2013 MLB All-Star Roster: Breaking Down Who Should Receive the Final Vote

There are 10 players fighting for the final two spots on the 2013 MLB All-Star roster. Who is most deserving of receiving the final vote?

Here are the NL candidates, via MLB's official Twitter page:

And here are the AL candidates, via MLB's official Twitter page:

First, we'll eliminate the players that have no business making the roster. Then, we'll dive into the numbers to see who is the most deserving of the final roster spot in each league.

National League

To start out, we can eliminate a few players from contention. While he's undoubtedly a remarkable talent and possesses incredible stats, Yasiel Puig has only played in 33 games. His 132 at-bats are simply not enough to earn a spot in the All-Star Game. He'll probably start in the game next year, but a larger sample size is needed.

Hunter Pence also shouldn't be on the roster. He's batting just .265 with a pedestrian .309 OBP. According to FanGraphs, Pence is also costing the Giants one run in the field. 

Now that Pence and Puig are out of the way, the next battle is between Freddie Freeman and Adrian Gonzalez. The two first basemen are both having pretty good seasons. 

Here are Freeman's numbers:

G	AVG	OBP	SLG	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K
76	.305	.384	.459	89	16	1	9	56	35	63

And here are Gonzalez's numbers:

G	AVG	OBP	SLG	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K
85	.298	.351	.483	94	19	0	13	54	28	47

The numbers are close, but Freeman leads in nearly every meaningful statistical category. Gonzalez is the bigger name, but right now, Freeman is the better player.

Finally, there's Ian Desmond. Desmond is arguably the NL's second-best defenseman, behind Troy Tulowitzki. He's batting .278 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and a .323 OBP.

Between Freeman and Desmond, it's pretty clear that Freeman is most deserving of the final spot on the NL roster. He has the best overall stats and has done it in 43 more games than Puig has. Of the players listed, Freeman is the right choice for the final spot.

American League

The first player we can eliminate from contention is David Robertson. The setup man for the Yankees has a 2.23 ERA, which is the highest of any of his fellow Final Vote candidates. In addition, according to FanGraphs, he has a 0.9 WAR, which is the lowest of any of his fellow Final Vote candidates.

The second player we can eliminate is Tanner Scheppers. While his ERA is terrific at 1.88, he also has the lowest strikeout rate of any pitcher on the list. In addition, according to FanGraphs, he has the highest FIP at 4.39. That would suggest that his ERA is a bit of a fluke. He has also given up the most hits of his fellow Final Vote candidates.

The next three players all have legitimate cases to make for taking the final spot. 

Here are Koji Uehara's numbers:

G	W-L	SV	IP	ERA	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K
40	2-0	5	37.1	1.93	23	9	8	5	8	53

Here are Steve Delabar's numbers:

G	W-L	SV	IP	ERA	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K
35	5-1	0	40.0	1.58	28	11	7	1	22	57

And here are Joaquin Benoit's numbers:

G	W-L	SV	IP	ERA	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K
35	2-0	7	36.1	1.73	28	7	7	2	10	46

All three candidates have terrific numbers. Delabar has the best ERA, although all have sparkling ERAs to be fair. Delabar has pitched the most innings and has given up the same number of hits as Benoit, but Benoit has allowed a significantly lower amount of walks.

Uehara has ridiculous control, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is fantastic. He has the highest ERA but has also given up the fewest hits.

In reality, any three of these players can be selected, as all are having terrific seasons.

However, the best choice is Delabar. He has the lowest ERA while pitching the most innings. He is a strikeout pitcher, and while the walks are a bit high, he doesn't let it influence his effectiveness.