Major League Baseball fans did a tremendous job voting in the most worthy players to start for the American League in the 2016 All-Star Game at Petco Park in San Diego. The
starting infield features undoubtedly the AL's best players at each position—Baltimore Orioles’
Manny Machado (third base), Boston Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts (shortstop), Houston
Astros’ Jose Altuve (second base) and Kansas City Royals’ Eric Hosmer (first base). 2015
World Series MVP Salvador Perez (Royals) led all players in voting and will rightfully
spearhead the backstop duties for the AL, while Boston's David Ortiz—posting another superb
season in his final year in MLB—will be the AL’s starting designated hitter.
The face of baseball and arguably the AL’s most dominant hitter, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels will be one of the AL's outfielders for the Midsummer Classic.
Joining him will be a pair of young Red Sox’s: Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley
Jr. An argument could made for Texas Rangers outfielder Ian Desmond to start over
Bradley Jr.—though voters were likely swayed by Bradley Jr.’s 29-game hit
streak, the longest of the 2016 MLB season.
The NL did not have the same luck putting forth the players whom most warranted starting jobs. And considering the
All-Star Game decides home-field advantage in the World Series, it’s worth
griping about the screw-ups caused by fan selection (many blame the overzealous Cubs' fans for skewing the voting tallies). Of the eight fan-picked players (the designated hitter slot will be determined in the coming days by NL Manager Terry Collins), only three should actually be starting the Midsummer Classic based off their performances thus far in 2016. A position-by-position look at the deserving
starters versus the actual starters:
*Stats accurate as of 7/6/2016
Catcher
Deserving
Starter: Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals
The 28-year-old Venezuelan, Wilson Ramos leads National League catchers in home runs (13), RBIs (46), batting
average (.335), on-base percentage (.390) and slugging percentage (.554).
Actual
Starter: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
A three-time
World Series champion and one-time MVP, Buster Posey is set to start behind the plate for the NL All-Star squad. Posey is hitting .289, with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs
in 277 at-bats for the NL West-leading Giants this season. Posey has registered
a 2.4 WAR (wins above replacement), the highest mark among NL catchers in 2016. Posey merits All-Star recognition, but Ramos has outplayed Posey and should be the NL's backstop come first pitch of the Midsummer Classic.
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| Fans likely voted Buster Posey to start the All-Star Game because of his career success. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) |
First
Base
Deserving
and Actual Starter: Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
The power
hitting lefty in the Cubs’ lethal offensive attack, Anthony Rizzo is on pace for his
best season to date of his young career. Rizzo ranks first among NL first
basemen in WAR (3.2), OBS (.964), SLG (.563) and RBIs (61). The cleanup hitter
of the Cubs, currently holding the best record (52-31) in MLB, Rizzo has mashed
20 homers—tied with Milwaukee’s first baseman Chris Carter for fifth-most
across the NL.
Second
Base
Deserving
Starter: Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals
Daniel Murphy, who
signed with the Nationals in free agency after his breakout postseason
performance in the New York Mets’ run to the World Series, sports the highest
batting average (.349) in the NL. The NL East-leading Nationals’ best hitter at
the season’s midpoint, Murphy leads all NL second basemen in WAR (2.7), OPS
(.969), SLG (.581), hits (110), RBIs (56), doubles (23), and places second in
home runs (14), behind the Mets’ Neil Walker (15).
Actual
Starter: Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs
Ben Zobrist joined
the Cubs this offseason, reuniting with former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe
Maddon. Zobrist has been critical to the Cubs’ success with his
batting and fielding prowess. He is batting .291 with a .398 OBP to go along
with 11 dingers and 43 RBIs. He leads all NL second basemen with 55 runs
scored. He also ranks second in field percentage (.993), trailing only
Arizona’s Jean Segura (.994). Zobrist has maintained these fielding
numbers—committing just two errors on the year—despite being called upon to
start contests in right and left field. Zobrist has played commendably, but Murphy has been on another level this season.
Shortstop
Deserving
Starter: Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
One of three
Dodgers’ All-Stars (Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw, closer Kenley Jensen),
first-year pro Corey Seager is riding a 18-game hit streak and is batting .304
with 17 homers and 41 RBIs on the season. At 22 years and 69 days old, Seager
is the youngest All-Star position player in Dodgers franchise history.
Actual
Starter: Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
Russell has no
business representing the National League in the All-Star Game—let alone starting
the Midsummer Classic. His fielding numbers are down from a season ago and the
22-year-old is batting just .242 with 11 homers and a mere .338 OBP (90th
among MLB players). Seager and Colorado’s Trevor Story, a pair of rookie
sensations, have significantly outplayed Russell. The list goes on for NL
shortstops with far better 2016
campaigns than Russell—most notably Washington’s Danny Espinosa, St. Louis
Cardinals’ rookie Aldemys Diaz, San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford and Milwaukee’s
Jonathan Villar.
Third Base
Deserving
and Actual Starter: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
Kris Bryant
became the first player in MLB history to hit three homers and two doubles in
the same game in a victory over the Cincinnati Reds in late June. He has belted
a MLB-best 25 home runs this season with 64 RBIs—the second-most in the NL.
Outfield
Deserving
and Actual Starter: Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets
Acquired
days before the 2015 trade deadline, Yoenis Cespedes has been masterful in his short
time in New York. He carried the once-anemic Mets’ offense to a division title,
and later—behind timely home runs from former Met Daniel Murphy—helped the
club win its first pennant since 1986. Though the Mets, owners of the second
wild-card playoff spot at the moment, have had their share of struggles from the
plate, Cespedes has produced all season long, batting .299, with 21 homers and
51 RBIs.
Deserving
Starters: Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins and Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
Following
a dismal 2015 campaign, Marlins centerfielder Marcell Ozuna is now on pace for a
career season. Ozuna has a slash-line of 310/.363/.540 with 17 home runs and 47
runs batted in to keep the Marlins afloat in the NL Wild Card race.
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| Marcell Ozuna earned his first trip to the All-Star Game—but not in a starting role. (Sam Mitchell/USA Today Sports) |
Carlos
Gonzalez has hit for power and average in 2016. He leads NL outfielders in hits
(110), ranks third in batting (.316), fourth in homers (18) and tied for fifth in
RBIs (51).
Actual Starters: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals and
Dexter Fowler, Cubs
Bryce Harper
is the reigning MVP, but the upcoming All-Star Game at Petco is supposed to represent the best performers of the 2016 season. Aside from smacking 18
homers, Harper’s numbers are down in almost every hitting category. He is
batting .258 and slugging only .487 (27th among NL position players).
And despite being on the team with the third-best record in the NL, Harper
posts a measly 1.8 WAR (41st among NL position players).
Dexter
Fowler hasn’t played since being placed on the disabled list on June 18 with a
right hamstring injury, putting his status for the All-Star Game in
jeopardy. Manager Joe Maddon wants Fowler—a first-time All-Star—to play in the
game but has emphasized that his outfielder’s long-term health is most important.
At the start of the season, Fowler went neck-and-neck with Murphy for the
league-lead in batting as he hit .347 in April. Fowler batted .295 in the month
of May, before a June slump (.207) brought his season average down to .290. His
low RBI total (29) further represents why the Cubs’ switch-hitting outfielder
is not starting-caliber material.
