Since there’s only a few days left before the election closes, let me help you out. Let’s Make Baseball Great Again by filling out your All-Star Game ballot the right way, by voting for the same players I did.
He said humbly.
First of all, I voted for this year’s ASG players based on this year’s performance. Past performance might be a tiebreaker, but otherwise it makes little difference what a guy might have done before April of this year.
Catcher – Actually, an argument can be made that this is the least deep position in either league. Salvador Perez of the Royals looks like a homer pick from me, but he plays Gold Glove defense and if not for his bat, Kansas City might have started worse than 10-20.
Buster Posey of San Francisco is hands-down the best catcher in the National League. Yadier Molina remains a darn fine backstop, but seems to have trailed off some (along with the rest of his Cardinals teammates). Willson Contreras will have his time, Cubs fans. His “sophomore” season, with the increased playing time, has been a little bit more of a struggle. He is Posey’s heir apparent.
First base – Maybe I shouldn’t have started with these two positions first, but Eric Hosmer will be the last Royal to get a vote from me. Trust me. He got off to a much slower start than we Kansas City fans would have liked, but since May 1 he’s been the hottest hitter among first sackers in the American League. No disrespect to Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers; he remains among my favorites for the class he continually shows and his ability to hit while blindfolded, or so it seems.
Anthony Rizzo got my vote at first for the National League. As a Cardinal fan (yes, I can pull for two teams), I love his team-first attitude. I’d be shocked if he’s still hitting leadoff in August, but considering the Cubs’ lack of a more traditional guy at the top of the lineup, it can’t be ruled out.
Incidentally, other than in the outfield, first base is the deepest position on the ballot, especially on the American side.
Second base – My choice in the National League is Javier Baez, and not because I’m trying to avoid pitchforks and torches from Cubs fans. I honestly believe he’s the best all-around second baseman in the game today, even though his natural position is shortstop. Why doesn’t manager Joe Maddon start him and shortstop Addison Russell every single day? Washington’s Daniel Murphy will get the nod for his offensive statistics, but if Murphy had defensive skills that put him even the conversation with Baez, they’d be making a plaque in Cooperstown before the price of copper goes up.
Jose Altuve is one of the biggest reasons Houston is blowing away the American League West. Pound for pound he’s been the most powerful hitter in the league, and if he were six inches taller and 50 pounds heavier, we might be comparing him to Albert Pujols at similar stages of their careers.
Third base – If I’m going to make Cubs fans mad, it’s here. Nolan Arenado of the Rockies is having a better year than Chicago’s Kris Bryant (the defending N.L.?MVP). Justin Turner of the Dodgers got untracked and is hot at the moment, but Arenado has been consistent all season.
Before this season I’d barely heard of Minnesota’s Miguel Sano, but he’s the No. 1 reason why the Twins are near the top of the A.L. Central. He’s playing so well that I know he’ll sign a free agent contract before Mike Moustakas can field offers in the offseason.
Shortstop – Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor gets a razor-thin edge for my vote over Carlos Correa of the Astros. Correa has the better bat and Lindor the better glove, and I tend to favor defense over offense. I do so because casual fans are enamored with offense, and there’s real value in playing solid defense; that’s true in every team sport I can think of off the top of my head.
I wanted to vote for Russell in the National League, but Corey Seager of the Dodgers is having a better year and Zach Cozart is the best player the Reds have right now. My vote goes to Cozart because teams can pitch around him and he’s still getting his hits.
Designated hitter – I choose not to vote for a DH. If a guy is hitting that well, the manager can put him on the team. Once they put the DH in the National League, I’ll reconsider.
Outfield – How does anyone ever vote for just three outfielders? The first two in the National League are pretty easy. Bryce Harper of the Nationals and Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon are both playing better than everyone else. I ended up voting for Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins for essentially the same reason I picked Cozart. Frankly, I should have written in Dodger rookie Cory Bellinger.
Where did Aaron Judge come from, and how did the Yankees get him? Holy cow, that guy is good. Twice in my life I’ve watched a Yankee rookie outfielder play and thought to myself “that guy’s going to get on my nerves for years.” The other was Bernie Williams.
It seems almost un-American to not vote for Mike Trout of the Angels. I’ve often wondered if Trout resents Albert Pujols for taking up so much of the team’s salary, thus preventing owner Arte Moreno and staff from getting better players to put around Trout.
Mark my words; the Angels won’t make it past the divisional round as long as they’re cutting checks to Pujols within the current structure of his contract.
And here’s a thought that makes me shutter: can you imagine Trout, Harper and Judge in the same Bronx outfield?
The last vote goes to George Springer of the Astros. It seems like every time I look up Houston’s game highlights, he’s in there either scoring from first, blasting a homer or throwing someone out from right field. There’s a case to be made that Springer might be the second-best right fielder in the game, behind Harper.
I’ll close this out with one more thought: it’s time to do away with the All-Star rule that requires each team be represented. It was put in place to keep the big-market teams from dominating the game, and keep fans in small markets interested in the Mid-Summer Classic.
The internet age has made it so any fan anywhere can see their favorite player any time (for a price, of course) and thus the rule is obsolete. Until the World Series home team rule came along, the every team represented rule was the dumbest thing about the All-Star Game. Commissioner Rob Manfred and others managed to dump the home-field thing, and it’s past time to do likewise in a showcase for our national pastime.
Online voting for the All-Star Game ends at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. To vote run “baseball all-star ballot” on your favorite search engine.
