By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
I understand the absurdity of arguing against who got snubbed for the Major League All-Star game, but what good is having a blog if you can’t complain about the minutiae? First up, the NL squad:
Catcher – Russell Martin – An easy call. Martin has been one of the most pleasant surprises in baseball through the first half of the season. In fact, if he kept the same pace over the next three months, he’d likely finish the season as a top-20 fantasy player.
First Base – Prince Fielder – Deserving. He’s one homer shy of last year’s total in 266 fewer at-bats.
Second Base – Chase Utley – Another no-brainer. There isn’t a bigger gap at any other position than Utley and the rest of MLB’s second basemen.
Third Base – David Wright – He’s having a fine season, but Miguel Cabrera should be starting here. Still, that’s nitpicking, and there are far worse decisions to come.
Shortstop – Jose Reyes – The most loaded group in recent memory. Tough to argue with the Reyes pick, but the fact Hanley Ramirez didn’t even make it as a reserve is egregious. There’s a pretty good argument to be made that J.J. Hardy has been the fifth best NL SS this year.
Outfield – Ken Griffey Jr. – Do you realize that Griffey has 585 career home runs? Over the last six seasons, Junior has missed 418 games, an average of 70 contests per season.
Outfield – Carlos Beltran – Four homers over a two-game span this weekend sure makes this selection more palatable.
Outfield – Barry Bonds – Some of the media are treating his insertion like some charity case because the game is in San Francisco. In a recent ESPN SportsNation poll, Bonds blew everyone out with a 48% vote as “player least deserving to start.” Unfortunately, those pesky stats don’t back up these claims. Bonds leads the NL in OPS (1.119), walks (84), OBP (.516) and ranks second in slugging (.603) despite playing in an extreme pitcher’s park. He only ranks eighth in the league in homers (16), but it’s awfully tough to contend in that category when seeing two-three pitches within feet of the strike zone per game.
A few notes on the NL reserves: Did Dmitri Young really just make an All-Star team? Freddy Sanchez over Ian Snell as Pittsburgh’s representative is laughable, especially considering the other middle infield snubs. With Matt Holliday already on the roster, why was Brian Fuentes also included? You’re telling me he’s had a better year than Chris Young? Young should be in consideration to start the game, let alone make it as a reserve. As for Jake Peavy vs. Brad Penny, it’s a tough call on who should start. Peavy has the more impressive strikeout numbers, but Petco is a better park to pitch in. Penny hasn’t allowed more than one run in a game since June 3! Still, since I’m convinced last year’s All-Star start – when he came out pumping 99 mph fastballs – essentially ruined Penny’s second half, for his own sake (and my fantasy team’s), I’m hoping Peavy gets the nod.
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