MLB: Biggest 2011 All-Star Game Roster Mistakes

Like each year before, the 2011 MLB All-Star roster is not without controversy and mistakes. Whether it be from the ballot acting as a popularity contest, managers favoring their own players, or just simply a lack of knowledge, there are a number of guys who should not even sniff the All-Star game and guys who, for some inexcusable reason, get overlooked.

In case you missed it, here is the current roster for the game:

American League

Starters
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox
2B: Robinson Cano, Yankees
3B: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
SS: Derek Jeter, Yankees
OF: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
OF: Curtis Granderson, Yankees
OF: Josh Hamilton, Rangers
DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox
C: Alex Avila, Tigers

Reserves
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B: Howard Kendrick, Angels
3B: Adrian Beltre, Rangers
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians
OF: Michael Cuddyer, Twins
OF: Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox
OF: Matt Joyce, Rays
OF: Carlos Quentin, White Sox
DH: Michael Young, Rangers
C: Russell Martin, Yankees
C: Matt Wieters, Orioles

Pitchers
RHP: Josh Beckett, Red Sox
RHP: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
LHP: David Price, Rays
RHP: James Shields, Rays
RHP: Justin Verlander, Tigers
RHP: Jered Weaver, Angels
LHP: C.J. Wilson, Rangers
LHP: Gio Gonzalez, Athletics
RHP: Aaron Crow, Royals
RHP: Brandon League, Mariners
RHP: Chris Perez, Indians
RHP: Mariano Rivera, Yankees
RHP: Jose Valverde, Tigers

Final vote candidates:

Adam Jones, Alex Gordon, Paul Konerko, Victor Martinez, Ben Zobrist

National League

Starters
1B: Prince Fielder, Brewers
2B: Rickie Weeks, Brewers
SS: Jose Reyes, Mets
3B: Placido Polanco, Phillies
OF: Lance Berkman, Cardinals
OF: Ryan Braun, Brewers
OF: Matt Kemp, Dodgers
C: Brian McCann, Braves

Reserves
1B: Gaby Sanchez, Marlins
1B: Joey Votto, Reds
2B: Brandon Phillips, Reds
3B: Chipper Jones, Braves
SS: Starlin Castro, Cubs
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
OF: Jay Bruce, Reds
OF: Matt Holliday, Cardinals
OF: Hunter Pence, Astros
OF: Justin Upton, D-backs
C: Yadier Molina, Cardinals

Pitchers
RHP: Matt Cain, Giants
RHP: Roy Halladay, Phillies
LHP: Cole Hamels, Phillies
RHP: Jair Jurrjens, Braves
LHP: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
LHP: Cliff Lee, Phillies
RHP: Tim Lincecum, Giants
RHP: Ryan Vogelsong, Giants
RHP: Heath Bell, Padres
RHP: Tyler Clippard, Nationals
RHP: Joel Hanrahan, Pirates
LHP: Jonny Venters, Braves
RHP: Brian Wilson, Giants

Final vote candidates:

Shane Victorino, Michael Morse, Andre Ethier, Ian Kennedy, Todd Helton

No Andrew McCutchen (and Bourn and Victorino)

In no way should Andrew McCutchen be snubbed from the All-Star game. Not only were voters clueless, but so were Bruce Bochy and Major League Baseball itself. He wasn't among the top 15 in votes in the last update even though one of the worst players, Raul Ibanez, was.

Bochy continued the trend by not naming him as a reserve. Lastly, MLB did not even bother to include him in the Final Vote.

The best player on a resurgent Pittsburgh Pirates team, the centerfielder has been great both offensively and defensively. His .392 wOBA is fifth best among NL outfielders. Tacking on his great defense, it's led to 4.6 WAR (Fangraphs), behind only Jose Reyes in the entire National League among position players.

Right fielder Lance Berkman, while better offensively, is nowhere near the defender McCutchen is. His poor defense cancels out the offensive edge and then some, leading to 2.6 WAR this season.

Carlos Beltran has a very similar triple slash line as McCutchen, but is no longer a significant threat on the bases. His drop in speed over the years also has hurt his defense.

Hunter Pence may not even be the most deserving All-Star in his own outfield let alone the entire National League. Michael Bourn's 3.4 WAR trumps Pence's 2.2. Where Bourn lacks the power of Pence, he more than makes up for it with his speed and defense.

While Jay Bruce has tremendous power, his struggles to get on base consistently (.335 OBP) and weaker defense has weighed him down, producing only 1.5 WAR.

Shane Victorino, who has been very similar to McCutchen this season, is also more deserving than Beltran, Pence, Bruce, and Berkman. His 4.2 WAR, despite playing less games, is good for third among NL outfielders. But at least he's on the Final Vote ballot.

Derek Jeter Is No Longer an All-Star

Derek Jeter's days as an All-Star should be over. Unfortunately, he's still hugely popular in New York and a household name. He's been anemic at the plate hitting .260/.324/.324 and below-average defensively.

He's currently 12th in WAR for American League shortstops. Jhonny Peralta, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Alexei Ramirez were the most deserving.

Another Yankee Infielder Who Doesn't Quite Deserve It

Speaking of Yankee infielders who do not deserve to be starting, Robinson Cano's flashy baseball card stats were enough to get the nod at second base. His .369 wOBA, second among AL second basemen, is impressive, but his below average defense is well behind the top guys at the position.

Defensive stalwarts Ben Zobrist, Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler, and Howie Kendrick have also been good offensively, posting wOBAs near Cano's primarily due to their better on-base percentages. All four posted higher WAR than Cano.

At least Kendrick was named as a reserve and Zobrist is among the final five for the last spot.

Three AL Catchers. Why Russell Martin?

Fortunately, the more deserving Alex Avila beat out Russell Martin for the starting spot. Matt Wieters also pretty much had to be chosen.

He's leading the Orioles' in WAR and is closer to the top of his position than their other candidates such as Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, and Zach Britton.

It boils down to selecting Martin as a third catcher rather than any other snubbed position player.

Brandon League, Chris Perez, and Jose Valverde

Apparently the arbitrary statistic known as saves still holds a lot of water in Ron Washington's eyes. Just because a player is the beneficiary of a manager's decision to label him as closer, doesn't instantly make him better than other non-closer relievers.

Brandon League's 3.48 ERA or 5.6 K/9 aren't impressive. Due to good control and ground-ball tendencies, his 2.7 FIP and 3.28 xFIP are at least more respectable.

Jose Valverde has better strikeout numbers than League but it comes with no control. Walking almost five batters per nine innings while striking out almost nine is not a good ratio. His 3.91 FIP and 4.03 xFIP have led to a measly 0.1 WAR.

Chris Perez's strikeout to walk ratio is even worse. His 1.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio results from the bad combination of not striking out that many, while walking way too many.

Fortunately for him, only one of his many fly balls have landed on the other side of the fence, a trend that probably won't continue. Even though his ERA is a respectable 2.37, a 3.63 FIP and 4.81 xFIP are not.

There are a number of relievers who have been more impressive. Three closers not selected, Sergio Santos, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jordan Walden, each have more than 1.0 WAR.

Other non-closers who have been more impressive: David Robertson, Daniel Bard, Vinnie Pestano, Jim Johnson, and Al Alburquerque.

Personally, I would have added either CC Sabathia or Dan Haren.

A Couple of Other Small AL Changes

I'm not sure how Matt Joyce made it on the team instead of his more deserving teammate, Ben Zobrist.

Joyce got off to a hot start, but has cooled down considerably. His .380 wOBA beats out Zobrist's .357, but Zobrist is a top defender at both second base and outfield, whereas Joyce is an average defender in right field. The gap in defense creates a significant 1.6 WAR between the two.

Carlos Quentin is another player where two of his teammates would have been a wiser decision. Alexei Ramirez, one of the top shortstops in the AL, leads the team in WAR, and power-hitting Paul Konerko is among the team's position players in the statistic.

NL Third Base

Not only do I think the fans made the mistake for the starting third basemen, Bochy compounds it by making an even worse selection for the backup. I think Pablo Sandoval, Chase Headley, or Ryan Roberts would have been choices for each spot.

Sandoval has the second highest WAR at the position, even after playing almost 40 fewer games than most of his counterparts. His offseason, slim-down effort has helped him rebound both offensively and defensively. from last year's abysmal performance.

Headley has not gotten much attention, but his .362 wOBA is actually tops at the position among those with at least 140 plate appearances. That number would be even higher if he was not playing half his games at Petco Park.

Chipper is a shell of his former self. His .328 wOBA is a career low by a pretty wide margin. His lack of speed is a liability on the bases and is reducing his range defensively.