Marlins' Selections Are Worthy of All-Stars

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The National League All-Star roster was selected before the first pitch of Sunday's ballgame, and the Marlins will have a couple of representatives participating in St. Louis next week.

Hanley Ramirez was voted in by the fans at the shortstop position, and Josh Johnson was selected by NL Manager Charlie Manuel and Johnson's peers. Those two selections were well-earned based on the season they had for the Marlins.

Normally, the talkative Jimmy Rollins is always a sure bet to be the NL shortstop year after year based on his performance with his bat and his glove, but this year has not been his year.

Rollins has been slumping at the plate to the point where Manuel has been benching him a la what Terry Francona did to David Ortiz in an attempt to get his mind and swing straightened out.

Ramirez took advantage of Rollins' slump by having a career year of his own this season, and his performance the last few weeks has made him a cinch to make his first All-Star starting appearance ever, along with his second straight All-Star appearance.

Ramirez is a young star in baseball right now, and he has established himself as a good hitter since he was acquired in the Josh Beckett trade in 2006.

Ramirez is the first Marlin to ever be a starting shortstop in the All-Star game, and what better Marlin representative to start the All-Star Game than Ramirez.

He is the face of this franchise now, and, when all is said and done, he might be the best player this franchise ever had.

Johnson will join a long list of great starters in the NL roster, and this is why the NL has a great shot to end the losing streak to the AL, which seems forever.

He has the wins (7-1) , the ERA (2.76), and the stuff to be an All-Star this year, and he is as good as any starter in the National League, which is why he is the ace of the Marlins' staff.

He is an elite pitcher, and he should be there every year. With him, it's about him being healthy instead of being in the disabled list.

Ricky Nolasco could have been an All-Star this year, and that's what the Marlins expected out of him. 

But, he had a rough start to the season to the point where he was sent to the minors, and it was too little too late for him when he was rolling off many wins, especially in that tight competition for starting pitchers.

The Marlins should have pride in these selections, because it's a reflection of how good those two are.

It's also a credit to how good Larry Beinfest and his staff are in acquiring a player like Ramirez and drafting him.

Ramirez and Johnson got the All-Star recognition they crave, but, once it's over, they are going to want more, and October could be their next step.

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