Our sandwich-obsessed Mariners writer unveils his selections. The starters and reserves for the 34-man roster will be “unveiled” on a special selection show on June 30 on ESPN at 5 p.m.
Fan voting for the starting lineups for the 2016 All-Star Game continues until Thursday, but looking at the latest updates, most of the picks seem basically locked in.
This much we know: Fans of the Royals, Cubs and Blue Jays spend a little too much time on their computers.
At least fan voting only decides the starters and not reserves, because otherwise Omar Infante — third in voting among second basemen — would be a reserve on the American League All-Star team, which would be the only team he’s part of since he was released by the Royals a few days ago.
The starters and reserves for the 34-man roster will be “unveiled” during a special selection show Thursday on ESPN at 5 p.m. The drama is palpable.
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But as a primer, these are the researched and somewhat biased All-Star selections of the sandwich-obsessed but still best-looking baseball beat writer at The Seattle Times.
American League
First base (2)
Who’s leading: Eric Hosmer
Who should start: Miguel Cabrera
Reserves: Hosmer
Cabrera is batting .290 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs for the Tigers. Hosmer has 44 RBI, 12 home runs and is batting .304 for the Royals.
Second base (3)
Who’s leading: Jose Altuve
Who should start: Altuve
Reserves: Robinson Cano, Ian Kinsler
This is one of the deepest positions in the AL with a myriad of outstanding candidates. Altuve is leading the vote and deservedly so. He’s hitting .340 with a .967 OPS. Besides the 21 doubles, 12 homers and 41 RBI, Altuve also has 18 stolen bases. Cano is having a resurgent season, leading all second basemen with 19 homers and a .548 slugging percentage. Kinsler’s average has hovered around .300, and he’s scored 58 runs.
Third base (3)
Who’s leading: Manny Machado
Who should start: Machado
Reserves: Josh Donaldson, Evan Longoria
Machado is an MVP candidate, hitting .320 with a .996 OPS, including 27 doubles and 18 homers while playing Gold Glove-level defense at third and also filling in quite well at shortstop. Donaldson is right there with Machado in production at the plate. Longoria gives the Rays their representative and is far from a token selection.
Shortstop (3)
Who’s leading: Xander Bogaerts
Who should start: Bogaerts
Reserves: Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor
After plenty of down years with minimal viable candidates, these three look to be perennial selections in the future. It’s reminiscent of the early days when Nomar Garciaparra, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were the up-and-coming stars. Boston’s Bogaerts is leading the AL with a .349 batting average and more than 100 hits already this season. Lindor might be the best defensive shortstop in all of baseball, while Correa has been a major factor in Houston’s run back to .500 after an abysmal start.
Catcher (2)
Who’s leading: Salvador Perez
Who should start: Perez
Reserves: Stephen Vogt
Perez is probably the best all-around catcher in the American League, which isn’t a high bar this season. But he’s hitting around .300 with an .865 OPS for a Royals team that has been decimated. Vogt’s offensive numbers are down a little this season, but he gives the A’s their representative.
Outfield (6)
Who’s leading: Mike Trout, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts
Who should start: Trout, Bradley Jr. and Betts
Reserves: Ian Desmond, Mark Trumbo, Michael Saunders
No complaints on the fans’ selections. Trout is a given most years if he has typical production, while the Red Sox’s two young stars are catalysts in Boston’s massive offensive attack. After being passed over in the free-agent market, Desmond swallowed his pride and converted to outfield. After early struggles, he’s surged at the plate and is the main reason the Rangers have one of the best records in baseball. Trumbo is tied for the lead in the AL in homers with 21, while Saunders, finally fully healthy, is playing to his vast potential.
Designated hitter (2)
Who’s leading: David Ortiz
Who should start: Ortiz
Reserves: Nelson Cruz
Ortiz is the sentimental favorite and also the deserving selection. A .339 batting average, a .430 on-base percentage and .690 slugging percentage make him the easy choice regardless of him being on a retirement tour. Cruz has been solid this season with 18 homers and 48 RBI with an .881 OPS.
Pitchers (13)
Who should start: Chris Sale
Reserves: Danny Salazar, Jordan Zimmerman, Chris Tillman, Cole Hamels, Steven Wright, Will Harris, Jose Quintana, Dellin Betances, Zach Britton, Wade Davis, Andrew Miller, Roberto Osuna.
Sale is the easy choice as a starter. He’s 12-2 with a 2.83 ERA with three complete games. In 105 innings, he’s struck out 102 batters and walked just 21. Many people haven’t heard of Will Harris, but he’s been one of the most effective relievers in the AL. Knuckleballer Steven Wright has been the Red Sox’s best starters and one of baseball’s best stories.
National League
First base (4)
Who’s leading: Anthony Rizzo
Who should start: Paul Goldschmidt
Reserves: Rizzo, Wil Myers, Brandon Belt
It’s a loaded group of sluggers. Goldschmidt is the most dangerous hitter in the National League. Myers can rep the host Padres while Belt, who was always considered light-hitting for a first baseman, is in the midst of his best offensive season in the big leagues.
Second base (2)
Who’s leading: Ben Zobrist
Who should start: Daniel Murphy
Reserves: Zobrist
Murphy will never win a Gold Glove award, but he’s been the best hitter on the Nationals and leads the league in hitting at .349 with a .970 OPS. Zobrist is a solid choice by fans. He seems to be getting better with each season, and his influence on a young Cubs team is immense. Either Jean Segura and Neil Walker were logical reserves, but fall short.
Third base (3)
Who’s leading: Kris Bryant
Who should start: Nolan Arenado
Reserves: Bryant, Jake Lamb
Arenado has a better batting average (.299), more doubles (17), homers (21) and RBI (62) than Bryant while also being a better defensive player. Lamb is having a breakout year with the Diamondbacks and is also solid in the field. It’s tough to leave Matt Carpenter off the list, and he’ll likely be picked as a reserve by fellow players.
Shortstop (3)
Who’s leading: Addison Russell
Who should start: Corey Seager
Reserves: Trevor Story, Zack Cozart
Russell is going to be a great young shortstop, but he shouldn’t be on the team. The Dodgers’ Seager has been brilliant in his first full season, hitting .298 with an .883 OPS, including 16 homers and 38 RBI. Story has been the story, hitting .266 with 18 homers and 42 RBI. Cozart is having an outstanding season, and the Reds need a representative.
Catcher (3)
Who’s leading: Yadier Molina
Who should start: Jonathan Lucroy
Reserves: Wilson Ramos, Buster Posey
Lucroy might not be in the National League after the All-Star break. He’s got a .301 batting average with an .865 OPS while playing elite-level defense. Ramos has been a beast at the plate this season for the Nationals, batting .341 with 74 hits and 13 doubles. Posey’s numbers aren’t as good as usual, but he’s still one of the most feared hitters in the NL.
Outfield (6)
Who’s leading: Dexter Fowler, Bryce Harper, Yoenis Cespedes
Who should start: Bryce Harper, Gregory Polanco, Marcell Ozuna
Reserves: Ryan Braun, Fowler, Cespedes
Fowler is having a solid season for the Cubs, but Ozuna and Polanco have been better. The Marlins were ready to part with underachieving Ozuna and now he’s hitting .320 while playing solid defense. There is a push for Ichiro Suzuki to get on the team as a career achievement honor. But he doesn’t think his career is over. Even when he reaches 3,000 hits, he plans on playing next season.
Pitchers (13)
Who should start: Clayton Kershaw
Reserves: Stephen Strasburg, Noah Syndergaard, Jose Fernandez, Johnny Cueto, Jake Arrieta, Madison Bumgarner, Zack Greinke, Kenley Jansen, Jeurys Familia, Fernando Rodney, Arodys Vizcaino
Kershaw is the easy choice here.
Even with the multitude of great arms in the NL, he’s the only guy that should make the start. An 11-1 record and 1.57 ERA are noticeable, but he’s also thrown three shutouts, and has 141 strikeouts and just seven walks for the Dodgers. Vizcaino may not be a Brave after the break, but he’s their representative. Maybe manager Terry Collins can use Bumgarner as a pinch-hitter instead of a pitcher.
Yes, that’s the same Fernando Rodney that was DFA’d by the Mariners last season and has allowed one earned run this season.