2011 All-Star Game Selections and Thoughts

The American League and National League All Star teams were announced on TBS on Sunday, so let’s take a look at the starters, reserves, and who got snubbed from this year’s game.

National League

Starters

C: Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves

1B: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers

2B: Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers

SS: Jose Reyes, New York Mets

3B: Placido Polanco, Philadelphia Phillies

OF: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

OF: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers

OF: Lance Berkman, St. Louis Cardinals

Reserves

Catchers: Yadier Molina

Infielders: Chipper Jones, Gaby Sanchez, Troy Tulowitzki, Starlin Castro, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips

Outfielders: Hunter Pence, Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, Jay Bruce, Justin Upton

Pitchers: Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong, Jair Jurrjens, Clayton Kershaw, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Tyler Clippard, Jonny Venters, Joel Hanrahan, Heath Bell, Brian Wilson.

Final Vote Spot: Todd Helton, Andre Ethier, Michael Morse, Ian Kennedy, Shane Victorino

Thoughts

When I heard Andrew McCutchen didn’t make the All-Star team, I thought it was a joke. Then when I saw he wasn’t even part of the final fan vote, I thought it was a disgrace. Both the players and Bruce Bochy in this case really disgraced themselves by not including McCutchen on the team.

McCutchen is the best all-around center fielder in baseball right now and his 4.7 WAR is third in baseball. Not third in the NL, but third in all of baseball. If McCutchen was on the New York Yankees, Randy Levine would have slapped an injunction on Major League Baseball.

Vogelsong over Tommy Hanson? No thanks.

Other than those two omissions, I thought the fans, players, and Bochy did a pretty good job in putting together this year’s team. I would guess that since the game is being played in Arizona this year, Upton will get the call at DH for the NL.

With all due respect to Helton, Morse, Ethier and Kennedy, they don’t stand a chance against Victorino in the final vote ballet. Victorino will win this as easily as hitters pound John Lackey.

American League

Starters

C: Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers

1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox

2B: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

SS: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

3B: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

OF: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

OF: Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees

OF: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays

DH: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

Reserves

Catchers: Matt Wieters, Russell Martin

Infielders: Miguel Cabrera, Asdrubal Cabrera, Howie Kendrick, Adrian Beltre, Michael Young

Outfielders: Michael Cuddyer, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matthew Joyce, Carlos Quentin

Pitchers: C.J. Wilson, Justin Verlander, Josh Beckett, Felix Hernandez, Brandon League, Jered Weaver, James Shields, David Price, Gio Gonzalez, Jose Valverde, Chris Perez, Mariano Rivera, Aaron Crow

Final Vote Spot: Alex Gordon, Victor Martinez, Paul Konerko, Adam Jones, Ben Zobrist

Thoughts

 I have come to accept that Jeter has reached Ozzie Smith status, where no matter how mediocre he is during the first half of the season, as long as his name is on the ballot, he will get voted in. Cabrera would have been a better choice, but other than that, the fans did a great job in voting for the AL starters.

I am in shock that Avila, who deserved to start, got the vote over Martin. Good job by the fans there.

The AL position player reserves are pretty weak. Cuddyer, Young, and Kendrick? Yuck.

I would have gone with Zobrist over Kendrick at second. Zobrist offers a lot more flexibility in the field and once Weaver was named to the team, the Angels didn’t need another representative.

The fact that Martin and Wieters are on the AL All-Star team should tell you the state of catching affairs in the AL. It’s pretty ugly.

In regards to their pitching staff, the AL might be in some trouble. Verlander, Shields and Hernandez are all slated to pitch on the Sunday before the All-Star game, so they are ineligible to pitch in the Midsummer Classic. Both Jon Lester and CC Sabathia are slated to pitch Sunday as well, so they couldn’t be added as replacements either.

Look for Alexi Ogando, Dan Haren, Michael Pineda or Philip Humber to be added to the team as replacements.