Fantasy Baseball 2012: Spring Training All-Star Team
There is no right or wrong way to interpret spring training stats. If you got a boost from watching Andre Ethier crush a homer Friday off southpaw Juan Perez—knowing full well the Dodgers outfielder hit .222 against lefties last year—it may be enough to make you believe in a 2012 resurgence.
On the flip side, if you're quick to dismiss the impact of Jason Heyward's 22 strikeouts, Joey Votto's .222 batting average in the Cactus League or Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson's 10.13 ERA/2.00 WHIP...hey, that's cool, too. These exhibition games can have different meanings to different people, and that's OK.
Here are my choices for the 2012 Spring Training All-Star Team, with no biases toward the Grapefruit or Cactus leagues:
Batters
C Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers
(2 HRs, 9 RBI, 7 runs, 1 steal, .522 BA, 1.292 OPS)
1B Eric Hosmer, Royals
(5 HRs, 28 RBI, 17 runs, 3 steals, .429 BA, 1.239 OPS)
2B Howie Kendrick, Angels
(4 HRs, 15 RBI, 13 runs, 1 steal, .400 BA, 1.139 OPS)
3B Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays
(8 RBI, 7 runs, 5 steals, .545 BA, 1.438 OPS)
SS Erick Aybar, Angels
(1 HR, 5 RBI, 16 runs, 5 steals, .407 BA, 1.038 OPS)
OF Lorenzo Cain, Royals
(5 HRs, 11 RBI, 17 runs, 2 steals, .403 BA, 1.270 OPS)
OF Alex Gordon, Royals
(4 HRs, 14 RBI, 15 runs, 1 steal, .410 BA, 1.146 OPS)
OF Joe Mather, Cubs
(3 HRs, 14 RBI, 14 runs, 4 steals, .411 BA, 1.191 OPS)
OF Gregor Blanco, Giants
(1 HR, 5 RBI, 13 runs, 12 steals, .358 BA)
OF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
(3 HRs, 11 RBI, 11 runs, 3 steals, .400 BA, 1.139 OPS)
UTIL Cody Ross, Red Sox
(6 HRs, 15 RBI, 11 runs, 1 steal, .366 BA, 1.276 OPS)
UTIL Albert Pujols, Angels
(5 HRs, 15 RBI, 14 runs, .404 BA, 1.277 OPS)
UTIL Ryan Raburn, Tigers
(6 HRs, 18 RBI, 8 runs, .295 BA, 1.142 OPS)
UTIL Andre Ethier, Dodgers
(3 HRs, 16 RBI, 12 runs, .400 BA, 1.373 OPS)
UTIL Delmon Young, Tigers
(5 HRs, 19 RBIs, 10 runs, .365 BA, 1.132 OPS)
Pitchers
Zack Greinke, Brewers
(1-0, 0.93 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 28/2 K-BB ratio)
Matt Cain, Giants
(3-0, 1.74 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 20/3 K-BB ratio)
Francisco Liriano, Twins
(2-1, 2.45 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 26/4 K-BB ratio)
Dan Haren, Angels
(2-0, 2.18 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 20/2 K-BB ratio)
Chris Capuano, Dodgers
(1-1, 2.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 22/5 K-BB ratio)
Luke Hochevar, Royals
(3-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 21/2 K-BB ratio)
Cliff Lee, Phillies
(1-2, 2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 19/3 K-BB ratio)
Kyle Lohse, Cardinals
(3-1, 2.81 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 20/5 K-BB ratio)
Luis Mendoza, Royals
(4-0, 0.54 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 16/3 K-BB ratio)
Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
(2-0, 1.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 9/6 K-BB ratio)
Josh Beckett, Red Sox
(2-0, 0.95 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 10/8 K-BB ratio)
Wade LeBlanc, Marlins
(1-1, 1.31 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, 19/2 K-BB ratio)
Aroldis Chapman, Reds
(2-0, 2.12 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 18/2 K-BB ratio)
Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.
