortable with putting him on the team, but he's definitely been the Mets best pitcher this year and they do need a representative. Cliff Floyd and Jeromy Burnitz would have adequate, but unfortunately, both play the most star-studded position in the league, so there's no room for them. I'm sure we're leaving out better candidates with his inclusion, but his 2.88 ERA is impressive all the same. Incidentally, Curt Schilling would have made this team if healthy...that's not to say Seo would've been the casualty, but know that we're not snubbing Schilling on merit.

Kerry Wood (CHC)
Wood's a strikeout machine (he's got 119, which leads the majors) in an excellent rotation on a good team that's contending in the NL Central. Of course, he's also got pretty erratic control, but it's a lot easier to give him a pass on the 42 walks he's allowed when noting that he's only allowed 67 hits over the 91 innings he's pitched so far. Amazingly, due to his extreme success right at the beginning of his career and his subsequent injury troubles, he's still only 26.

Mark Prior (CHC)
My preseason pick for the NL Cy Young Award isn't too far off the pace. Thus far he's 8-2 with a 2.71 ERA and a 106/25 strikeout to walk ratio, all among the league leaders. The foursome of Prior, Wood, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Clement is already nasty...it's going to get disgusting if Clement can kick it into gear, and he's been better of late.

Kevin Millwood/Randy Wolf (PHI)
I was amazed as we were looking over our first draft NL team to notice that we didn't have a Phillie on the roster...stunning, given what an awesome team they have on paper with the likes of Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell. That said, either of these guys would be fine additions to the team, so we're copping out again...we'll let the argument settle itself over the next few starts as these guys put some distance between their close numbers to this point. Push comes to shove, I'm taking Wolf, but we'll let it play out.

Hideo Nomo (LA)
Maybe it's just because we're on the East Coast, but I don't feel there's nearly enough attention paid to the pitching exploits of the Dodgers this year. Having four All-Star worthy pitchers on the staff (we've left Kaz Ishii off our team) is pretty significant. Nomo, returning to the place of his greatest glory, has held opponents to the lowest BA against in the majors (.196) while striking out a ton of guys (90) and pitching to a 2.64 ERA. The ballpark helps, but he's been even better on the road, posting a 5-2 record with a 1.64 ERA with a .166 BAA and only one home run allowed (in 60.1 innings) away from Dodger Stadium.

Jason Schmidt (SF)
Consistently good starter having his best season. Schmidt's strikeouts are up a tad, his walks are down considerably, and he's doing it both at home and on the road. Among the league leaders in a bunch of categories (strikeouts, WHIP, ERA, BAA), he's a deserving All-Star and the anchor of the pitching staff on a pretty good Giants team.

RP - John Smoltz (ATL)
There are a bunch of really awesome relievers in the National League this year, and John Smoltz is certainly one of them. I don't know how much closers really contribute to team success, but Smoltz is effective enough that he makes close games against the Braves in to eight inning affairs, and there's value in that. He's saved 26 games in 27 chances and compiled a ridiculous 0.72 ERA in 37.2 innings so far.

Eric Gagne (LA)
Yeah, he's allowed 15 hits in 36 innings and struck out 64. He's also a perfect 26 of 26 on save chances. Being pigeon-holed as he has may not make a lot of sense to some of us (he's been in 35 games, just barely over an inning per appearance), but there's no denying that he's been really, really effective and maybe there's no sense in messing with something that's working so well. Pitching for the Dodgers he's got a lot of close, late leads to wrap up, and he's the man for the job.

Billy Wagner (HOU)
He slipped a little over the past three seasons, but at age 31, Wagner is dominant again. He's 19 for 20 on save opportunities and has struck out a staggering 51 batters in 39.1 innings. The theme with these closers is that we'd like to see them pitch more innings...but that's the manager's issue, not theirs. Compiling a 1.60 ERA in a regular, high-pressure role combined with a track record of success like he's got is enough to make the team.

Those are our 32 National League All-Stars. We'd appreciate any feedback you've got...drop us a line at feedback@thedump.org. Regular content will pick up from here. Thanks for reading.
posted by VZW Watcher at 7:46 PM -