What would the ultimate National League All-Star roster look like?
Catcher: Carlos Ruiz. The competition for this spot is extremely tight. Ruiz just so happens to be hitting .356/.422/.578, which is elite for a first baseman, let alone a catcher.
First Base: Joey Votto. Is there a more obvious All-Star selection in all of baseball? First base in the National League is a wasteland; Votto stands alone with an MVP-like .354/.476/.639 line.
Second Base: Aaron Hill. There's no way he starts the All-Star Game with well-known names like Dan Uggla and Brandon Phillips jockeying for position on the ballot. Yet Hill equals or bests them both in AVG, HRs, and SLG%. Bonus: he's hit for two cycles in the past two weeks.
Third Base: David Wright. Single-handedly keeping the Triple-A Mets offense afloat.
Shortstop: Jed Lowrie. Easily the most shocking All-Star selection, Lowrie leads his position-mates in homers, slugging, and walk rate.
Left Field: Ryan Braun. It's hard to put Carlos Gonzalez and Melky Cabrera on the bench. Braun, though, is the guy who deserves the start, with 20 HRs and a .310 average to his name.
Center Field: Andrew McCutchen. He's on pace for a 30-30 season with a .344 batting average.
Right Field: Carlos Beltran. 20 HRs and a .311/.398/.577 line for the Cardinals is Pujols-esque.
Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg. Striking out almost 12 per nine innings. Unfair.
Infield Reserves: The Cubs need someone in this game, so it might as well be the exciting Starlin Castro, though he's only walked 8 times this year. Yadier Molina and Buster Posey round out a remarkably strong group of NL catchers. Martin Prado is having a nice comeback season and offers positional flexibility. The Astros proudly sent Jose Altuve as their representative at second base. Paul Goldschmidt of the D'backs (with a sneaky .299/.375/.552 line) backs up Votto.
Outfield Reserves: The infield options are rather limited in this league, but the number of worthy outfielders is endless. Carlos Gonzalez is setting fire to the world at the plate, but his defensive metrics have been unflattering, so he's a perfect candidate to start at DH for the NL. Melky Cabrera leads baseball in hits (109). Michael Bourn offers blazing speed and a hot bat in center field. Matt Holliday keeps putting up consistent numbers. Dexter Fowler's great year has been lost in the rubble of the Rockies' lost season. Home Run Derby favorite Giancarlo Stanton gives the Marlins their lone representative. And since no other Padre is worthy for an All-Star spot, Carlos Quentin gets the nod (despite playing in just 26 games) thanks to a .443 OBP and .644 SLG%, both accomplished in a punchless lineup and a cruel home ballpark.
Pitching Reserves: Nationals teammate Gio Gonzalez has been almost as good as Strasburg. We're all familiar with R.A. Dickey's work. Zack Greinke leads all NL pitchers in WAR. Matt Cain threw a perfect game. Johnny Cueto continues to outperform his peripherals and defy doubters. Wade Miley is, shockingly, the front-runner for Rookie of the Year. And the biggest surprise of all is the Pirates' James McDonald, who the Dodgers gave up for two months of Octavio Dotel. As for the bullpen: if the NL needs a big strikeout in the middle innings, Kenley Jansen (14.04 K/9) and Aroldis Chapman (15.85 K/9) will be available. Tyler Clippard and Jason Grilli have also been outstanding. And if there's a lead to defend in the 9th inning, Craig Kimbrel, the best closer in baseball over the past season-and-a-half, should be the one to do it.
The NL batting order:
CF Andrew McCutchen
LF Ryan Braun
1B Joey Votto
3B David Wright
RF Carlos Beltran
DH Carlos Gonzalez
C Carlos Ruiz
2B Aaron Hill
SS Jed Lowrie
SP Stephen Strasburg
In these ideal scenarios, where All-Stars are chosen by merit alone, the rosters for both leagues are stacked. But between fan ballot-stuffing, questionable choices by the managers, injuries, and withdrawals, each league will have some less-than-deserving All-Stars and some shocking snubs. While frustrating, those controversies are, in a way, the most entertaining part of the All-Star Game. The least entertaining part? The disturbing knowledge that, last October, the Texas Rangers had to play Games 6 and 7 of the World Series in St. Louis simply because Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers hit an All-Star Game home run three months earlier. So home-field advantage in the 2012 World Series might be determined by a potential late-inning at-bat between Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros and Tim Collins of the Kansas City Royals. That's more than a little terrifying.
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