All-Star Help And Who You SHOULD Vote For In The AL
The Should's, Could's, and Should Not's in the AL
Catcher
Should: Joe Mauer.
Reason: People this is not even close. Mauer has more Home Runs than everybody else playing catcher and has been on the DL for a good chunk of the season. He leads the AL Catchers in Home Runs with 13, Batting Average with .413, and is 2nd in RBIs with 39. To not vote for him is insane. He has played better baseball than just about everyone this year.
Could: Victor Martinez
Why: He would have been a starter every other year with the stats he has. Unfortunately, Mauer's stats are just clearly better. Martinez has a .339 average with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. He should definitely be in the All-Star Game, just not as a starter as long as Mauer is healthy.
Should Not: Everyone else.
Why: If you vote for anyone besides those two and possibly Varitek and Posada since they have decent stats as well, you are what we call uneducated and biased.
1st Base
Should: Justin Morneau
Reason: Probably the hardest position in the whole Major Leagues is 1st base in the AL. There are 6 players who all deserve spots, but I feel Morneau has the better stats and is having the better year. With a .338 BA, 16 Home Runs, and 54 RBIs, Justin is on pace to have a career year. I think he just edges the rest of the players in consideration.
Could: Either one of those players on the list with the exception of Justin Morneau.
Why: You can see all their stats are very identical. They are all having great years and should all get a good amount of votes. Youkilis spent time on the DL so that might hurt his campaign. Pena's average might hurt his as well. My pick would go to Mark Teixeira after Morneau.
Should Not: Anyone else
Why: Same reason as I said for catchers. Besides those 6, no one else should get a vote.
2nd Base
Should: Aaron Hill
Reason: He has had a great year hitting .311 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs. It really should be between him and Ian Kinsler. Kinsler has 1 more home runs and 1 more RBI, but Aaron's average is .311 and Kinsler's is only .265 so Hill should get the call.
Could: Ian Kinsler
Why: Like I said, Hill had a much better average which gives him my vote. Kinsler did have one more home run and one more RBI and 9 more stolen bases, but that average killed him. The stats could change dramatically so keep an eye on these two.
Should Not: Howie Kendrick
Why: He has no power and has a .231 average and only 6 stolen bases. Not having a good year this year and shouldn't have really any votes unless you are trying to vote for the worst players.
3rd Base
Should: Evan Longoria
Reason: Do I really need to give a reason? With a .307 BA with 14 Home Runs and 56 RBIs, Longo blows everyone out of the water.
Could: Mike Lowell
Why: He is having a fairly good season hitting .292 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI's. Obviously it's not as good as Longoria's stats, but they are really good numbers.
Should Not: Alex Rodriguez
Why: Only has a .234 average with only 8 home runs AND is coming off the dreaded steroids ordeal. No way he should get in this year unless he suddenly picks it up.
SS
Should: Jason Bartlett
Reason: Before Bartlett went on the DL, he was putting up some really good numbers. As of now, he has a .373 average with 7 homers, 30 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. Unlucky for him that Jeter starts regardless of the numbers he puts up, but he should be in the ASG.
Could: Derek Jeter
Why: He is actually putting up decent numbers, but it really doesn't matter as he will get the most votes out of everybody. His numbers are close to Bartlett's but Bartlett has the advantage.
Should Not: Orlando Cabrera
Why: .234 average, 2 home runs, and 2 stolen bases while having 239 at-bats is sad. 'Nuff said
OF
Should: Jason Bay, Carl Crawford, Nelson Cruz
Why: Bay is hitting .277 with 16 homers, 57 RBI's, and 5 stolen bases.
Crawford has a .325 average with a huge 35 stolen bases, 5 homers, and 29 RBIs.
Cruz is hitting .288 with 17 homers, 42 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases
Could: Tori Hunter, Adam Jones, Johnny Damon, and Curtis Granderson
Why: They don't have as good numbers as the 3 I named, but they do have good numbers.
Jones has a .329 average with 11 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and 37 RBIs.
Hunter is hitting .313 with 12 homers, 44 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.
Damon is hitting .286 with 13 homers, 35 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases
Granderson is hitting .267 with 14 homers, 37 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.
It is very close between these guys, but I think Bay, Nelson, and Crawford edge them out. It was a close call between Bay and Jones, but I think Bay has the slight advantage.
Should Not: Vlad Guerrero
Why: He has only gotten 96 at-bats this year, but he has a .260 BA with only one homer. He shouldn't get many votes this year because of that.
Good Luck in voting and please use your 25 votes wisely!
Catcher
Should: Joe Mauer.
Reason: People this is not even close. Mauer has more Home Runs than everybody else playing catcher and has been on the DL for a good chunk of the season. He leads the AL Catchers in Home Runs with 13, Batting Average with .413, and is 2nd in RBIs with 39. To not vote for him is insane. He has played better baseball than just about everyone this year.
Could: Victor Martinez
Why: He would have been a starter every other year with the stats he has. Unfortunately, Mauer's stats are just clearly better. Martinez has a .339 average with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. He should definitely be in the All-Star Game, just not as a starter as long as Mauer is healthy.
Should Not: Everyone else.
Why: If you vote for anyone besides those two and possibly Varitek and Posada since they have decent stats as well, you are what we call uneducated and biased.
1st Base
Should: Justin Morneau
Reason: Probably the hardest position in the whole Major Leagues is 1st base in the AL. There are 6 players who all deserve spots, but I feel Morneau has the better stats and is having the better year. With a .338 BA, 16 Home Runs, and 54 RBIs, Justin is on pace to have a career year. I think he just edges the rest of the players in consideration.
Could: Either one of those players on the list with the exception of Justin Morneau.
Why: You can see all their stats are very identical. They are all having great years and should all get a good amount of votes. Youkilis spent time on the DL so that might hurt his campaign. Pena's average might hurt his as well. My pick would go to Mark Teixeira after Morneau.
Should Not: Anyone else
Why: Same reason as I said for catchers. Besides those 6, no one else should get a vote.
 | | |||||||
| PLAYER | TEAM | AB | AVG | HR | RBI | SB | ||
| C Pena | TB | 214 | .229 | 19 | 47 | 0 | ||
| M Teixeira | NYY | 218 | .289 | 19 | 52 | 0 | ||
| J Morneau | MIN | 240 | .338 | 16 | 54 | 0 | ||
| R Branyan | SEA | 189 | .317 | 14 | 29 | 2 | ||
| M Cabrera | DET | 213 | .329 | 11 | 39 | 1 | ||
| K Youkilis | BOS | 160 | .350 | 10 | 37 | 3 | ||
2nd Base
Should: Aaron Hill
Reason: He has had a great year hitting .311 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs. It really should be between him and Ian Kinsler. Kinsler has 1 more home runs and 1 more RBI, but Aaron's average is .311 and Kinsler's is only .265 so Hill should get the call.
Could: Ian Kinsler
Why: Like I said, Hill had a much better average which gives him my vote. Kinsler did have one more home run and one more RBI and 9 more stolen bases, but that average killed him. The stats could change dramatically so keep an eye on these two.
Should Not: Howie Kendrick
Why: He has no power and has a .231 average and only 6 stolen bases. Not having a good year this year and shouldn't have really any votes unless you are trying to vote for the worst players.
3rd Base
Should: Evan Longoria
Reason: Do I really need to give a reason? With a .307 BA with 14 Home Runs and 56 RBIs, Longo blows everyone out of the water.
Could: Mike Lowell
Why: He is having a fairly good season hitting .292 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI's. Obviously it's not as good as Longoria's stats, but they are really good numbers.
Should Not: Alex Rodriguez
Why: Only has a .234 average with only 8 home runs AND is coming off the dreaded steroids ordeal. No way he should get in this year unless he suddenly picks it up.
SS
Should: Jason Bartlett
Reason: Before Bartlett went on the DL, he was putting up some really good numbers. As of now, he has a .373 average with 7 homers, 30 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. Unlucky for him that Jeter starts regardless of the numbers he puts up, but he should be in the ASG.
Could: Derek Jeter
Why: He is actually putting up decent numbers, but it really doesn't matter as he will get the most votes out of everybody. His numbers are close to Bartlett's but Bartlett has the advantage.
Should Not: Orlando Cabrera
Why: .234 average, 2 home runs, and 2 stolen bases while having 239 at-bats is sad. 'Nuff said
OF
Should: Jason Bay, Carl Crawford, Nelson Cruz
Why: Bay is hitting .277 with 16 homers, 57 RBI's, and 5 stolen bases.
Crawford has a .325 average with a huge 35 stolen bases, 5 homers, and 29 RBIs.
Cruz is hitting .288 with 17 homers, 42 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases
Could: Tori Hunter, Adam Jones, Johnny Damon, and Curtis Granderson
Why: They don't have as good numbers as the 3 I named, but they do have good numbers.
Jones has a .329 average with 11 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and 37 RBIs.
Hunter is hitting .313 with 12 homers, 44 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.
Damon is hitting .286 with 13 homers, 35 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases
Granderson is hitting .267 with 14 homers, 37 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.
It is very close between these guys, but I think Bay, Nelson, and Crawford edge them out. It was a close call between Bay and Jones, but I think Bay has the slight advantage.
Should Not: Vlad Guerrero
Why: He has only gotten 96 at-bats this year, but he has a .260 BA with only one homer. He shouldn't get many votes this year because of that.
Good Luck in voting and please use your 25 votes wisely!
Great piece. I went with Tiexiera over Mourneau, Kinsler over Hill, with the outfield I choose Crawford, Bay, and Ichiro.
Keep up the great work
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I like Youk at first? Bias? Yes - BUT his numbers are great when you consider that he has spent time on the DL.
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
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Thanks for the comments!
Those are both fine picks. As long as they are actually doing decent and are not struggling, it's a good pick.
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I pretty much agree with every one of these. I think you're right about first base even though I'd love to see Youk there. Much as I love Ian Kinsler, you're right about Hill. What about Pedroia? ;) He's having a great season, but he's going through a mild slump as of right now. By the way, should not in the OF should also be Manny Ramirez. If he gets there... you have no idea what I'm gonna do. I don't either, but I'll be really mad.
Elizabeth
http://redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com
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