MLB All-Star Game 2012: A Revised National League All-Star Ballot

Major League Baseball kicked off its annual fan voting campaign in April for the 2012 All-Star Game, to be held in Kansas City on July 10. Turns out that this year, the ushers have been instructed to use the slogan "Vote or Die" when giving ballpark patrons the option to vote.

OK, I'm just kidding about the South Park reference. But usually the voting process turns out to be more about popularity than choosing the players who truly deserve to be there.

As a result, the starting shortstop in the game could be flirting with the Mendoza Line, but would be chosen because he won Rookie of the Year five years ago.

Since we can't stop fan voting all together, I say we use a little bit of intelligence at the polls this year. Don't vote for all Chicago Cubs because you live on the North Side of Chicago. Instead, get the best players in baseball into the game for an entertaining experience for all of us.

As I noted in my revised American League All-Star ballot, I filled out a ballot at the end of April and noticed that some changes needed to be made. Here is my second of my three annual All-Star ballots on who should represent the National League in the Midsummer Classic.

Catcher: Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia Phillies

Our first change from the April ballot comes with Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz replacing St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

Both of these guys (along with Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers, who is now out with a fractured hand) have done enough in the first two months to deserve the starting spot, but Ruiz has carried the Phillies without the help of Ryan Howard or Chase Utley.

Ruiz leads the NL in OPS among catchers at .989. He also is toward the top of the league in batting average (.358 ranks third) and has shown power, hitting eight home runs and driving in 32 runs with virtually no protection in the lineup.

Molina (.326, 8 HR, 32 RBI, .892 OPS) has similar production and it wouldn't be a complete shame if he started the game. The month of June will determine who gets my final vote right before the rosters are announced.

APRIL PICK: Molina

FANS' PICK (as of June 5): Molina

First Base: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

Dear Joey Votto,

I would like to extend my apologies for selecting Adam LaRoche to start in the All-Star Game last month. I'm not sure why I did it. Maybe it was because I was wrapped up in the Nationals about to call up Bryce Harper. Maybe it was because I wanted to be different from everyone else.

Whatever it was, I know that it offended you. If it didn't, you probably wouldn't have hit .355 with six home runs and 14 RBI in May. Plus, your Reds rose to the top of the NL Central thanks to you and your closer's efforts.

After May, you're now hitting .348 with nine bombs and 35 driven in overall. So please accept my sincerest apologies for last month, as it shouldn't happen again (unless you get hurt).

Sincerely, Chris.

APRIL PICK: LaRoche, Washington Nationals

FANS' PICK (as of June 5): Votto

Second Base: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

The race for the NL second base job has turned into something similar to what the NL third base competition was last month. It's now a three-way heat in which any of the candidates could be the winner.

There is last month's incumbent, Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros. Of the three candidates, Altuve has the least amount of power. However, he's making as big of an impact as the other two thanks to his OPS (.843) and his four triples on the season.

Dan Uggla of the Atlanta Braves is also making a push. Uggla hit five of his 10 home runs in the month of May and is capable of getting on a hot streak at any time to improve his current line of .272 with 10 home runs and 37 runs batted in.

The guy who was traded to the Marlins for Uggla is doing a nice job as well. Omar Infante could make his second All-Star appearance, as he's hitting .303 with six home runs and 20 runs batted in. However, his lack of walks (six this season) make selecting him a bit concerning.

For now, I'm sticking with Altuve because of the spark he's given the Astros. Then again, if Uggla goes nuts, the job could be his.

APRIL PICK: Altuve

FANS PICK (as of June 5): Uggla

Shortstop: Jed Lowrie, Houston Astros

I must be digging the Houston Astros for some absurd reason, but I can't disagree with the notion of starting Jed Lowrie at shortstop for the National League.

While Rafael Furcal (.313, 5 HR, 26 RBI for St. Louis) and Troy Tulowitzki (.287, 8 HR, 27 RBI for Colorado) have had solid a solid first-half, Lowrie has matched them blow for blow with a .283 average, nine home runs and 23 runs batted in.

Lowrie's performance has made the Mark Melancon trade look like a total bust for the Boston Red Sox and he's another reason the Astros (who were picked to finish at the bottom of baseball) are still flirting with .500.

A groin injury to Tulowitzki has opened the door for someone else, and unless Furcal can make a late charge through it, I'll have to go to Lowrie who is finally showing what he can be when he stays healthy.

APRIL PICK: Furcal

FANS' PICK (as of June 5): Tulowitzki

Third Base: David Wright, New York Mets

The three-way race for the NL third base spot has turned into a landslide. It seems like David Wright of the New York Mets has pulled his best Secretariat impersonation and has left both Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants and David Freese of the St. Louis Cardinals in the dust.

While the other two have had their downfalls (such as Sandoval breaking a bone in his hand and Freese hitting just .211 in the month of May), Wright has continued to hit and it might have convinced Mets general manager Sandy Alderson to offer him a contract extension.

Wright's line of .359 with seven home runs and 33 runs batted in seems to have locked him into this spot unless somebody gets really hot in June.

APRIL PICK: Wright

FANS' PICK (as of June 5): Wright

Outfielder: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers

This is where I would tell you that Matt Kemp would be a lock for the NL starting outfielder spot. I'm not going to do that because Kemp's candidacy has taken a surprising turn for the worse thanks to his balky hamstring.

Kemp spent most of May on the disabled list because of his hammy and aggravated it shortly after coming off the DL on May 30 while running the bases.

If it weren't for the injuries, Kemp would be a hands-down choice for the NL outfielder spot. Kemp currently sits with a .355 average, 12 home runs and 28 runs batted in over 36 games for the NL West-leading Dodgers.

The worst part about this is that the Dodgers will not let Kemp see the field again until he's 100-percent healthy. That means that it could be after the All-Star break until we see Kemp on the field again, and that would mean that someone (like Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen) will take his place.

For now, Kemp gets the reward for a stunning April, but the Dodgers' September plans may make that a short lived selection.

APRIL PICK: Kemp

FANS' PICK (as of June 5): Kemp

Outfielder: Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies

After talking about Matt Kemp, who scorched the NL in the month of April, we'll now talk about the guy that's picked up where Kemp left off.

Carlos Gonzalez had a hot stretch toward the end of April and I had suggested in my previous piece that the streak would continue into May. Oh, has it continued.

Car-Go hit .351 with 10 home runs and 26 runs driven in for the fading Rockies in May. Prior to this week, Gonzalez went roughly two weeks without having two consecutive games without a hit.

The man is simply on fire right now and there's not too many people that could rip a starting All-Star spot away from him.

APRIL PICK: Gonzalez

FANS' PICK (as of June 5): Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals

Outfielder: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

The clamoring over Ryan Braun's failed performance-enhancing drugs test from November has died down a little bit, but there were still questions of if the whispers were going to get to him. Instead of dwelling on it, Braun had decided to keep hitting.

Braun is having a magnificent season for the injury-ravaged Milwaukee Brewers. He is hitting .306 with 14 home runs and 37 RBI for the Brewers along with 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.

There may be a lot of fans who won't vote in Braun no matter what, but the evidence that we have right now says that Braun is clean (thanks to the overturning of a 50-game suspension last February).

With that in mind, I have no problem selecting Braun to be in the All-Star game despite the allegations.

APRIL PICK: Andre Eithier, Los Angeles Dodgers

FANS' PICK (as of June 5): Braun

Starting Pitcher: Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals

There were a lot of people who were skeptical of what the Washington Nationals gave up for Gio Gonzalez last season.

Those people are now finding out what their foot tastes like. Gonzalez has had a stellar first season in Washington, going 7-2 with a 2.31 earned run average.

While there are a couple of pitchers who have better numbers than Gonzalez (Brandon Beachy of the Atlanta Braves and James McDonald of the Pittsburgh Pirates have better ERAs) their secondary numbers just don't match up to what Gonzalez has done.

Opposing hitters are batting just .172 against Gonzalez, which is tops for a starting pitcher in the NL. Gonzalez has also racked up the strikeouts on "K-Street" as he has 84 in 66.1 innings pitched.

The competition for the NL starter is far from over as there are several more pitchers (Nationals teammate Stephen Strasburg, San Francisco's Matt Cain, and New York Mets duo R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana) who pose as threats.

However, if Gonzalez can keep things going, he can add "NL All-Star Game starter" to his resume.

APRIL PICK: Strasburg

(Fans do not vote on pitchers for the All-Star Game.)

Closer: Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds

Last year I picked up a copy of Major League Baseball 2K11 for my Xbox 360. I started a franchise with the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers. Playing the opening day matchup for the Brewers, I ran into Aroldis Chapman starting for the Reds.

After experiencing his 104 mile an hour virtual fastball for six innings, I threw my own Cuban missile (aka my controller) into the wall. Needless to say that was the death of controller number five for my Xbox.

As we head back to real life, many Major League hitters are experiencing the same problem when it comes to Chapman.

Chapman has learned to take a little bit off his fastball at times and the results have been borderline flawless. Chapman has a 0.30 earned run average and has 54 strikeouts in 30 innings. Opponents are hitting .090 against him this season and have taken swings sloppier than Chapman's off-the-field problems (too soon?).

The one knock on Chapman's candidacy is that he only has six saves, as Dusty Baker recently named him the closer for the Reds. Chapman has been so dominant that saves can go in the garbage can as he will likely be the guy to put the final nail in the American League's coffin on July 10.

APRIL PICK: Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia Phillies

(Fans do not vote for pitchers in the All-Star Game.)