Jeff and I have teamed up on this article about who should be in the All Star Game here at the midway point. Jeff has done the NL, I the AL. Check it out and see which of your guys made it.
As we all know BBPro doesn't always get it right with regard to who gets into the All Star game.
This article will pick the players who should be in the game.
Selection process is limited to two players per position and seven pitchers 4 starters 3 relievers.
National League
1) C Matt Lecroy PGH He won't likely be in the game due to being on the DL, and will probably not be available. LeCroy may be the dominant NL catcher for the next few years. Although something of a late bloomer, the friendly confines of Three Rivers Stadium are making him into a hitting machine.
2) C Brandon Inge CIN is a notch below LeCroy and since Matt is out with injury should be the NL starter. Another solid year at this point for the Reds backstop as he is on pace for a 30 HR season.
1) 1b Lou Gehrig CIN is feasting as he has never done in the AL off of the pitching in the senior circuit. Consider that Lou has been hitting at a .400 clip and is on pace to hit over 70 homers and drive in 160 runs, he is a shoo in at this point for MVP.
2) 1b Tony Perez CHN is another AL transport, and is hitting at a sizzling .391 average. Injuries have slowed Tony down, but he still is a good bet to hit between 40 and 50 homers and drive in 100 to 120 runs.
1) 2b Charlie Gehringer MON is having a whale of a season in Montreal. Enjoying his best season in years, and the past ones weren't too bad, Charlie is boasting and .317 average, has hit 20 HR's and driven in an amazing 65 runs.
2) 2b Rex Hudler PHI nudges out a host, and there are about six other players who could easily fill this spot as the backup NL 2b. Hudler's combination of speed, power and average give him the nudge, particularly when you consider the amount of games he's missed while being on the DL.
1) 3b Larry Carey COL narrowly edges out Miguel Cabrerra for the nod as the 3b starter.the The leading factors are his relatively higher range factor at 3b, a solid fielding percentage and having even higher numbers than Cabrerra in Productivity, TA and Slugging. Considering that he had close to 100 AB less than the Reds hot corner specialist, the numbers that Carey has put up are even more impressive.
2) 3b Miguel Cabrerra CIN wins the nod for the second spot at the hot corner in face of some pretty good players. The stats that jumps out are the .355 average and 21 homers. Cabrerra is on pace for a 40 HR season.
1) SS Spike Owen FLO This choice will tick a lot of peopl off, but Owen is the best choice. We were tempted to go with Ozzie Smith, who is having an amazing power year with 10 HR's, go figure that one out, and can't be touched by anyone in fielding, other than Spike Owen. Owen's Fld % of .995 is the best in the NL and his RF is the only one that compares to Smith's godlike 5.5 with his 4.7. When you factor in Spike's 23 HR's and 69 RBIs you can see why he gets the nod for SS.
2) Woodie Held PGH leads the pack and if this were based purely on offensive production he'd win hands down. However, fielding is vital in the Middle IF position so Held's very impressive offensive numbers, which are with BA withstanding matched or bettered by Owen, leave him a little short in our nod for starting SS.
1) LF Roosevelt Brown CHN Brown leads the pack of some pretty good outfielders for LF. He's hitting at a torrid .330, is on a pace to knock out 50 HRs and drive in close to 150 runs. All in all, Brown has become a major force in the NL.
2) Jose Canseco CIN has to be considered when you take in the 30 HR's he has bashed out of Riverfront Stadium. He face a lot of competition, and a case can be made for a number of other players, but Canseco nudges them out.
1) Roy Hobbs LA nudges out Turkey Stearnes and Tim Raines for the starting job in CF. Hobbs, Stearnes and Raines are close in offensive categories, but Hobbs gets the nod by leading in Avg, Runs, 2bs, RBIs. PRO. While Raines and Stearnes are right there with Hobbs, and Raines even managed to outproduce all in some areas, the margin is so close that Hobbs' overall ratings, and importantly perfect defense gives him the first slot.
2) Turkey Stearnes CHN has to be chosen over Raines for the second slot. The final reason came to the overall defensive play of these two dead even players in offensive categories. Raines' 8 errors, knocked him out of the competition.
1) Randy Birch MON The old veteran has come up as the big gun on the locked and loaded Montreal offense. Birch leads the RF in the NL in PRO, TA, and SLG. He has also played solid defense not having committed a single error this year.
2) Enos Slaughter PGH shocks the HABLA world as Ruth and Parker are shut out for the first time in anyone's memory. Slaughter has exceeded everyone's expectation batting a hot .367 to lead the RF contingent, and scoring 66 runs. Babe Ruth has come out of the morass he was in, with a vengeance, but Slaughter has been doing the job all year long.
Pitchers:
Adam Eaton Philly
Joe Kennedy LA
Josh Becket MON
Mike Krukow CIN
Relievers:
Mike Timlin FLO
Josh Fogg ATL
Pat Acker HOU
American League
1. C Roy Campanella (SEA) Still a dominant force behind the plate as the sun sets on his career, Roy is hitting .329 with 13 longballs and 59 RBI's and remains a central part of the Mariners offense.
2. C Tim DeCinces (NYA) Tim does well in the potent New York offense hitting .315 with 10 homers, 29 runs, and a .991 fielding percentage. He is more than a role player for this team.
1. 1B Raphael Palmiero (CLE) 66 RBI's puts him in the top ten in the AL. they go nicely with 22 homers and a .330 AVG.
2. 1B John Karpel (CHA) Also on the top ten in RBI (68) Karpel was having something of a breakout year before going on the DL recently. He will watch from the duggout.
1. 2B Craig Biggio (TEX) Biggio has had a great year setting the table for the Rangers offense and will get the opportunity to do that in the All star game as well. He has hit .324, scored 75 runs, and stolen 26 bases.
2. 2B Johnny Hodapp (BAL) Hodapp has stepped it up this year hitting for a .321 AVG and stealing 14 bases as the second baseman for Baltimore. He will back up Biggio in the Midsummer Classic.
1. 3B Orlando Cepeda (NYA) Cepeda is a monster this season, hitting .363 with 27 homers and 74 RBI's. He is top 3 in the AL in all of those categories, and a Triple Crown is not out of the question.
2. 3B Matt Williams (CLE) This youngster makes his first All star Game after hitting .312 with 16 homers in the first half.
1. SS Robin Yount (CLE) Hitting .344 with 21 homers is great for an OF, but it is spectacular for a SS, who may hit 40 homers by seasons end. He has also scored 70 runs and stolen 18 bases.
2. SS Barry Larkin (OAK) His AVG is not yet great, but the 17 homers and 24 SB's make him a great choice for the backup to Yount.
1. LF Henry Aaron (TEX) Aaron is the offensive leader of one of the most potent offenses in baseball. He starts in left with his 25 homers and 75 RBIs.
2. LF Stan Musial (OAK) Stan the Man is 2nd in AVG in the AL (.362) and has contributed 57 RBIs to the cause for his team in the first half.
1. CF Duke Snider (MIN) If his AVG were higher, he would have a great shot at the Triple Crown. But his "meager" .334 AVG and the fact that he was recently placed on the DL may hurt that. It is still up in the air whether Duke will be able to play in the game.
2. CF Tris Speaker (TEX) Tris has found his niche 2nd in the order now 3rd on his team with 47 RBIs and 3rd in the league in stolen bases (28)
1. RF Reggie Jackson (NYA) Reggie is but another of the Yankee sluggers that is tearing up the league. .342/29/82 at the break. Wow!
2. RF/DH Larry Walker (OAK) Larry will get the start at DH. He is doing it all this season. .340/22/72 with 24 SB.
Pitchers:
Nolan Ryan (SEA)
Ralph Terry (MIL)
Andy Van Hekken (MIN)
Kevin Ritz (BAL)
Relievers:
Jung Bong (BOS)
David Riske (MIL)
Jose Vizcaino (CLE)
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6 comments:
Hey I think Reliever Bradford should have made the list. Leads the AL in saves has 15IR and only 2 scored, 14 holds, 3-0 and a 1.80 ERA and as well as leading the AL with holding the batters to a mere .161 average. Other than that everyone seems to be fine =)
--Mariners
Good to see some of my Cubbies making the All-Star team.
With all due respect to Krukow and the nice season he is having, I'd much rather have Ken Brubaker's slightly higer ERA in a much more hitter friendly ballpark. Along with this I get Brubaker's better record (8-1), 55 more Ks, better OAvg and 2 more quality starts. Also, I couldn't help but notice the snub to 3B Mike Gilbert. In addition to having similar or better numbers than Williams across the board, he's also played errorless defense. Seriously, though, great article guys, thanks for doing it.
I just looked at Pat Ackers numbers. He's got some saves and holds, but he's also carrying a 7.11 ERA. The NL's gotta have somebody better than him to represent them.
I don't think it was that high before the last sim, which was when I wrote this. Also, I went strictly on Saves, Holds and IR/IRS as the most important factors. I also considered blown saves. With the game as funny as it is with relievers, that's why. I'm also reconsidering totally HOW I do relievers, I am considering giving them more than the typical two pitches, but a full three or four but with very low EN.
From the Cardinals--I'm surprised that reliever Ricky Stone didn't get a nod. Though given Jeff's criteria, the snub makes more sense. Stone has only 1 save, but he does have 14 holds. He's appeared in 30 games, has a 1.67 ERA, .197 OAvg, .325 Slg, .236 BA vs. lefties, .161 vs. righties, and under a 1.00 WHIP. As far as giving relievers 3-4 pitches but w/ a lower EN, 27 year-old reliever Diomedes Olivo might be a good example: AS 65, EN 28, CO 77, FB 71, CU 77, CB 72, and a SL 55. So far his 5 year career has been a bit of a disappointment (4.31 ERA, .442 Slg), but w/ his scores & pots, particularly the 4 pitches, it helps make him a very interesting case-study for young relievers of that mold. I think if his top 2 pitches were SI and SL instead of CU and CB, he might have had more success up to this point...
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