American League All-Star Selections: Did the Fans Get It Right?

It’s hard to believe, but the Midsummer Classic is less than a week away. All Star selections are in (with the exception of the Final Vote) and I thought it would be interesting to take a look and determine if the deserving players made it.

POSITION PLAYERS

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
(Reserve: Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians)

Mauer and Martinez have comparable offensive statistics. But considering Mauer missed the start of the season and boasts an unbelievable .384 batting average, he deservedly will be behind the plate for the first pitch of the 2009 All Star Game in St. Louis.

Verdict: Good call by the fans


First Base: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
(Reserves: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins; Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox)

Teixeira and Youkilis battled for starting honors until the very end of the voting race. Ironically, though, Justin Morneau is probably the most deserving All Star, as he leads the trio in hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera definitely qualifies as a snub, considering his .324 batting average. In fact, one could argue that Cabrera deserves a spot on the team more than Youkilis (and that isn't just because I can’t stand the man).

Take a look:

Miguel Cabrera: .324, 17 HR, 48 RBI
Kevin Youkilis: .291, 14 HR, 47 RBI

Verdict: Wrong. Sorry, Tex, but Minnesota’s M & M Boys deserve to be starting behind the plate and at first base on July 14th.


Second Base: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
(Reserve: Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays)

Reserve Aaron Hill has more hits, more home runs, more runs batted in, and a higher batting average than Pedroia (and so does Robinson Cano, for that matter). Dustin has the superior numbers when it comes to OBP, doubles, and runs scored.

Verdict: Not blatant oversight, but I believe Hill should be the starting second baseman, with Pedroia as the reserve. Considering Pedroia plays for the team with the best record in the American League, though, I really don't have much of a problem with it.


Third Base: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
(Reserve: Michael Young, Texas Rangers)

Brandon Inge’s home run numbers and Scott Rolen’s high batting average notwithstanding, Young and Longoria are the best All Star choices for third base.

Verdict: Tough call. But considering Young has a higher average (.313 vs. .285), more hits, runs, doubles, stolen bases and a slightly higher OBP, I think Young deserves the starting nod over Longoria.



Shortstop: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
(Reserve: Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays)

Jason Bartlett certainly has the edge over Jeter when it comes to batting average (.354 compared to Jeter’s .313). Bartlett also has 2 more RBI. The Yankees captain, however, has more hits, home runs, and runs scored. Both shortstops have 17 stolen bases and are within one double of one another.

Verdict: It’s a toss-up. The vote could have gone either way and I think people would agree the fans were right.


Outfield: Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox; Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers; Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
(Reserves: Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays; Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers; Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles; Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays)


Josh Hamilton being selected as a starter is a joke; Melky Cabrera deserves a spot on the All Star team more than he does. Besides that error in judgment, I agree with the other two starters. Jason Bay leads all outfielders in home runs and RBI and Ichiro is batting .358 with 119 hits. Carl Crawford has stolen 41 bases and the rest of the reserves have put up some equally impressive numbers, with one exception. Ben Zobrist? I would take Jermaine Dye, Jacoby Ellsbury, Johnny Damon, Juan Rivera and a handful of other outfielders before I would even think of Zobrist.

Verdict: The fans were 2/3 right, and the coaching staff 4/5 correct. Not a bad percentage.


STARTING PITCHERS

Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics; Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox; Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox; Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals; Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays; Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners; Edwin Jackson, Detroit Tigers; Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins; Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox; Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees; Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers; Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox

It’s difficult to sort through the statistics of so many different pitchers. It’s hard to argue with a bullpen consisting of Fuentes, Nathan, Papelbon and Rivera. Zach Greinke (10-4, 2.00 ERA, 120 K) deserves to start for the A.L. squad. Beyond that, I can’t really find any one pitcher who is not worthy of a trip to the Midsummer Classic.

Verdict: The fans don’t have a say when it comes to pitchers!

What are your thoughts?