MLB All-Star Game 2011: How the National League Roster Should Look

With the all-star game just a few weeks away and voting ending this week, it’s time to make a last-minute push for the most deserving candidates to appear in this year’s All-Star Game, which will be played on July 12 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Building a roster will require picking the right starters, filling out positions, and  representing every team.

Starters

The first step is to tell you who you should be voting for:

C: Brian McCann, ATL (.300/.379/.512, 146 OPS+, 13 HR, 43 RBI)

1B: Prince Fielder, MIL (.305/.426/.611, 182 OPS+, 21 HR, 68 RBI)

2B: Rickie Weeks, MIL (.290/.360/.498,  134 OPS+, 14 HR, 33 RBI

3B: Chase Headley, SDP (.296/.393/.401, 130 OPS+, 2 HR, 29 RBI)

SS: Jose Reyes, NYM (.341/.385/.514, 151 OPS+, 3 HR, 32 RBI)

OF: Ryan Braun, MIL (.308/.390/.554, 157 OPS+, 16 HR, 59 RBI)

OF: Andrew McCutchen, PIT (.285/.388/.463, 140 OPS+, 10 HR, 39 RBI)

OF: Matt Kemp, LAD (.327/.416/.619, 192 OPS+, 21 HR, 60 RBI)

Team by Team

Next we need to make sure we’re pulling at least one representative from each team. The following is a team-by-team breakdown of all-stars. Teams with just one all-star who’s in the starting lineup have just that player’s name:

ATL – Jair Jurrjens, SP (10-3, 2.07 ERA, 95.2 IP, 55 K, 1.139 WHIP)

FLA – Gaby Sanchez, 1B (.301/.376/.493, 138 OPS+, 13 HR, 45 RBI)

PHI – Roy Halladay, SP (10-3, 2.40 ERA, 127.1 IP, 123 K, 1.029 WHIP)

WAS – Jordan Zimmerman, SP (5-6, 2.85 ERA, 94.2 IP, 67 K, 1.109 WHIP)

NYM –Reyes

MIL – Shaun Marcum, SP (7-2, 2.95 ERA, 94.2 IP, 86 K, 1.056 WHIP)

STL – Lance Berkman, OF (.297/.403/.578, 175 OPS+, 18 HR, 54 RBI)

CIN – Joey Votto, 1B (.318/.443/.507, 161 OPS+, 11 HR, 49 RBI)

CHC – Carlos Marmol, RP (1-2, 2.62 ERA, 1.282 WHIP, 16 SV, 11.8 K/9)

PIT – Joel Hanrahan, RP (0-1, 1,24 ERA, 0.936 WHIP, 22 SV, 7.7 K/9)

HOU – Hunter Pence, OF (.315/.356/.490, 137 OPS+, 9 HR, 52 RBI

SFG – Matt Cain, SP (7-4, 3.22 ERA, 106.1 IP, 89 K, 1.110 WHIP)

SDP – Headley

ARI – Ian Kennedy, SP (8-2, 2.90 ERA, 108.2 IP, 89 K, 1.086 WHIP)

COL – Jhoulys Chacin, SP (8-4, 2.71 ERA, 99.2 IP, 88 K, 1.084 WHIP)

LAD – Clayton Kershaw, SP (8-3, 2.93 ERA, 116.2 IP, 128 K, 1.029 WHIP

The good news is that all these players, with the possible exception of Marmol, are worthy all-stars even without the “every team gets an all-star rule.”

The Rest of the Roster

Having taken care of that piece of the puzzle, the next step is to fill in the positions. In parenthesis are the total number of players at each position, with the above players taken into account after those who haven’t been mentioned:

C (2)

Miguel Montero, ARI (.282/.355/.479, 127 OPS+, 9 HR, 39 RBI)

McCann

1B (4)

Mike Morse, WAS (.300/.352/.546, 146 OPS+, 14 HR, 45 RBI)

Fielder

Votto

Sanchez

2B (1)

Weeks

3B (2)

Ryan Roberts, ARI (.257/.343/.446, 115 OPS+, 10 HR, 33 RBI, can also play second)

Headley

SS (2)

Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.273/.334/.488, 111 OPS+, 14 HR, 50 RBI)

Reyes

OF (8)

Matt Holliday, STL (.330.432/.553, 178 OPS+, 9 HR, 39 RBI)

Justin Upton, ARI (.305/.387/.517, 146 OPS+, 12 HR, 40 RBI)

Shane Victorino, PHI (.291/.359/.498, 134 OPS+, 8 HR, 29 RBI)

Berkman

Braun

McCutchen

Kemp

Pence

P (15)

Cole Hamels, PHI (9-4, 2.49 ERA, 112 IP, 108 K, 0.955 WHIP)

Cliff Lee, PHI (8-5, 2.87 ERA, 113 IP, 114 K, 1.115 WHIP)

Kyle Lohse, STL (7-4, 2.91 ERA, 105 IP, 56 K, 1.029 WHIP)

Tommy Hanson, ATL (8-4, 2.48 ERA, 83.1 IP, 89 K, 1.032 WHIP)

Tim Lincecum, SFG (6-6, 3.16 ERA, 105.1 IP, 113 K, 1.187 WHIP)

Anibal Sanchez, FLA (6-1, 2.82 ERA, 105.1 IP, 107 K, 1.130 WHIP)

Halladay

Jurrjens

Marmol

Chacin

Kennedy

Marcum

Kershaw

Hanrahan

Zimmerman

Snubs: 

Here are the best of the rest (feel free to let me have it in the comments if you think I forgot someone):

 Michael Bourn (HOU), Danny Espinosa (WAS), Madison Bumgarner (SFG), Placido Polanco (PHI), Jay Bruce (CIN) John Lannan (WAS), Jason Marquis (WAS), Mike Stanton (FLA), Andre Ethier (LAD), JJ Putz (ARI), John Axford (MIL), Paul Maholm (PIT), Jeff Karstens (PIT), Kevin Correia (PIT), Yadier Molina (STL)

Batting Order (remember: these are the guys you should be voting for!): 

SS – Reyes

LF – Braun

RF – Kemp

1B – Fielder

DH – Berkman (yes, this game will feature a DH, even though it’s in an NL park)

CF – McCutchen

2B – Weeks

C – McCann

3B – Polanco

SP – Roy Halladay, PHI

Breakdown By Team

Phillies– 4

Brewers– 4

Diamondbacks – 4

Cardinals – 3

Braves – 3

Nationals – 2

Giants – 2

Marlins – 2

Rockies – 2

Dodgers - 2

Mets – 1

Reds – 1

Pirates - 1

Cubs - 1

Astros – 1 

Padres - 1

Final Notes:

-          Statistics are updated through Sunday, June 27.

-          Remember that Bruce Bochy is selecting this team. This means that Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum probably won’t be the only Giants at the all-star game. Something tells me that, with the whole “epic beard” promotion, Brian Wilson is virtually assured of a spot as well.

-          The selection at second and third is pretty weak this year, particularly with injuries to Chase Utley, David Wright, and Ryan Zimmerman. This makes Ryan Roberts (not even on the ballot) an important selection for Bochy, as he can play both positions.

-          Probably the most interesting snub is Jay Bruce of Cincinnati, who won Player of the Month honors in May. Bruce has hit just .225 in June, having not homered since the start of the month. He has also benefited largely from his ballpark, has he has hit just .236 away from the Great American Bandbox

-    Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee has said that he doesn't want Cole Hamels pitching in the all-star game, as Hamels has had an extra start added between now and then. This means that at least one spot has opened up. 

Come by tomorrow for the American League selections!

Update: American League Selections: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/750745-mlb-all-star-game-2011-how-the-american-league-roster-should-look