Picking the Under-25 MLB All-Star Team for 2015
From Bryce Harper to Gerrit Cole, 2015 has been the year of the rising star in MLB.
As a result, there are all sorts of options for the under-25 MLB All-Star team. Usually, a roster for an All-Star clash consists of 34 players. However, since there is an age restriction for this squad, the roster has been sliced to just 25 to ensure that only the best of the best make the cut.
Since this is a 2015 All-Star team, the only factor that mattered in the selection process was each player's production in the opening months of the campaign.
The roster consists of 15 position players and just 10 pitchers because the club is set up to compete in only a single exhibition game. Unlike the actual All-Star roster, all 30 teams aren't represented here by virtue of only featuring 25 players.
While catcher and first base were by far the weakest spots on this team, there's no question that third base offered the fiercest competition. In order to get as many deserving stars into the starting lineup as possible, some creative maneuvering was required.
Catcher
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The Starter: Mike Zunino, Seattle Mariners
Mike Zunino's .158 average is flat-out ugly, but the reality is that the Seattle Mariners backstop is the best option in a supremely underwhelming group of candidates.
The 24-year-old might not be hitting his weight, but he has cracked seven home runs for the M's. Zunino is also the most valuable catcher in baseball, according to FanGraphs' calculations of defensive runs saved.
1st Base
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The Starter: Maikel Franco, Philadelphia Phillies
With slim pickings at first base, Maikel Franco gets the nod at this spot.
The Philadelphia Phillies rookie generally patrols the hot corner at Citizens Bank Park, but he did line up for five games at first in 2014. Either way, his bat definitely warrants a spot in the starting lineup.
With 10 bombs in 37 games, the 22-year-old is the best full-time first-year player no one ever talks about. On June 22, the right-handed batter turned in a historically impressive day, as he cracked two home runs as part of a four-hit game. The Elias Sports Bureau reported Franco is the youngest Phillies player to accomplish that feat since 1900, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
2nd Base
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The Starter: Joe Panik, San Francisco Giants
There was no lack of options for this position.
Devon Travis and Kolten Wong were in the mix, but there's no way to ignore the season that Joe Panik is having. The second-year player leads all National League second basemen in OPS (.829) and has racked up 27 extra-base hits in 69 contests.
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Shortstop
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The Starter: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
In what has been a train wreck of a season for the Boston Red Sox, Xander Bogaerts has been one of the few bright spots.
The 22-year-old Aruban, who owns a .287 average, is the logical pick here. Among all shortstops under 25, Bogaerts leads the way with a WAR of 1.7, per FanGraphs.
3rd Base
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The Starter: Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
Even with Maikel Franco already out of the mix thanks to his switch to first, this is the most loaded position on the diamond.
Right at the top of the list of potential starters are Baltimore's Manny Machado, Colorado's Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs. While Bryant has garnered the most buzz this season, the final decision comes down to Arenado and Machado.
Since both Arenado (.908 OPS and 19 home runs) and Machado (.884 OPS and 14 home runs) have been crushing it at the plate, the tie-breaker is defense. While Machado has saved six runs in the field, Arenado has saved 16, per FanGraphs.
As a result, Arenado gets the start at third. Machado loses out here, but that doesn't mean that he gets left out in the cold altogether.
Left Field
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The Starter: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
With 18 jacks and the eighth-best OPS in the bigs, there was no way Mike Trout was getting left out of the starting lineup.
However, as is so often the case during All-Star Games, the outfielder does end up playing slightly out of position. Trout gets the start in left, a position he hasn't played since 2013, because while he's an above-average outfielder, he simply can't match the prowess of the rookie who's set to play center field on this squad.
Center Field
7 of 14The Starter: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers
Joc Pederson has been a walking highlight reel in his first season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just check out the MLB.com video above for proof.
While the 23-year-old has been covering all sorts of ground in center field, he's also been doing plenty of damage at the plate. Pederson has gone yard 19 times for the Dodgers, which leads all rookies. He also checks in with a .930 OPS, which is 13th-best in the majors.
While he's starting in this lineup, it doesn't look like he'll earn the same distinction for this summer's All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Per the MLB Communications Twitter account, the lefty hitter had the sixth-most votes among NL outfielders in the latest voting update released Tuesday.
Right Field
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The Starter: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
There was no debate here.
This spot belongs to Bryce Harper. The Washington Nationals right fielder, who leads baseball in slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+, is the early front-runner to win the NL MVP Award.
He's also enjoying a historically productive season. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Harper's 24 home runs through his first 68 games is tied for the third-best output of all time for a player 22 or younger.
Designated Hitter
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The Starter: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles
It's a good thing there's always a designated hitter in the All-Star Game, because Manny Machado absolutely deserves to have a place in the starting lineup.
His skipper, Buck Showalter, sure has been impressed by the 22-year-old's season.
"He's playing with the type of controlled, reckless abandon you like to see," Showalter said, per ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. "He feels really good about his legs. It's like he's hitting off a tree now instead of hitting off a twig."
The numbers back up Showalter's assessment. Machado is batting .305 and has already launched 14 home runs, which means he's already matched his career high with more than three full months remaining in the season.
Starting Pitcher
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The Starter: Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates
Five starting pitchers made this 25-man All-Star roster, but none of them could match the kind of season that Gerrit Cole is putting up.
With a 1.78 ERA, which is the third-best in the NL, Cole isn't just the easy pick here for the start, but he has a legitimate claim to take the hill for his league at Great American Ball Park. Pitching on a $531,000 salary, the right-hander is also one of the most productive big leaguers on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
The Bench
11 of 14Just missed the cut
Before taking a look at the six position players who landed on the bench, here's a glimpse at the under-25 major leaguers who just missed the cut:
- Yasmany Tomas, 3B/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Ender Inciarte, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Joey Gallo, 3B, Texas Rangers
- Wilmer Flores, SS, New York Mets
- Randal Grichuk, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
- Yasiel Puig, RF, Los Angels Dodgers
The Bench
There's no question about it: J.T. Realmuto is the least deserving player on the bench. The problem is that someone has to be the backup catcher and the Miami Marlin is the least-worst option in an extremely limited pool of candidates.
Carlos Correa, who has appeared in just 15 games for the Houston Astros, is by far the most speculative inclusion. But in his brief time in the bigs, the 20-year-old has been playing at an All-Star clip. Correa has posted an .907 OPS and has demonstrated unreal athleticism at shortstop, as you can see in the MLB.com video above.
- Mookie Betts, CF, Boston Red Sox
- J.T. Realmuto, C, Miami Marlins
- Kolten Wong, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals
- Devon Travis, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays
- Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
- Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros
The Bullpen
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The Bullpen
Since this team is set up to play just a single exhibition, the bullpen consists of all the pitchers not named Gerrit Cole.
First, here's a look at the four other starting pitchers who made the cut:
- Michael Wacha, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
- Carlos Martinez, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
- Shelby Miller, RHP, Atlanta Braves
- Nick Martinez, RHP, Texas Rangers
With a 1.99 ERA for the Atlanta Braves, Shelby Miller earned the right to be the second pitcher into the game for this squad.
If an injury replacement were to be needed, Carlos Rodon of the Chicago White Sox, Alex Wood of the Braves and Trevor Bauer of the Cleveland Indians would be the top options.
Now, here's a rundown of the five relievers who snagged spots on the roster:
- Chasen Shreve, LHP, New York Yankees
- Ken Giles, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
- Brandon Maurer, RHP, San Diego Padres
- Roberto Osuna, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
- Jack Leathersich, LHP, New York Mets
Jack Leathersich grabs the final spot in the pen thanks in part to the fact that he's left-handed and subsequently provides the staff with a second southpaw.
With the Mets reliever landing the final relief gig, Carter Capps of the Miami Marlins, Keone Kela of the Texas Rangers and Yimi Garcia of the Los Angeles Dodgers all ended up getting axed from the roster.
The Starting Lineup
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- Joc Pederson, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Manny Machado, DH, Baltimore Orioles
- Bryce Harper, RF, Washington Nationals
- Mike Trout, LF, Los Angeles Angels
- Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies
- Maikel Franco, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
- Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants
- Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox
- Mike Zunino, C, Seattle Mariners
- Gerrit Cole, SP
The Under-25 MLB All-Star Team 25-Man Roster
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Pitchers (10)
- Gerrit Cole, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Michael Wacha, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
- Carlos Martinez, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
- Shelby Miller, RHP, Atlanta Braves
- Nick Martinez, RHP, Texas Rangers
- Ken Giles, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
- Chasen Shreve, LHP, New York Yankees
- Brandon Maurer, RHP, San Diego Padres
- Jack Leathersich, LHP, New York Mets
- Roberto Osuna, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
Position Players (15)
- Mike Zunino, C, Seattle Mariners
- Maikel Franco, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
- Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants
- Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox
- Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies
- Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
- Joc Pederson, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Bryce Harper, RF, Washington Nationals
- Manny Machado, DH/3B, Baltimore Orioles
- Mookie Betts, CF, Boston Red Sox
- Kolten Wong, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals
- Devon Travis, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays
- Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
- Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros
- J.T. Realmuto, C, Miami Marlins
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and FanGraphs. All videos courtesy of MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on BaseballProspectus.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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