Zach’s 2009 AL All-Star Roster

Since the American League is once again wholly superior (seriously, one could make the argument that any of the top four teams in the East could win four out of the other five divisions, the West being the exception with the Dodgers) and the league I know better than the back of my hand, here’s my best shot at devising what should be true the 2009 AL All-Star Game Roster complete with nine starting position players, six starting pitchers, six closers and 13 reserves:
C- Joe Mauer (.392/.467/.667, 14 HR, 44 RBI)
Not much debate here. While Victor Martinez has had a nice year, Mauer is the first legitimate threat to breaking the .400 mark since Tony Gwynn.
1B- Kevin Youkilis (.314/.439/.593, 14 HR, 47 RBI)
While all three will land on the team, the starting gig for first base in the AL is the tightest race for any position. One could make a case for Mark Teixeira, Justin Morneau or Kevin Youkilis. Even with bias aside, I’ll give the slight edge to Youkilis- his OBP and SLG trump both players and his HR/RBI total would have been higher had he not missed a few weeks with injury.
2B- Aaron Hill (.301/.341/.504, 19 HR, 56 RBI)
The competition here between Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia and Aaron Hill was a difficult one to figure out. While Pedroia has both beat by 30+ points in OBP and holds the defensive edge, Kinsler and Hill both have 19 HR and a high SLG. I’ll go with Hill in the end- he’s above-average defensively (unlike Kinsler), hits for power and has been one of the main reasons the Blue Jays finished the first half in the thick of the race.
SS- Jason Bartlett (.362/.401/.560, 7 HR, 36 RBI)
It’s been an incredible year for Bartlett, a former offensive afterthought who would have a legit shot at a batting title had Joe Mauer never been born. He’s due for a second half slide, but rewarding Bartlett with a starting nod is deserved. Unfortunately, Derek Jeter has that locked up as long as he’s in pinstripes. Bartlett is also a plus defender.
3B- Evan Longoria (.297/.377/.558, 16 HR, 63 RBI)
While the Chosen One has been bothered by a troubling hamstring that has slowed his otherworldly start, Longoria is still the easy choice here. He’s the main reason the Rays lead all of baseball in runs and those numbers should spike once he plays Boston more.
OF- Ichiro Suzuki (.370/.403/.500, 6 HR, 20 RBI)
Just when you think Ichiro might be slowing down, he pulls out a .370 with 114 hits in the first three months of the season. Ichiro is also fourth in OBP and fifth in SB in the league, playing tremendous defense along the way.
OF- Torii Hunter (.304/.382/.570, 17 HR, 59 RBI)
Normally players begin to hit the wall during their age-33 seasons. For Hunter, he’s experiencing a career year. Always a solid offensive player and overrated defender, Hunter is putting up the totals to match the $18 million the Angels are paying him this season, a sentence I never thought I would be writing two years ago.
OF- Jason Bay (.262/.370/.535, 19 HR, 69 RBI)
His numbers have taken a precipitous dive as of late, but Bay still deserves a starting job with 19 HR, 69 RBI and a bat that carried the first-place Red Sox through April and May. With a career .892 OPS and .280 AVG, Bay is performing right along with his career totals, while he’s due to set high marks in power numbers and to receive a shiny new contract.
C- Victor Martinez (.313/.393/.523, 14 HR, 57 RBI)
Martinez’ career renaissance has been one of the few bright spots this season for the last-place Tribe.
C- Mike Napoli (.292/.373/.508, 10 HR, 29 RBI)
Got any better ideas for the third catcher? The Angels have finally granted Napoli 200+ AB in a half, and he’s responded with an .884 OPS.
1B- Justin Morneau (.309/.389/.574, 19 HR, 64 RBI)
Morneau and Mauer have turned into the most feared power/average combo is all of baseball. This quiet Canadian is on his way to another MVP-caliber campaign.
1B- Mark Teixeira (.274/.381/.559, 20 HR, 60 RBI)
Mr. Leigh Teixeira rode an incredibly hot mid-first half streak to garnering an All-Star appearance. He can also flash the leather, a trait Teixeira shares with the other one-baggers on this squad.
2B- Ian Kinsler (.263/.339/.513, 19 HR, 51 RBI)
Kinsler deserves the final second base nod ahead of Pedroia and his .757 OPS. The OBP is lacking, but Kinsler has responded with an explosive power bat.
SS- Derek Jeter (.307/.381/.447, 9 HR, 32 RBI)
Captain Intangibles doesn’t deserve to start over Bartlett. Still, he’s put up a damn good offensive year for the Yankees right in line with his career numbers while most expected more of a decline in 2009.
3B- Michael Young (.315/.367/.498, 10 HR, 30 RBI)
Changing positions hasn’t affected Michael Young. Those numbers are par for his career course.
3B- Brandon Inge (.275/.367/.521, 18 HR, 52 RBI)
He’s always possessed sneaky power, but Brandon Inge projected to hit 38 HR? Really?
OF- Adam Jones (.300/.355/.502, 12 HR, 44 RBI)
He’s a plus defender. His bat has exploded like most scouts expected. Every Mariners fan just groaned.
OF- Jermaine Dye (.291/.360/.558, 18 HR, 48 RBI)
Yet another quality season for Dye in Chicago. He ranks third in the AL in SLG and OPS.
OF- Johnny Damon (.288/.364/.533, 15 HR, 47 RBI)
Yankee Stadium’s inviting right-field porch has been kind to Judas, who has knocked a fair share of clutch homers for the Yanks in the first half and deserves a spot on the team.
OF- Ben Zobrist (.297/.419/.632, 16 HR, 46 RBI)
Long considered a career pine-rider, Zobrist has put up a .632 SLG and 16 HR out of nowhere for the Rays. His position flexibility makes him super valuable to Joe Maddon.
OF- Nelson Cruz (.264/.331/.532, 19 HR, 47 RBI)
Cruz benefits from the extension of the All-Star roster from 32 to 33 players. Leading all AL OF in HR (tied with Bay) doesn’t hurt either.
SP- Zack Greinke (1.95 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 18 BB/104 K, .235 BAA)
Greinke is my choice as AL starter. He raced off to a record-breaking start, but has since cooled down to the tune of an ERA under two and 10 wins for the disappointing Royals. His ERA was 0.84 on May 30 and should be one of the top pitchers in the game for years to come.
SP- Roy Halladay (2.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 14 BB/95 K, .246 BAA)
Doc is another obvious choice for Joe Maddon. The consummate professional is once again leading the Jays staff in every statistical category and is fourth in the AL in ERA.
SP- Edwin Jackson (2.49 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 29 BB/84 K, .214 BAA)
Can you think of the Rays staff last season had Jackson experienced this breakout season in 2008? The change of scenery has done the 25-year old wonders, putting up a shiny ERA and impressive BAA for the first-place Tigers.
SP- Dallas Braden (3.13 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 28 BB/67 K, .257 BAA)
Someone from Oakland has to go, folks. He’s limited LHB to a .184 AVG and .472 OPS, so he could be somewhat of a lefty specialist for Maddon (I know that sounds stupid). Braden has not surrendered more than three runs in a start since May 16.
SP- Felix Hernandez (2.54 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 32 BB/107 K, .233 BAA)
Felix has finally put it all together for the M’s. His 2.54 ERA is easily a career high, while his strikeout rate is still phenomenal.
SP- Kevin Millwood (2.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 39 BB/74 K, .242 BAA)
Who the hell expected this from Kevin Millwood in Texas? The 34-year old posted a 5.04 ERA a season ago and now he’s a top-flight AL starter. Remember he’s done this before: in 2005, he sandwiched a 2.86 ERA around many mediocre seasons.
SP- Jered Weaver (3.10 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 33 BB/86 K, .223 BAA)
Stepping in as the Angels ace for the banged-up Lackey, Santana and Escobar has been Jered Weaver. He posted a 2.09 ERA in early June before experiencing a rough patch as of late.
RP- Mariano Rivera (2.76 ERA, 20/21 SV, 0.95 WHIP, 3 BB/40 K)
This one is a shocker. Only one blown save for Rivera this year thanks to Jason Bay.
RP- Jonathan Papelbon (1.80 ERA, 20/22 SV, 1.34 WHIP, 17 BB/34 K)
While he hasn’t been lights out (check the peripherals), he’s still an All-Star with 20 saves and a low ERA.
RP- Joe Nathan (1.44 ERA, 21/23 SV, 0.77 WHIP, 6 BB/39 K)
He’s the best closer in baseball yet again.
RP- David Aardsma (1.45 ERA, 16/17 SV, 1.18 WHIP, 22 BB/47 K)
He’s always had the stuff. This year, Aardsma is finally putting it to use and has taken over the Mariners closer job permanently. I still wouldn’t fully trust him, but he’s certainly deserving of a spot on the team. He could be this year’s biggest snub.
RP- Bobby Jenks (3.14 ERA, 19/21 SV, 1.05 WHIP, 6 BB/28 K)
The strikeouts are back to normal levels for Jenks and he’s having a nice year as White Sox closer.
RP- Brian Fuentes (3.49 ERA, 23/26 SV, 1.24 WHIP, 9 BB/30 K)
After a disappointing April and May, Fuentes didn’t allow a run in June and leads the AL in saves.
Apologies to: Miguel Cabrera, Russell Branyan, Carlos Pena, Robinson Cano, Carl Crawford, Juan Rivera, Mark Buehrle, Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander, Nick Blackburn, Matt Garza, Andrew Bailey.