courtesy of stlcardinalbaseball.com
"FANS ARE IDIOTS. "-mr. resentment.
THE
NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL STAR TEAM STARTERS.
NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL STAR TEAM STARTERS.
By David Herrmann
The National League roster has taken a major hit over the
years, with the loss of marquee first basemen Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder
as well as the injury to Ryan Howard the 1B position was a lock for Joey Votto.
No question Votto deserves the nod as he is putting up another MVP caliber
season. The roster managed this year by retired coach Tony La Russa features a
lot of head scratchers and A LOT of new faces.
Here is the break down: FAN VOTE NL
C - Buster Posey, who
came back from a nasty leg injury last year, is a deserving candidate for the
starting catcher role. Carlos Ruiz is having the better season by far. However,
this one is too close to call. So, fan voting wins here.
1B – As discussed, Joey Votto really is the only choice
here. I cringe at the thought if he doesn’t play. Would they start Bryan
LaHair? I think this goes without questioning that the 1B position in the NL is
now devoid of any major talent. I see Anthony Rizzo in a few years changing
this.
2B – Dan Uggla? Really? The second base position much like
the first base position has 90% of the talent in the AL. Dan Uggla is simply a
name, the starting job should have been given to Aaron Hill. Hill has put
together an amazing season so far with a BA at .300, tied with Uggla for 1st in
home runs for a second basemen, he is tied for 3rd in RBIs and his
.512 slug % is leading the pack.
3B – Pablo Sandoval must have been paying off the entire Bay
area to get him as the starting 3B for the NL ASG. David Wright is putting up a
MVP caliber season, 2nd in the MAJORS with a .354 BA, 4th
in OPS, 2nd in doubles and 7th in hits. Pablo is a fan
favorite but no question the more worthy candidate to start was and should be
David Wright.
SS – Rafael Furcal, again a product of fan voting. Furcal
plays for a STL fan base that is passionate about the game of baseball and for
good measure. However, Furcal shouldn’t be starting at SS for the NL. That
should go to Ian Desmond. Desmond, playing for the 1st place
Washington Nationals has put together quite a season. Desmond is slugging at a
.484 clip, belting 13 home runs and leading all SS in the NL in RBI’s with 43.
Ian Desmond should be starting, not Rafael Furcal.
OF – Look at those names! I think it is safe to say that the
best players in MLB are found manning the outfield. This years starters include Melky Cabrera,
Carlos Beltran and Matt Kemp. No question fan favorite Matt Kemp is a worthy
candidate based on past performance. However, he has been injured most of the
year so that nod needs to go to Ryan Braun the current reigning MVP. Melky
Cabrera, again a product of the Bay area must have a lot of devoted fans to get
him in to a starting spot. Melky is having an AMAZING season, no question.
However, Andrew McCutchen should be playing in his place. McCutchen like Braun
are part of the top 10 best players in the game. McCutchen currently is batting
.354 and slugging .600 and with a OPS of 1.007 his starting spot on the NL ASG
roster should have been cemented. Finally, Carlos Beltran, yes the oft-injured
Carlos Beltran who has resurfaced as a front line star. Beltran’s first half
has been grand, no question. He has helped keep the Red Birds a float when
Holliday was struggling. Beltran’s signing will go down as one of the best of
last off-season and he is making the pain of missing Pujols easy on the
Cardinal fans.
SP – Matt Cain, he threw a perfect game in the first half.
Matt Cain, having the best season of his career is the most worthy candidate to
start. R.A. Dickey also deserves to start, however having him come in in the 3rd
inning after having hitters face Matt Cain will be fun to watch.
Notable omissions – Andre Ethier, really? Where is the love for
the guy tied 3rd in the NL in RBIs? Who has kept the Dodgers
(disregard the last few weeks) afloat while Kemp is injured? Ethier deserved a
spot on this team. Johnny Cueto, why isn’t Cueto on this team? Why would La
Russa keep him off? Well, other than the fact La Russa holds a grudge against
him for an incident that occurred in 2010. Cueto’s numbers speak for
themselves. Zach Grienke, another WTF? Grienke is having a stellar season and
worthy of a spot on the squad. A true head scratcher here being he started his
career in Kansas City and it would be a nice gesture.
Finally, VOTE FOR CHIPPER JONES!
C – Buster Posey
1B – Joey Votto
2B – Aaron Hill
3B – David Wright
SS – Ian Desmond
OF – Andrew McCutchen, Ryan Braun, Carlos Beltran
SP – Matt Cain
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