By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
Catcher – Ivan Rodriguez – Selecting Pudge over Victor Martinez might be the worst decision of all. How about a whopping .190 OPS advantage for V-Mart? I-Rod’s 41:4 K:BB ratio is almost embarrassing. “How can you be so obtuse?” (Again, bonus points for catching that reference – this time it’s a movie).
First Base – David Ortiz – The fact he’s only played seven games at first base this season doesn’t bother me too much. Justin Morneau is the obvious alternative.
Second Base – Placido Polanco – Well, he’s tough to strike out, and Joe Morgan says he “plays the game the right way.” (Just once, I’d like to hear someone get called out for playing it the “wrong way”). Anyway, Brian Roberts would have been the correct choice here.
Third Base – Alex Rodriguez – A-Rod has a legitimate chance of reaching 162 RBI this season.
Shortstop – Derek Jeter – Again, nitpicking, but Carlos Guillen is having the superior season offensively. Interesting stat to note: Jeter is just 7-for-14 in stolen base attempts this season.
Outfield – Magglio Ordonez – No argument here. What a remarkable turnaround that I certainly didn’t see coming.
Outfield – Ichiro Suzuki – Sporting the best walk rate of his career, Ichiro is looking at a monster contract this offseason. Grady Sizemore is right there with him as deserving starters in center field.
Outfield – Vladimir Guerrero – The right choice.
A few notes on the AL reserves: Not a whole lot to argue about here, but Gary Sheffield absolutely deserves to be on the team. Michael Young wins out in the battle of attrition in Texas, while Gil Meche does the same in Kansas City. Dan Haren has had a fine season, but it’s Johan Santana who deserves to take the ball in the first inning. Santana’s 2.76 ERA is the best mark during a first half of his career. If he’s not the most valuable fantasy player this season (Jose Reyes), he’s the second best.
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