Big Stats or Big Names? Choosing the MLB All-Stars

With the baseball season coming up on the All-Star Break, people are asking questions about the All-Star Game. Who should really be in it? Should big names like A-Rod or Albert Pujols be recognized in a year that is not their finest? Should struggling teams have players in the All-Star Game? It is all up to the fans. With the help of my cousins from around the country, I am going to tell you my family’s top picks for the All-Star Game. (All stats are from the week of June 17.)

First Base AL: Chosen by me, is Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers. Fielder has a .313 average and 10 homeruns. He always appears in the Home Run Derby and is a powerful big guy.

First Base NL: Chosen by Brendan Voigt, one of my Midwestern consultants, is Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds. Votto has a .362 average, 27 doubles, and 41 runs so far. From June 9-15, he had three doubles, five runs, and a .429 average!

Second Base AL: Chosen by me, is Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox. Ok, I know a lot of you will argue this with me, but he has been the best all-around second basemen. He isn’t big, but size isn’t everything.

Second Base NL: Chosen by Erin Voigt, one of my Midwestern consultants, is Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros. This may only be his second year in the majors, but this guy has had a heck of a season so far. With runs in almost 70% of his games and a .324 average, he is having a great year!

Shortstop AL: Chosen by my Northeastern consultant, Casey Dwyer, is Mike Aviles of the Boston Red Sox. Ever since the beginning of the year Aviles has been pumped for the season. (I can say this because I saw him at the grand opening of the new Red Sox spring training stadium). With nearly 70 hits and eight home runs, Aviles is hoping to go to the All-Star Game next month.

Shortstop NL: Chosen by Casey Dwyer, is Starlin Castro of the Chicago Cubs. Castro has a .306 average and six triples! He also has 84 hits and 10 doubles and has only been in the majors for two years!

Third Base AL: Chosen by me, is Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers. Beltre has had an amazing year, including a .296 average and 10 home runs!

Third Base NL: Chosen by Colin Voigt, one of my Midwest consultants, is David Wright of the New York Mets. Wright has been one of the Mets’ only consistent players ever since the club’s trades last year. He has a .354 average!

Catcher NL: Chosen By Sean Dwyer, one of my Northeast consultants, is Carlos Ruiz of the Philadelphia Phillies. Ruiz has a .361 average and eight home runs. Some TV reporters are saying that he is one of the only good players on the Phillies roster.

Catcher AL: Chosen by me, is Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles. Wieters has a .252 average and 16 doubles. He also has nine home runs and is only 26 years old.

Designated Hitter (AL): Chosen by me, is David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. He is really the only DH that continues to show his power. Ortiz is dominating this year with his 15 home runs.

Outfield AL: Chosen by me, is Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays. Bautista’s average may only be .230, but he has hit 17 home runs and has 44 RBIs. He is a crowd favorite for the Blue Jays.

Outfield AL: Chosen by Casey Dwyer, is Curtis Granderson from the New York Yankees. In 2012 Granderson has been a power hitter with 19 home runs. I’m sure he will make an appearance in the 2012 Homerun Derby in Kansas City!

Outfield AL: Chosen by me, is Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles. Jones has a .305 average and 18 home runs! He has had a spectacular year and has helped to boost the Orioles to contention in the American League East.

Outfield NL: Chosen by Colin Voigt, is Carlos Beltran of the St. Louis Cardinals. Beltran has 19 home runs and a .304 average. He is doing spectacularly with the Cardinals, and really boosted people’s spirits about Pujols leaving.

Outfield NL: Chosen by Brendan Voigt, is Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants. Cabrera has had an amazing season with a .364 average and six triples! Amazing!

Outfield NL: Chosen By Casey Dwyer, is Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates. McCutchen has a .328 average, three triples, and 11 doubles in only his third year in Major League Baseball!

Starting Pitcher AL: Chosen by Bailey Needham, one of my other Midwest consultants, is Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers. He has a 2.54 ERA and 106 strikeouts! He is clearly an amazing pitcher and shows up to play everyday.

Starting Pitcher NL: Chosen by Cody Needham, another Midwest consultant, is R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets. He has a 2.00 ERA and 103 strikeouts! That is amazing! He is doing great for the surprising Mets.

As you can tell from my family’s picks, we do not always go with the big names; we look for the big stats. We did not feature A-Rod or Pujols because, though they may be well-known, they just haven’t shown their usual game this year. To answer my question above, yes, struggling teams should have players featured.

Many thanks to my cousins, Colin, Brendan, Erin, Sean, Casey, Cody, and Bailey for their great picks. Votes can create breaks in each All-Star’s career. Time to cast your ballots!

Can you figure out why I chose these last words? Comment if you did, but don’t give it away.