MLB All-Star Game 2012: A Very Early National League All-Star Ballot

Major League Baseball has already started their voting campaign for the 2012 All-Star Game that will take place in Kansas City on July 10. As I mentioned in my American League ballot, I'm not a fan of starting voting that early. This doesn't mean that we can't have fun and see who should be leading the race.

In my opinion, the All-Star fan voting process to determine the starters is a joke. If a player that's hitting .200 becomes a YouTube phenomenon, they instantly shoot up to be the starting position in the All-Star game. In other words, that's just not right for players who are performing well on their own merits.

The National League is not as bad as the American League when it comes to popularity voting, but the game does see its fair share of East Coast players who may not deserve it crack the lineup.

Here's a look at how I would fill out the National League All-Star ballot at the end of April.

Catcher: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is quickly becoming the best catcher in the family. Both of his brothers (Bengie and Jose) were major league catchers during their careers, but Yadier has started to become something of a hybrid.

While Bengie was more of a power hitting catcher, Jose was a defensive whiz helping more young pitchers find their way at the Major League level.

Yadier has not only got it done at the plate (hitting .321 with four home runs and 15 runs batted in entering Wednesday), but has also helped a Cardinal rotation dealing with the loss of Chris Carpenter (Lance Lynn leads the Major Leagues with four wins).

Molina will have some competition for the honor as Buster Posey (San Francisco) has returned to form after his gruesome ankle injury last May. If Molina keeps his performance up, he has my vote for the catcher position.

First Base: Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals had some difficulties scoring runs in April (15th in the National League) in the wake of the injury to Michael Morse. However, Adam LaRoche has done all he can to make up the gap.

LaRoche is hitting .314 with four home runs and 17 runs batted entering into Wednesday and is second in the National League in OPS among first baseman behind Joey Votto (Cincinnati).

The scary part about LaRoche's hot start is that he is normally a second-half hitter. Over his career, LaRoche has hit .249 during the first half, but .295 during the second half. This means that LaRoche may have found a way to get off to the hot start he's never had.

Of course that might mean he'll tail off once the weather heats up. Either way, it's likely that Votto will win the fan vote come July. However, as of now, LaRoche deserves his spot.

Second Base: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

If you would have told me there was going to be a player on the Houston Astros vying for a starting All-Star spot, I would have laughed hysterically. Jose Altuve now asks, "who's laughing now?"

Altuve has gotten off to a red-hot start for the Astros, hitting .367 with one home run and ten runs batted in. However, Altuve's claim to fame from April was his OPS where he led Aaron Hill (Arizona) by 147 points among National League second basemen (.959).

While Altuve isn't driving in runs like some of the options at second base, he's been a spark plug for the Astros at the top of the order.

Altuve is just 21 years old and could make his first of many All-Star appearances, but it's a possibility that we're looking at a small sample size. Guys like Hill or Dan Uggla (Atlanta) could catch fire and overtake Altuve by the time the official lineups are announced.

Shortstop: Rafael Furcal, St. Louis Cardinals

It seemed like Rafael Furcal had been buried on the West Coast with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his start for the St. Louis Cardinals has made it seem like he's found a Delorean to take him back to his days with the Atlanta Braves.

Furcal is first among NL shortstops in OPS entering Wednesday and has led the Cardinals to the top of the National League Central standings.

With Albert Pujols leaving (and struggling mightily in Los Angeles...must be something in the water?), some Cardinals were going to have to step up to cover the loss, and Furcal has been a huge part of that.

While he only has one home run, Furcal has been playing at an All-Star level for the Cardinals, but that could be taken away with one Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado) hot streak.

Third Base: David Wright, New York Mets

At third base, there are a ton of worthy candidates that could be the starter in the 2012 All-Star Game. For you wrestling fans out there, it has the looks of a Triple Threat match.

In one corner, there's David Wright of the New York Mets. The Mets are exceeding their expectations, but that's because people thought they would be terrible this season. Wright has exceeded his own expectations, staying healthy and hitting .395 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in.

The other contender is St. Louis Cardinals' David Freese. Freese has picked up where he left off after winning the 2011 World Series Most Valuable Player award hitting .325 with six home runs and 23 RBI for the Cardinals.

Then, we head west to find our third contender in Pablo Sandoval. The Giants usually have trouble scoring runs, but "Kung Fu Panda" began the season with a 20-game hitting streak. Sandoval has also hit .323 with five home runs and 15 runs batted in.

So with that, who deserves to start at third base for the Senior Circuit?

I believe it's David Wright. Wright is putting up solid numbers for the Mets despite hitting in a pitcher's ballpark (even after the fences were moved in). The fact that he's doing so well after several years of injuries is also something that should be rewarded when filling out a ballot.

All three guys are worthy of starting at third, but for now Wright gets the nod.

Outfield: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers

This is the easiest choice you will have to make on your National League ballot. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp has been unconscious since the season started hitting .407 with 12 home runs and 25 runs batted in.

Kemp had joked about hitting 50 home runs and getting 50 stolen bases during the offseason, but that's going to be difficult with Kemp hitting so many out of the ballpark.

It could be that Kemp is fueled by finishing second in the National League Most Valuable player voting to Ryan Braun (Milwaukee) last season, but whatever it is, he deserves to be starting in the 2012 All-Star Game.

Outfielder: Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies

Last year, Carlos Gonzalez tried to bulk up and develop more power for the Colorado Rockies. The result was a stiff swing that lead to several injuries, and while Car-Go had a solid season, it still wasn't up to the standards he set in 2010.

During the month of April, Gonzalez looks like the Car-Go of old. Entering Wednesday, Gonzalez has hit an even .300 with five home runs and 20 runs batted in. Those numbers are a bit inflated as Gonzalez has been a monster in the past 14 days (.319/5/16), but it's a safe bet to say those numbers will continue.

In a crowded National League outfielder pool, Carlos Gonzalez stands out.

Outfielder: Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers

I mentioned in the last slide that the third outfield spot for the National League has some stiff competition. Like third base, there are three candidates that caught my eye when it comes to the third outfielder spot.

The first candidate is Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. Say what you want about his offseason troubles, but that's not the reason I didn't choose him. Braun hit three home runs against the Padres on April 30, so his numbers (.292, 7 HR, 17 RBI) look a little bit inflated. Braun will be in the race as the season wears on.

The other candidate is Jay Bruce of the Cincinnati Reds. Bruce has not made an All-Star game during his career, but he's posting similar numbers to Braun (.296, 7 HR, 17 RBI). Bruce has been known to be a hot-and-cold hitter during his career, so his average could come down and that would result in numbers similar to Milwaukee's Corey Hart (.269, 6 HR, 13 RBI).

That leads me back to Los Angeles where Andre Ethier may be coming back to form. Over the past several seasons, Ethier has seen his power numbers decline. This season, they're back up as he's hit six home runs and driven in a major league-leading 27 for the Dodgers.

Ethier's numbers could come back to reality as the season goes on, but for now he leads a crowded outfielder pool for the National League.

Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals

The National League starting pitcher competition is also loaded as 15 pitchers posted an earned run average under two during the month of April.

The two pitchers that I struggled to choose between were Stephen Strasburg (Washington) and Joe Saunders (Arizona).

While Saunders is a great story as he's bounced back from two sub-par seasons in the desert, Strasburg may be the more remarkable story.

Strasburg is still less than two years removed from Tommy John surgery and he may have come back even better than he was before his injury.

Entering Wednesday, Strasburg (2-0, 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP in 32 innings) had comparable numbers to Saunders (2-1, 0.90 ERA, 0.87 WHIP in 30 innings) and plays for one of the best teams in the National League.

Strasburg deserves the nod for now, but there could be several pitchers that could challenge him for this honor before we hit July.

Closing Pitcher: Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia Phillies

Seriously, how much do the Boston Red Sox miss Jonathan Papelbon right now? Papelbon was one of the scapegoats for the Red Sox collapse last September, so he's come back possibly better than ever after taking his talents to Philadelphia.

The Phillies have to like what they've seen so far, as Papelbon is nine-for-nine in save opportunities and has a 0.82 WHIP in 11 innings. Compare that to what the Red Sox bullpen has done so far this season and they have to feel sick to their stomach.

Unlike the American League, where Mariano Rivera will get the ball no matter what, there can be an open competition for a guy to finish off the All-Star game. Right now, Jonathan Papelbon would have to be that guy.

Actually, Tony LaRussa is the National League skipper so maybe he'll use three different guys in the ninth inning. I guess you never know.