New York Yankees: 7 Yankees Who Will Be 2012 All-Stars

The re-signing of veteran starting pitcher Freddy Garcia may have been the last major transaction for the New York Yankees this offseason.

What if it is?  This roster is stacked with All-Stars.

Eight Yankees were involved in the 2011 MLB All-Star Game.  A couple didn't play because of injuries, while the others participated in either starting or reserve roles.

In 2012, New York will have at least seven representatives.

SP: CC Sabathia

All-Stars are selected based on players' performances over the regular season's first three months.  That was convenient for left-handed ace CC Sabathia, who was at his best early in the year.

For the third consecutive season, Sabathia was an essential contributor to the New York Yankees.

He cruised into the mid-summer break with a 13-4 record and 2.72 earned run average.  He also ranked second in the majors with 145.2 innings pitched.

Thankfully, the Yankees worked out a contract extension to keep him in the Bronx through 2016.

Because durability is never a concern with him, the big guy should be considered a lock to take part in the 2012 festivities in Kansas City.

RP: Mariano Rivera

Legendary closer Mariano Rivera is similarly guaranteed a spot on the American League roster.

Aside from benefiting from his own talent, he'll likely be chosen by default by AL manager Ron Washington.  There just aren't many alternatives to Mo.

Jonathan Papelbon was signed earlier this month by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Neftali Feliz is moving to the Texas Rangers' starting rotation and former Minnesota Twin Joe Nathan is replacing him.  Nathan is coming off a poor 2011 campaign in which he posted pedestrian numbers even when healthy.

Jose Valverde of the Detroit Tigers has always been a risky play because of his control issues.

Cleveland's Chris Perez was underwhelming toward the end of last season.  Nobody can say with confidence that he'll regain his all-star form (that is, if you thought he was actually deserving of his 2011 selection).

Although well past his 40th birthday, Rivera won't be denied this perennial honor.

2B: Robinson Cano

I apologize, Robinson Cano.  Perhaps I waited a couple slides too long to show you some love.

Currently, Cano is this team's best position player.

He is an exceptional contact and power hitter, and a unique defensive talent.  He even added aggressive baserunning to his repertoire in 2011, stealing eight bases.

Cano was very productive despite spending the majority of the season in the No. 5 spot of the batting order.  He didn't have much protection behind him and opposing pitchers threw him a lot of tough pitches that he frequently chased out of the strike zone. This is the principal reason for his career-high 96 strikeouts.

Second base is a competitive position in the American League.

Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox) and Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers) will fiercely contend for the starting spot, but ultimately lose to Cano.

CF: Curtis Granderson

Surprise American League MVP candidate Curtis Granderson tore through all challengers en route to a 2011 All-Star selection.

He isn't the complete player that Robinson Cano is.  Nonetheless, Granderson has the speed and home run ability to separate himself from the pack.

I don't necessarily envision him starting ahead of Jacoby Ellsbury, Josh Hamilton or Jose Bautista.

However, barring a severe regression, there will be room for him.

C: Russell Martin

Catcher Russell Martin was far better than advertised in his first season with the Yankees.

His defensive prowess and age assure that he'll remain with the organization for years to come.

His chances of repeating as an All-Star, though, will be hindered by his inconsistency at the plate. Although his total of 18 home runs was impressive for his number of plate appearances, his batting average—and more importantly his OPS—was irregular.

Still, I foresee him ranking among the top three AL backstops through early July, which is all that's required for him to be selected.

1B: Mark Teixeira

Once again, first baseman Mark Teixeira posted a suspiciously low batting average (.248) this past season.

His strikeout total was not particularly high.  Rather, it seemed that opposing defenses continued to rob him of base hits by making the appropriate shift to the right side of the field.

Teixeira would be a shoo-in for the MLB All-Star Game if he wasn't so pull-happy and predictable against right-handed pitchers.

Luckily, Teixeira has proven to be one of baseball's smoothest infielders and top sluggers.  Those well known truths should put him in the mix with Boston's Adrian Gonzalez and Detroit's Miguel Cabrera for the starting spot.

However, if superstar Albert Pujols migrates to the American League, I won't be able to make the same claim.

SS: Derek Jeter

New York Yankees longtime captain Derek Jeter has enough left in the tank to make the trip to Kauffman Stadium on July 10, 2012.  That's honestly all that matters.

His on-field performance—good or bad—won't put his All-Star roster spot in jeopardy.

Last year, for example, Jeter struggled throughout the first half of the season, but was still chosen to start at shortstop by participating fans.

He is one of the game's immortals and so long as he is on the All-Star ballot, people will support him.

To his credit, Jeter played well after returning from a mid-year stint on the disabled list.  Paired with the fact that the American League lacks outstanding shortstops, his remaining ability might be enough to merit a 2012 selection.

In all honesty, though, his past heroics will get him in.  While Jeter's accomplishments over 16 prior seasons shouldn't be considered credentials in his case to start the Midsummer Classic, in the minds of millions of fans, they are.