Choosing All-Star teams continues to be an imperfect science
Thoughts on the All-Star selections:
● The youth of the American League starting position players is unprecedented.
All eight AL fielders will be 26 or under, a first in All-Star history, according to STATS LLC (designated hitter David Ortiz is 40).
No previous All-Star team has had more than five starting position players who were 26 or younger. It happened twice in 1940 and '61 (Game 1 of the two ASGs that season).
● I like the actual AL team better than the one I picked.
Stephen Vogt is the first non-pitcher to be named to back-to-back #ASG for the A's since Jason Giambi (2000-01). pic.twitter.com/dTl5zL5wn0
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) July 6, 2016
Marco Estrada is probably more deserving than the Blue Jays starter whom I selected, Aaron Sanchez (actually, both are deserving; I was factoring in Estrada's recent back trouble).
The Athletics' Stephen Vogt, meanwhile, is a better choice as a backup catcher than the Yankees' Brian McCann; if I had made Vogt my Athletics representative, I could have included Mark Trumbo — my most egregious omission — over the A's Khris Davis.
Many questioned my inclusion of the Indians' Corey Kluber, who leads the AL in fielding-independent pitching, or expected ERA. Neither he nor the pitcher who is second in that category, the White Sox's Jose Quintana, made the team.
● The NL snubs are more egregious than the AL's — two Giants, first baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford, and two Pirates, outfielders Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte, are particularly worthy (I left Marte off my notable omissions, and justifiably heard about it on Twitter all day).
D-backs third baseman Jake Lamb, who leads the NL in slugging and is second in OPS, also deserved to be on the team, and two other shortstops, the Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz and the Rockies' Trevor Story, had strong cases.
#ASG first-timer @Addison_Russell is headed to San Diego as the starter at SS! #LetsGo pic.twitter.com/FrHyjc9JU2
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 5, 2016
Obviously, not everyone can make it. And the fans' election of Cubs shortstop Addison Russell ensured that a more deserving player would not make the NL team.
● A potential issue for the NL: Jon Lester is currently the only left-hander on the staff due to the injury to the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw and pending withdrawal of the Giants' Madison Bumgarner, who starts Sunday.
The NL right-handers include all five relievers — the Mets' Jeurys Familia, Dodgers' Kenley Jansen and Pirates' Mark Melancon, plus the Marlins' Fernando Rodney and A.J. Ramos.
NL manager Terry Collins will need to make strategic use of Lester, perhaps early in the game; the AL starting lineup includes three left-handed hitters — Ortiz, Eric Hosmer and Jackie Bradley Jr.
The Mariners' Robinson Cano will be the AL's top left-handed hitter off the bench; Ramos, whose changeup is helping him hold left-handed hitters to a .557 OPS, ninth-best in the NL, would be one possible counter. The Nationals' Stephen Strasburg also is quite effective against lefties.
.@JLester34 has been named to his fourth career @AllStarGame! #LetsGo pic.twitter.com/4A1LRrBUqi
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 5, 2016
● FOX analyst John Smoltz made a great point Tuesday on MLB Network, saying that for all the talent among the NL starting pitchers, many of them are poor at holding runners.
Well, four of the elected AL starters — the Astros' Jose Altuve, Red Sox's Mookie Betts, Angels' Mike Trout and Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts — have stolen 11 or more bases this season, none with a success rate of lower than 84.6 percent.
Two AL reserves, the Rangers' Ian Desmond and Twins' Eduardo Nunez, also are among the league's stolen-base leaders with high success rates.
The trick for the AL speedsters, of course, will be to get on base. But if they do . . . turn 'em loose, Ned!
● The Final Vote includes even better candidates than usual.
I'd go with Lamb in the NL, though Marte's 24 steals and defensive prowess would make him an intriguing player off the bench.
My choice in the AL would be Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler, a perennially underrated player who through Monday had an OPS just below Evan Longoria's.
