What does it mean to be selected as an All-Star in Major League Baseball? It depends who you ask. The All-Star Game itself can serve three different purposes:
1. A way to annually record the best players in baseball at each position. Established stars with exemplary track records would get the nod by default over fluky half-season performances (paging Chris Davis). Pro: being selected as an All-Star means something, as a career achievement. Con: the faces in the game rarely change from season to season.
2. A way to reward the best statistical performers in baseball at each position, regardless of fame or talent. Spots are given away strictly based on merit, so stars can get passed over if the numbers justify it. Pro: fans get to see a different cast of players in the game every year. Con: the game wouldn't be as popular without as many recognizable faces.
3. A source of entertainment, and thus a marketing tool, for Major League Baseball. Priority is given to players who offer unique narratives or intrigue. The likes of Yasiel Puig and Mariano Rivera would feature prominently on this All-Star Team, for example. Pro: more people would watch the game. Con: the historical significance of being an "All-Star" would be diminished.
Picking the All-Stars isn't so easy when there are three different interpretations of what the exhibition game should be about. But nowadays, the rosters are big enough that perhaps all three philosophies can be represented.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Catcher: Joe Mauer
Backups: Carlos Santana, Jason Castro
This one is easy. Mauer (.314/.395/.469) encapsulates all three of the All-Star personas by himself: he's been the default "star" at his position for years now; he's having the best statistical season among all AL catchers; and he's a recognizable face for fans. He'll bring the entire Minnesota TV market to the game. Plus, the rule requiring every team to have a representative on the roster means that we'll need a Twin at some point and there's no more obvious choice. As for backups: Carlos Santana is the only other AL catcher with respectable numbers, and Jason Castro gets the nod as the mandatory Astro.
First Base: Chris Davis
Backup: Edwin Encarnacion
Also an easy selection, because Davis offers both otherworldly stats and human intrigue.
Second Base: Robinson Cano
Backups: Jason Kipnis, Dustin Pedroia
One of the more interesting positional races. Their numbers are similar, and you could make a good case for any of these three players to start:
Cano: .292/.371/.529, 20 HRs, all in a lineup that features Brett Gardner as its second-best hitter.
Pedroia: .323/.404/.445, 13 steals, all for a first-place team.
Kipnis: .300/.385/.531, 13 HRs, 19 steals, and over the last month, he's been the best player in baseball.
Here, it just depends on what you're looking for with an All-Star. Because it's hard to differentiate between their stats, in this case I would defer to the established and most marketable star at the position -- Cano. But both Kipnis and Pedroia deserve to be on the team, too.
Shortstop: Manny Machado
Backup: Jhonny Peralta, Jed Lowrie
This is going outside the box a little. With Derek Jeter hurt and Elvis Andrus underperforming, there's no default All-Star at the position. Peralta probably has the best numbers, but .306/.364/.451 isn't exactly historic, and his defense is atrocious. So to make things interesting, Manny Machado should start here. He's a natural shortstop having a season for the ages, but Miguel Cabrera at third base keeps him from cracking the starting lineup. The 21-year-old who's on pace to break the all-time doubles record while playing Gold Glove defense should probably start in the All-Star Game, yeah?
Third Base: Miguel Cabrera
Backups: Evan Longoria, Josh Donaldson
Longoria is hitting an excellent .295/.371/.537, yet he's being blown away by Cabrera, which is astounding. Donaldson is one of those guys who should be rewarded for a surprisingly-good half-season: hitting .313/.381/.522 out of nowhere, he might be the best player on the first-place Oakland A's.
Outfield: Mike Trout, Jose Bautista, Jacoby Ellsbury
Backups: Nelson Cruz, Brett Gardner, Coco Crisp
Two of the three starters are easy. Trout is basically repeating last year's season (.314/.390/.538, 13 HRs, 20 steals, 2nd in the AL in WAR) and Bautista is back to his usual self (.267/.364/.518 with 20 HRs). There's no obvious choice for the third spot, but Ellsbury and his 34 steals (!!!) work just fine. Coincidentally, those three are first, second, and third in WAR among outfielders. As for the backups -- Cruz offers power, Gardner defense, and Crisp speed.
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz
If anyone should play the entire game without getting substituted out, it's Ortiz. He's not playing defense anyway, so he's not hurting you there, and who's going to pinch-hit for a .321/.409/.615 hitter?
Starting Pitchers: Yu Darvish, Max Scherzer, Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, Bartolo Colon (not kidding), Chris Sale, Derek Holland
Picking these six wasn't so difficult. But who should start the game? If ERA is your measuring stick, then it should be one of the two Seattle pitchers -- Iwakuma and Felix are #1 and #2 in ERA. But for entertainment value, it should come down to Darvish and Scherzer. Both have aesthetically-pleasing pitch arsenals and they're striking out hitters at a ludicrous pace. Scherzer has the added advantage of being 13-0 on the season.
Bullpen: Mariano Rivera, Joe Nathan, Greg Holland, Jesse Crain, Steve Delabar, Brett Cecil
Rivera, in his final season, is the ceremonial closer; Nathan has similar numbers and can serve as his setup man. The other relievers aren't big names, but they can actually help win the game. Holland, the Royals' lone representative, leads the league in strikeout rate (a ridiculous 14.9 K/9). Delabar is fourth in that statistic, and can be used against either right- or left-handed hitters. Crain has been the best reliever in the league, with a 0.74 ERA, though he's hurt right now and will need to be replaced. Finally, Cecil can be the left-handed specialist (he's holding lefties to just a .293 OPS).
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Catcher: Yadier Molina
Backup: Buster Posey
The best defensive catcher in baseball also happens to be hitting a league-leading .346 and slugging .490. The MVP frontrunner, perhaps?
First Base: Joey Votto
Backups: Adrian Gonzalez, Allen Craig
Votto is in a virtual statistical tie with Paul Goldschmidt at first base. Again, I'll defer to the established star in this case, though Goldschmidt can start at DH as a consolation prize.
Second Base: Matt Carpenter
Backup: Marco Scutaro
Here's an instance where a relatively unknown breakout star deserves to start in the All-Star Game despite a lack of name recognition. Carpenter, the Cardinals' second baseman, is blowing the rest of the field out of the water with a .320/.393/.488 line and 64 runs scored.
Shortstop: Jean Segura
Backups: Everth Cabrera, Andrelton Simmons
The default pick here, Troy Tulowitzki, is hurt. So the nod goes to another young breakout star in Segura, who's hitting .322/.357/.493 with 11 homers and 26 steals. Both of the backups offer intrigue, too. Cabrera, who gives us our Padres representative, has 31 steals and might be the fastest player in baseball. Simmons, meanwhile, might be the best defensive shortstop of this generation and should hopefully get a chance to showcase his skills.
Third Base: David Wright
Backup: Pedro Alvarez
Wright is the best NL player at this position, the worthy statistical choice, and the hometown hero (the All-Star Game is being played in the Mets' Citi Field). Doesn't get much easier than that.
Outfield: Carlos Gomez, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Beltran
Backups: Andrew McCutchen, Yasiel Puig, Michael Cuddyer, Domonic Brown, Shin Soo-Choo
An All-Carlos starting outfield? It's too tempting. All three of them are putting up monster offensive numbers. As for the reserves: it's a tight race. It's impossible to leave McCutchen, Cuddyer, or Choo off the roster, we need Brown as both a terrifying pinch-hitter (he's got 22 home runs) and as a Phillies representative. But there also has to be a spot reserved for Yasiel Puig. Because while other players might be more deserving, Puig is simply too thrilling to leave off the roster.
Designated Hitter: Paul Goldschmidt
Votto pushes him off first base, but Goldschmidt is hitting like an MVP candidate: .304/.381/.553 with 20 homers and a league-leading 71 RBIs.
Starting Pitchers: Matt Harvey, Clayton Kershaw, Adam Wainwright, Mat Latos, Jordan Zimmermann, Patrick Corbin, Jose Fernandez
A really strong group of pitchers in the NL. But who starts the game? It probably has to be Harvey, a statistically dominant and exciting phenom who would get to pitch in front of his home fans. Kershaw (1.93 ERA) and Wainwright (13 walks ALL SEASON) deserve consideration as well. Fernandez would probably be a bit of a controversial selection, because there are more statistically-deserving candidates out there. But the Marlins need a representative and the 20-year-old Fernandez has been stellar as a rookie (2.72 ERA).
Bullpen: Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel, Rex Brothers, Kevin Gregg
According to WAR, the two Pirates pitchers (Grilli and Melancon) have been the two best relievers in the NL. Chapman and Kimbrel are the usual suspects when it come to dominant NL relievers. Brothers can be a lefty specialist who also gets righties out. Gregg is nothing special, but he has a 1.59 ERA and the sorry Cubs need somebody in this game.
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