My NL All-Star Picks

I'm back for more. You seem like you're back for more too. After a beautiful day off, I'm ready to tackle the NL All-Star roster. The second round of voting came out today, but for the sake of consistency (put differently: I was too tired to write yesterday after a long day of painting in the sun), I'll be using the May 28th numbers as well. So here we go! (Disclaimer - there is no NL DH listed)

First Base

Who's winning: Adrian Gonzalez (.269/.347/.500)

Who should be winning: Paul Goldschmidt (.299/.354/.521)

The 32-year old Gonzalez is having an underwhelming season for the (let's be honest) underwhelming 30-28 Dodgers, hitting only .269 when he is a career .293 hitter. His OBP and slugging are pretty much exactly where his career numbers are, but his BABIP is about 20 points below the MLB average, showing that he has hit either a lot of "at 'em" balls or the gross amount of shifts are working. Staying in the NL West, 2013 MVP snub Paul Goldschmidt is having a solid year for the 23-36 Diamondbacks, hitting .299 and slugging right around his career average (nowhere near last year's outstanding number of .551). Going into play as of 6/2, Goldy is tied for the NL lead in doubles (22) and hits (70). I honestly think that since the Dbacks are doing poorly and that Arizona is such a smaller market than LA, Goldy is being left out in the desert. Freddie Freeman is a hot step behind Goldschmidt, hitting .297 and slugging .512.

Second Base

Who's winning: Chase Utley (.320/.381/.517)

Who should be winning: Utley

In my mind, this race is wrapped up unless Chutley decides to try hitting righty until July. Of the top 5 vote-getters at 2nd base, Utley is the only one hitting above .300. Furthermore, of those same top 5 vote-getters (Utley, Gordon, Phillips, Rendon, Walker), there a 50 point gap between he and the next highest average (Dee Gordon's, .280). The 2014 Phillies are like a 1995 Cadillac - great back in their day, but there are just better options now. But Utley has proven that he is more than just an old Caddy; he has aged quite nicely and so far this season has managed to stay healthy and is tied with Goldschmidt for the NL lead in doubles with 22. In fact, if the season were to end today, he would beat his career averages in BA, OBP, and SLG%. 

Shortstop

Who's winning: Troy Tulowitzki (.350/.450/.661)

Who should be winning: Tulowitzki

Okay I take back what I said about 2nd base being wrapped up. THIS is wrapped up. Tulowitzki should be starting for both sides in the ASG, that's how hot he is. He has been injury prone the last few years and we are finally seeing him play to his full potential, leading the NL in runs (45) and slugging, and leading the MLB in average, on-base percentage, and OPS.

I don't even know how to react to how good he is this year.

From a shortstop. Shortstops aren't supposed to be great hitters - and a shortstop is leading the most important offensive categories. He's on pace to have career records in about every single offensive category, except strikeouts. He is the hottest player in the game right now.

Third Base

Who's winning: Nolan Arenado (.305/.333/.489)

Who should be winning: David Wright (.293/.340/.397)

This was about a coin flip for me, I had a really hard time picking between he and David Wright. Arenado had that crazy 28 game hitting streak earlier this year but he doesn't walk much (see the OBP) and hits for very little power, especially at Coors Field. He is a bright young star but I'd pick Captain America. David Wright is tied for the NL lead in hits with 70, but has a lower average (.293) and slugging percentage (.397). That said, it is a heck of a lot harder to slug in a place like Citi Field versus Coors Field. I really don't know. I'd go with the vet in David Wright.

Catcher

Who's winning: Yadier Molina (.309/.354/.448)

Who should be winning: Yadi

Molina has come into his element as a hitter these past few years, posting a .313 average since 2011 while his career average is .285. Molina's slugging is way up this year compared to his career .406 and, as always, his handling of the pitching staff is second to none, as proven by Wainwright's incredible start. Lynn, Miller, and Wacha are also having great years, all posting ERAs below 3.50. In my NL predictions post from a few months ago, I praised Molina for his leadership and intangibles. He deserves an MVP and plays the catching position right - he should be the All-Star.

Outfield
Who's winning: Charlie Blackmon (.310/.347/.512), Andrew McCutchen (.307/.427/.470), Ryan Braun (.327/.367/.595)

Who should be winning: Yasiel Puig (.347/.437/.618), Giancarlo Stanton (.311/.407/.612), Braun

Pains me to write those. We know Braun is a liar and a cheat and I hate him for it, but he's not alone. Nelson Cruz took on a suspension last year as well and I selected him to start at DH for the AL. Braun is having a great year for the surprise Brewers - his slugging percentage is right where it was in his 2011 MVP season and you can't say no to that average. Stanton is just a machine this year in terms of home runs and hitting with RISP (he leads the NL in home runs and RBI), but his average is so much higher than it has been in the past that he has become even more of a weapon. Before, he was basically a longball threat, but now he is a doubles threat, a singles threat, etc. Wherever you pitch it, he is lethal (so is his wardrobe - check out the arm sleeve on Memorial Day). 

He has done so much for the Marlins that he deserves a start. And then we come to Puig. You all know I dislike Puig because of his attitude but there is no denying his skills. I wrote about him earlier in my Top 10 Under 25 post and he is having a heck of a year. The numbers agree. It hurts that 2 out of the 3 starters in the outfield are shady characters but the numbers do not lie. 

Pitcher

Johnny Cueto (5-4, 1.68 ERA, .76 WHIP). I can see arguments for Wainwright and Grienke, but Cueto's stuff is just filthy.

It's so filthy I want to reiterate how filthy it is with the Google definition of filthy.

He leads the MLB in K's (92), ERA (1.68), WHIP (.76 - wow), Batting average against (.151), complete games, and shutouts. The dude is earning his $10M salary this year and deserves the start despite his average record. When you lead in this many categories, you're doing something right. 

So there it is. Not a lot of arguing on my part except for the outfield. There are a lot of Rockies out there which goes in line with my NL West prediction post - they can hit the cover off the ball (first in the NL in team runs, hits, home runs), but pitching is shaky at best (2nd last in NL in ERA, last in K's), hence their 28-28 record. Honestly, if I were to make a call, I think the AL would win but Mike Matheny knows his stuff. I cannot wait for the ASG in the beautiful Target Field in Minnesota.

Hope your Monday was all you had hoped. Thanks for reading. 

The Mid-Summer Classic

So this weekend I watched a little bit of the NBA All-Star Game and skills contests and the like. And if you ask me, a little bit was way too much. Sure it was fun to see some crazy windmill dunks and a ton of three point shooting, but being named an All-Star doesn't really mean as much as it does in the MLB.

Baseball is the only sport in which the All-Star Game carries some weight. It's also the only All-Star Game that hasn't been required to change its format because of lack of interest. The Pro Bowl recently switched over to the Rice vs. Sanders teams, no longer AFC vs. NFC. The NHL has done a similar format, with two team captains picking their teams (2012 was Team Chara vs. Team Alfredsson). The NBA still does East vs. West, but it's becoming such a spectacle of athleticism and just a showcase of outlandish skills that it's really not fun to watch. It seems this year that the NBA was more concerned with the dunk contest than the game itself, with the hashtag #SavetheDunkContest powering through the Twittersphere. Can you really take a game that has this seriously? I think Shaq is as hilarious as the next guy, but come on now.

The MLB All-Star Game is a thing of beauty though - because it means something. I'm not a huge fan of the rule that every team gets a representative, but I understand it. It goes hand in hand with the democracy of baseball. How else are the Astros fans going to watch the game? To see their boy Jason Castro get an inning behind the plate of course. 

The MLB All-Star game winner determines who gets home field advantage for the World Series, and I love that idea. It's not just a random break in the action of the summer to show off who has the fastest 60 yard dash speed, who has the best arm accuracy...the only skills competition is the Home Run Derby, but other than that the break is focused on the actual game itself. Weird, right? 

Yesterday, the final score of the NBA All-Star Game was 163-155. That's a total of 318 points, and when divided by the regulation game time of 48 minutes, that's 6.625 points a minute. That's approximately one basket every twenty seconds. Blake Griffin shot 19-23, a field goal percentage of 82%. This season, he's averaging a 54% field goal percentage, which is great. But to see almost a 30 point hike is absolutely no fun. It's not basketball anymore, it's more of a "Hey, you haven't scored in a while, take the ball and do something fancy." 

The 2013 MLB All-Star game was a nail biter. The AL won 3-0, with Jason Kipnis locking it up with an RBI double in the 8th and setting up Mariano Rivera for his last All Star save. These guys don't see this game as a break. Sure it's nice to have a few days off from the intense inter-divisional schedule, but the All-Star Game carries so much weight so they will hustle all the harder. I mean last year Prince Fielder got a triple, need I say more? 

I'm not arguing that baseball is a better sport in general (though that is indeed my personal belief). I am arguing that the MLB All-Star Game is the best of the four major sports because it means something. Being an All-Star starter is a huge honor because they fight for their league pride, not just to wear fancy shoes (like Bryce Harper) and go wow the crowd for awhile. Just ask Max Scherzer on his thoughts of what it meant to be the AL's staring pitcher. The All-Star Game is one of my favorite nights of the year, because it is the highest quality baseball you'll ever see, and it determines the fate of October. This past summer at the Hall of Fame we got to work a special event called the All Star Gala in which visitors could come and watch the game in a big theater on a 100-foot TV screen. I had the awesome opportunity to host and emcee the event and watch the game (where my Tigers all had a hit except Torii Hunter).  

To sum up my ramble, the other All-Star Games are mildly entertaining because you get to see players relaxed and show off their true athletic ability. But the MLB All-Star Game is truly special because of the weight it carries how big of an honor it is for a player to start. 

As always, thanks for reading. Don't fear the snow, folks. Baseball is back.