Cliff Eastham's MLB Rookie All-Star Team of All Time

It is not a common occurrence in the All-Star game to have a rookie on the squad. In the generations of baseball history, there have been 84 rookies named to the Midsummer Classic.

The National League (or "senior circuit," as I love to hear it called) allowed 34 rookies to appear in the festivities sans a few days off. The American League has had 50.

There obviously have been some huge names on that list.

I have taken it upon myself to choose the best rookies (not necessarily starters) to make the All-Star teams.

Let's get started.

Catcher: Mike Piazza, 1993 Los Angeles Dodgers

Piazza is unquestionably the greatest offensive catcher of all time. Anyone who disagrees should do more research.

I picked Piazza over several catchers, including Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, and Jason Kendall. The only facet of the game at which Bench was better was throwing out baserunners, at which he was twice as good.

In his rookie year Piazza posted the following numbers:

BA=.318  HR=35  RBI=112  H=174  OPS+=152

First Baseman: Albert Pujols, 2001 St. Louis Cardinals

Pujols had virtually no competition in this event. The man started with greatness from jump street and hasn't missed a beat yet. Wally Joyner and George Scott are a couple of others but cannot truly be called contenders in this competition.

In his rookie year Pujols posted the following numbers:

BA=.329  HR=37  RBI=130  H=194  OPS+=157

Second Baseman: Dan Uggla, 2006 Florida Marlins

Rod Carew was a hitting machine and still looks like he could go out and pinch-hit for someone right now. By name and career numbers, he would have been a no-brainer.  However, he was beaten statistically in his rookie year by Marlin second baseman Uggla. Willie Randolph and Steve Sax provided the other serious competition.

In his rookie year Uggla posted the following numbers:

BA=.282  HR=27  RBI=90  H=172  OPS+=112

Third Baseman: Kevin Seitzer, 1987 Kansas City Royals

Kevin Seitzer was a surprise to me at third base. I had it in my head that Rich Rollins would have the best rookie stats of anyone at that position, but I kneel embarrassingly to history. Seitzer actually led the American League in hits in his rookie campaign.

Other than Rollins, Seitzer's only competition, albeit slight, would come from Chris Sabo of the Cincinnati Reds.

In his rookie year Seitzer posted the following numbers:

BA=.323  HR=15  RBI=83  H=207  OPS+=128

Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra, 1997 Boston Red Sox

Even though he has turned out to be the MLB version of "Medical Bill" Cartwright for doing so much time on the shelf, he had a phenomenal rookie year, nearly MVP material.

His chief rival during this competition was Tom Tresh of the 1962 Yankees.

In his rookie year Nomar posted the following numbers:

BA=.306  HR=30  RBI=98  H=209  OPS+=123

Left Fielder: Frank Robinson, 1956 Cincinnati Reds

Frank Robinson stands as one of the tallest trees in the MLB forest. He hit the ground running and never looked back. It is difficult to determine the outfielders by position, but I have done the best possible job I could at it.

In his rookie year Robby posted the following numbers:

BA=.290  HR=38  RBI=83  H=166  OPS+=143

Center Fielder: Ichiro Suzuki, 2001 Seattle Mariners

Ichiro is one of the best pure hitters in the game. In his short career while here in America he has surpassed George Sisler's single-season hit record that stood for 83 years. He has had at least 206 hits in every season he has played in MLB. He beat out a fellow ROY and MVP winner in Fred Lynn.

In his rookie year Ichiro posted the following numbers:

BA=.350  HR=8  RBI=69  H=242  OPS+=126

Right Fielder: Joe DiMaggio, 1936 New York Yankees

Before anybody starts on me, let me assure you that Joe was named as a right fielder. Joltin' Joe had one of the best careers in baseball; it was just too short. His stiffest competition, if you can call it that, was from Jose Canseco.

In his rookie year DiMaggio posted the following numbers:

BA=.323  HR=29  RBI=125  H=206  OPS+=128

Pitcher: Mark Fidrych, 1976 Detroit Tigers

The "Bird" was as good as it gets when he came out of the wrapper. In fact, he was Rookie of the Year and finished second in Cy Young voting. Fernando Valenzuela was a tough second. He pitched in the shortened season of 1981 and won both Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards. I just couldn't give it to him, though, with just 13 wins.

In his rookie year Fidrych posted the following numbers:

W/L=19-9   ERA=2.34  ERA+=158