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Every year I like to give a group of players that don't make the MLB All-Star game some recognition. I don't have set criteria; for the most part I try to choose guys who are having under-the-radar type seasons for their clubs...

The MLB Non-Star Team

by Nino Colla (Senior Writer)

33

576 reads

Opinion

July 09, 2008


Every year I like to give a group of players that don't make the MLB All-Star game some recognition.

I don't have set criteria; for the most part I try to choose guys who are having under-the-radar type seasons for their clubs. But, I also want to assemble a balanced lineup.

Sometimes I'll include All-Star snubs, but most of the time the players that make the team are ones that have a significant hand in their team's success, but don't get the publicity for it.

I select 20 players, including a starting lineup, five starting pitchers, two set-up men, a closer, and four reserves. In the AL it is only three reserves because of the DH.

Here are the players that made it last year.

 

American League

C: Kenji Johjima, 1B: Kevin Youkilis, 2B: Dustin Pedroia, 3B: Casey Blake, SS: Jhonny Peralta, OF: Jose Guillen, Curtis Granderson, Reggie Willits, DH: Gary Sheffield, SP: Jeremy Guthrie, Kelvim Escobar, Chad Gaudin, Erik Bedard, Fausto Carmona, SU: Rafael Betancourt, Scot Shields, CL: Joe Borowski, RS: Carlos Pena, Kenny Lofton, Chone Figgins

 

National League

C: Jhonny Estrada, 1B: Adrian Gonzalez, 2B: Brandon Phillips, 3B: Aramis Ramirez, SS: Hanley Ramirez, OF: Eric Byrnes, Brad Hawpe, Shane Victorino, SP: Ian Snell, John Maine, Tom Gorzelanny, Derek Lowe, Noah Lowry, SU: Heath Bell, Rafael Soriano, CL: Jason Isrignhausen, RS: Xavier Nady, Edgar Renteria, Hunter Pence

 

Without any further anticipation, here is this year’s list of MLB Non-Stars, voted on by myself and myself alone.

 

American League Position Players

2B - Akinori Iwamura, Rays: While he doesn't have the runs batted in that Jose Lopez does or the stolen bases that Brian Roberts has, Akinori Iwamura has made the transition to second base seamlessly. His two errors are the lowest among AL second basemen with at least 300 total chances. Iwamura also sets the table for one of the best teams in the American League.

CF - B.J. Upton, Rays: I'm going to stick with what's working and take two of the top three in the Rays' lineup. Upton has a great blend of base running, defense, hitting, and he's getting on base at a .392 clip.

RF - Nick Markakis, Orioles: It isn't very often you find a young hitter like Markakis with an on-base percentage hovering near the .400 mark. He's hitting .300 with the third most hits among AL outfielders.

3B - Mike Lowell, Red Sox: How does one of the most deserving Red Sox not make the All-Star roster? He leads all AL third basemen in RBI, which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

DH: Aubrey Huff, Orioles: I was going to go off the page and select the best available player for my DH, but Aubrey Huff is a nice player to have. He's knocked in 56 runs this year, more than All-Star starter Milton Bradley has, and he's in the thick of it for the AL home run lead.

SS - Jhonny Peralta, Indians: The pickings are slim and I need a run producer. Iwamura and Lowell will shield his defensive range but Peralta's surging power numbers will be a boost to the lineup. He leads all AL shortstops in home runs by a large margin, holding double the number of Michael Young with 14.

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33 comments Last one added 12 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Chris Radez about 1 year ago

    Nice job Nino.

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  2. Joe G about 1 year ago

    Good article. I agree with all of your picks except for Casey Blake as a reserve. Evan Longoria has slightly better numbers in every big offensive category except for strikeouts (Blake has 61 to 75 for Longoria) and on-base percentage, which Blake leads by .003.

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    • Nino Colla about 1 year ago

      Like I mentioned.. I tried to avoid the Final Vote participants, plus I needed a multiple position guy.. Brian Roberts was the exception because of the weak 2B position.

      I personally think Longoria should win the final vote anyway.

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  3. Jeff Allen about 1 year ago

    You can pencil in Brandon Phillips for the next five years. As long as Utley is in the National League, he's winning the vote. And if Uggla keeps up these 40-HR paces each year, he'll be the backup. And sadly, most of the country seems to have never heard of Brandon Phillips - evidenced by his 8th place finish in the voting for second basemen.

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    • Nino Colla about 1 year ago

      Absolutely and as much as I dislike for his silly antics, he is one hell of a player. Shame he is blocked by the likes of Utley. Maybe one year he'll catch a break and one of them will have a down year.

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  4. Ryan Stubbs about 1 year ago

    Thumbs up overall.

    Agree with: Markakis, Roberts, Danks, Hamels and Phillips
    Disagree with: Iwamura, Linebrink, Lohse and Beltran
    Hugely Disagree with: Casey Blake. When your own fans don't like you because of all the bad plays you make, you shouldn't be an all-star. I'm just sayin'. Indians fans hate Casey Blake.

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    • Nino Colla about 1 year ago

      Those Indians' fans have NO clue what they are talking about, FYI.. I love Casey Blake. He's saved our bacon year in and year out at positions when we need it. He isn't great, but you know what he plays anywhere you want him, he's the closest thing we have to a veteran leader and he plays hard every night. I'm not sure what "Bad plays" you are talking about.

      I put him there because of the multiple positions.

      I struggled putting Beltran up there.. So I'm not going to disagree with you disagreeing, haha. Like I said, it came down to Linebrink and Jim Johnson. Johnson has been pretty good this year, but I think Linebrink's recent stint as closer has bloated his numbers in a bad way. I'm not picking him to close though, I'm picking him to set it up.

      Thanks for the feedback.

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    • JJ Stankevitz about 1 year ago

      Linebrink has allowed 10 ER this year, and just 2 have come in eighth-inning setup situations. None of those have come since April 15.

      Without Line, the Sox aren't a first place team in my opinion.

      Good article, Nino—I'm glad somebody outside of one half of Chicago has taken note of the performances of Floyd and Danks.

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  5. Dakota Rubin about 1 year ago

    Great work here. Real good read.

    I like to see Theriot and DeRosa make the team. They get next to no press but the things they do on a day-to-day basis for the Cubs is irreplaceable.

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  6. Ben Weixlmann about 1 year ago

    Good stuff! I would have liked to have seen Lohse at least been on the Final Vote...at 10-2, I think he deserved the FV.

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  7. Kenny Stein about 1 year ago

    What does Brandon Morrow have to do to get some love around here? Seriously. I was like, "Okay, heres an article that will mention Brandon Morrow"

    I guess I'll just have to write it myself. Look at his last 15 appearances. 2 hits, 2 walks. THATS IT!

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    • Nino Colla about 1 year ago

      Great for Morrow.. This is about the entire first half though, and Morrow hasn't really logged enough innings for me to consider him.. He has some great numbers, but guys like Johnson, Linebrink and Wheeler have done just as good over more innings for me to put Morrow in there over them.

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    • Kenny Stein about 1 year ago

      To blame the innings, fine I guess. I can accept that. But don't tell me the numbers say that anybody has done as good as Morrow has this year.

      27.2 innings. 37 Ks. 8 bbs. 2 ER. 13 hits. .65 ERA. .76 WHIP. Righties batting .102. Take out April (where he gave up 1 run in 4 innings) and he's got 23.2 innings, 33 Ks, 6 bbs, 10 hits, 1 ER on a hr.. 7 for 7 in saves.

      Jim Johnson: 49.2 innings, 27 ks, 21 bbs, 29 hits, 10 ER. Take out Aprils 14 innings (6k, 1 bb) and he has one more K than BB.

      Linebrink has 38 innings, 32 Ks, 6 bbs, 29 hits, 10 ER, 5 HR allowed.

      Wheeler has 40.2 innings, 26 Ks, 14 bbs, 11 ER, 25 hits, 6 HR, 4 losses. He has given up as many or more runs in the months of April, May, June, and July as Morrow has given up all season.

      To say, well, Linebrink and Wheeler have a few more innings. Fine. But the numbers don't lie and they don't match up with what Morrow has done. He at least deserved a mention.

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    • Nino Colla about 1 year ago

      That's the point though.. Morrow has better numbers because he hasn't pitched as many innings as Johnson, Wheeler and Linebrink. Like I said, Morrow is having a great season but I need him to do it longer to consider him for this.

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    • Kenny Stein 12 months ago

      Except thats not what you said.

      "He has some great numbers, but guys like Johnson, Linebrink and Wheeler have done just as good over more innings for me to put Morrow in there over them."

      You dont have to agree with me and you can say that Morrows numbers arent better despite the fact he has more Ks in less innings and is unhittable. And if 11 innings is a lifetime of difference than fine. I was expecting him to not get mentioned. Even if it was "Morrow has great numbers, but hasnt pitched enough innings for me to consider him. If he gives up 6 runs in his next 3 appearances, his ERA will be the same as these other guys Im mentioning, but he still wont be as good" Then thats fine.

      But you didnt know who Brandon Morrow was until I posted here, and thats okay.

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    • Nino Colla 12 months ago

      I'm quite aware of who Brandon Morrow is.. I have him on several of my fantasy teams..

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  8. Andrew Kaufman about 1 year ago

    Great work, Nino. Glad to see some love for the Pirate offense, particularly Doumit... He's been trending toward a season like this for a long time.

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    • Nino Colla about 1 year ago

      I hope the Pirate love wasn't too much.. I see them more than any other team besides the Indians. Their outfield is one of the most productive trios in the league.

      Also thanks for the kind words, appreciate it.

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  9. Andrew Kaufman about 1 year ago

    Wanted to add that I really appreciate all the work you put into your articles... I try to do the same, but you have certainly set an example and set the bar pretty high.

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  10. Greg Caggiano about 1 year ago

    I guess you can say Lowry has gone under the radar this season, especially since he hasn't appeared in one game...

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  11. Josh Norman about 1 year ago

    Personally, i would have put in Shaun Marcum instead of Lester. Marcum has a 2.65 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and has struck out 4 more in almost 30 fewer innings. Marcum has also walked 17 fewer, but this is a product of his lower innings total. The only thing that Marcum doesn't have is the W-L record, but he doesn't play for the Red Sox. I realize Marcum is hurt, but I think he deserves some recognition.

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    • Nino Colla about 1 year ago

      Not going to lie to you.. His injury was the reason I didn't put him on the list.. Marcum has been sensational so far though..

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  12. Adam Radochonski about 1 year ago

    Definetly love the fact that you have Danks, Floyd, Linebrink, and Jenks on here. They all certainly have a shot and it's very surprising none of the Sox pitchers were named. Also, you can add Jermaine Dye to this team if he doesn't get the fan vote. Very nice article.

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  13. Alan Bass about 1 year ago

    if burrell doesnt make the all star team, he should be put on this list

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    • Ben Weixlmann about 1 year ago

      I agree, Burrell has some gaudy numbers, for him not to make the AS Game, that's just dumb.

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    • Nino Colla about 1 year ago

      Can't believe he didn't make the All-Star team.. If Soriano pulls out there will be another opening if he doesnt win the final vote. He deserves it no doubt.

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  14. Ben Weixlmann about 1 year ago

    My POTD, Nino. You da man.

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  15. Jerry Burnes about 1 year ago

    Very glad to see David Murphy on this list. He gets overshadowed on the rookie side of the AL by Evan Longoria and on his own team by Milton Bradley and Josh Hamilton. He's having a hell of a season and yet he is hardly mentioned. It's a shame.

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  1. Brandon Heikoop about 1 year ago

    I would have taken Dotel over Linebrink. The strikeouts and extra innings help Dotel's cause in my eyes.

    Some of the choices were easy as they were players who are off to incredibly slow starts or who were injured. Because of this, each of your squads are equally as proficient as the real all star teams would be.

    Good job, nice idea.

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  2. Isaac Barrow 12 months ago

    I'm an Oriole fan and I'm glad someone realized how many all stars we really deserve

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  3. Ben Rego 12 months ago

    you have no yankees why not giambi he is having an uder the radar season and much better then kevin youk

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    • Nino Colla 12 months ago

      I'm going to disagree with you on better than Kevin Youkilis.

      Giambi was on the final vote and even if he wasn't, not sure I'd put him on to be honest.

      None of the Yankees really stacked up.. Mussina was the only one I really considered..

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