MLB All-Star Balloting Begins

[HarleyQuinn 0]

It's usually a popularity contest so no real surprise that Nomah's winning

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Here's my voting, complete with stats to show why I chose players and such....FUN! Also sorta ignored the whole every team has to have a guy cause it's BS IMO. Also used Bored's voting and didn't include pitchers because I'm...that lazy.

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

 

C: IVAN RODRIGUEZ, Detroit

Jorge Posada, New York(.440 OBP, .519 SLG)

1B: JASON GIAMBI, New York

Ken Harvey, Kansas City(.358/.400 OBP/.537 SLG)

Rafael Palmeiro, Baltimore(.279/.396 OBP/.448 SLG)

2B: ALFONSO SORIANO, Texas

Ronnie Belliard, Cleveland(.323/.406/.409)

3B: ALEX RODRIGUEZ*, New York

Melvin Mora, Baltimore(.384/.466/.616)

SS: NOMAR GARCIAPARRA*, Boston

Carlos Guillen, Detroit(.328/.408/.530)

OF: MANNY RAMIREZ, Boston; VLADIMIR GUERRERO, Anaheim; JOHNNY DAMON*, Boston

Lew Ford, Minnesota(.337/.407/.503)

Hideki Matsui, New York(.320/.431/.531)

Rondell White, Detroit(.317/.391/.525)

Travis Hafner, Cleveland(.309/.398/.553)

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE

 

C: MIKE PIAZZA, New York

Paul Lo Duca, Los Angeles(.366/.408/.446)

1B: ALBERT PUJOLS*, St. Louis

Sean Casey, Cincinnati(.394/.439/.642)

Jim Thome, Philadelphia(..309/.413/.638)

2B: JEFF KENT, Houston

Todd Walker, Chicago Cubs(.282/.383/.451)

3B: SCOTT ROLEN, St. Louis

Mike Lowell, Florida(.346/.426/.670)

SS: ADAM EVERETT*, Houston

Jack Wilson, Pittsburgh(.350/.367/.515)

OF: BARRY BONDS, San Francisco; SAMMY SOSA*, Chicago; KEN GRIFFEY JR.*, Cincinnati

Lance Berkman, Houston(.350/.495/.699)

Craig Wilson, Pittsburgh(.355/.433/.656)

J.D. Drew, Atlanta(.288/.414/.575)

Pat Burrell, Philadelphia(.313/.422/.575)

 

Sorry Al, but Drew and Burrell came out with better OPS' for the 1st half so far. If Abreu can manage to improve as the season wears on, he'd get a chance on my squad.

[Bored 0]

Its funny how Nomar leads for AL SS when he hasn't even played a game this season. People must have been damn impressed with his work off the tees and his ABs in Pawtucket.

Hmmm and I wonder what people those would be? Oh well Yankee fans are just as guilty for voting for Jeter. It'd be one thing if those two were leading if there was absolutely no one else having a good year but Tejada, Young, and Guillen all are having very good years.

 

Sorry Al, but Drew and Burrell came out with better OPS' for the 1st half so far. If Abreu can manage to improve as the season wears on, he'd get a chance on my squad.

Al better stuff for Berkman because if Griffey gets voted a starter he's going to be taking away his boy's spot.

 

I thought they said only the A.L. voting would be out today but the N.L. was out as well. Everyone start stuffing for Tejada or Young at shortstop (oh and Carlos Guillen) in the A.L. Astros fans are stuffing the ballots in full force which kinda had to be expected.

 

Oh and for the lazy people who only read the last page, here is the voting and my picks again.

 

Catcher

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Rodriguez, I. Tigers 516,332

2. Posada, J. Yankees 343,255

3. Varitek, J. Red Sox 337,574

4. Lopez, J. Orioles 237,548

5. Molina, B. Angels 94,021

 

1st Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Giambi, J. Yankees 376,307

2. Delgado, C. Blue Jays 211,209

3. Millar, K. Red Sox 200,234

4. Palmeiro, R. Orioles 165,674

5. Teixeira, M. Rangers 146,190

 

2nd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Soriano, A. Rangers 729,949

2. Reese, P. Red Sox 276,726

3. Boone, B. Mariners 262,789

4. Kennedy, A. Angels 117,501

5. Belliard, R. Indians 99,185

 

Shortstop

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Garciaparra, N. Red Sox 412,742

2. Jeter, D. Yankees 396,268

3. Tejada, M. Orioles 299,517

4. Young, M. Rangers 292,763

5. Eckstein, D. Angels 95,450

 

3rd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Rodriguez, A. Yankees 558,880

2. Mueller, B. Red Sox 288,955

3. Blalock, H. Rangers 256,205

4. Glaus, T. Angels 220,186

5. Chavez, E. Athletics 179,598

 

Outfield

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Guerrero, V. Angels 637,515

2. Ramirez, M. Red Sox 626,272

3. Damon, J. Red Sox 360,755

4. Sheffield, G. Yankees 344,059

5. Suzuki, I. Mariners 310,725

6. Beltran, C. Royals 310,206

7. Matsui, H. Yankees 283,583

8. Ordoñez, M. White Sox 242,916

9. Anderson, G. Angels 203,473

10. Williams, B. Yankees 201,305

 

Catcher

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Piazza, M. Mets 500,446

2. Ausmus, B. Astros 302,090

3. Lo Duca, P. Dodgers 236,067

4. Barrett, M. Cubs 198,435

5. Estrada, J. Braves 119,969

 

1st Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Pujols, A. Cardinals 449,708

2. Bagwell, J. Astros 442,247

3. Lee, D. Cubs 197,058

4. Thome, J. Phillies 176,487

5. Casey, S. Reds 133,085

 

2nd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Kent, J. Astros 500,876

2. Giles, M. Braves 238,412

3. Castillo, L. Marlins 189,476

4. Grudzielanek, M. Cubs 169,951

5. Alomar, R. Diamondbacks 146,412

 

Shortstop

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Everett, A. Astros 302,310

2. Renteria, E. Cardinals 297,291

3. Matsui, K. Mets 217,749

4. Gonzalez, A. Cubs 200,053

5. Furcal, R. Braves 173,458

 

3rd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Rolen, S. Cardinals 461,194

2. Ramirez, A. Cubs 298,443

3. Ensberg, M. Astros 225,255

4. Lowell, M. Marlins 224,946

5. Beltre, A. Dodgers 196,811

 

Outfield

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Bonds, B. Giants 647,183

2. Sosa, S. Cubs 586,479

3. Griffey Jr., K. Reds 364,997

4. Biggio, C. Astros 364,546

5. Berkman, L. Astros 345,225

6. Alou, M. Cubs 330,300

7. Hidalgo, R. Astros 315,568

8. Cabrera, M. Marlins 224,528

9. Edmonds, J. Cardinals 216,172

10. Jones, A. Braves 181,862

 

New picks for this week. Since the voting is out now no point in picking the entire roster, so I'll list the current vote leaders as starters and just pick the reserves and pitchers. Going to be quite a few more snubs now.

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

 

C: IVAN RODRIGUEZ, Detroit; Jorge Posada, New York

1B: JASON GIAMBI, New York; Ken Harvey*, Kansas City; Tino Martinez, Tampa Bay

2B: ALFONSO SORIANO, Texas; Juan Uribe, Chicago

3B: ALEX RODRIGUEZ*, New York; Melvin Mora, Baltimore

SS: NOMAR GARCIAPARRA*, Boston; Carlos Guillen, Detroit

OF: MANNY RAMIREZ, Boston; VLADIMIR GUERRERO, Anaheim; JOHNNY DAMON*, Boston; Jose Guillen, Anaheim; Hideki Matsui*, New York; Rondell White, Detroit; Travis Hafner*, Cleveland

 

Pitchers: CURT SCHILLING, Boston; Cliff Lee, Cleveland; Kenny Rogers, Texas; Mark Mulder, Oakland; Tim Hudson, Oakland; Mark Buehrle*, Chicago; Brad Radke, Minnesota; Roy Halladay*, Toronto; Freddy Garcia, Seattle; Mariano Rivera, New York; Keith Foulke, Boston; Eddie Guardado*, Seattle

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE

 

C: MIKE PIAZZA, New York; Johnny Estrada, Atlanta

1B: ALBERT PUJOLS*, St. Louis; Sean Casey, Cincinnati; Jim Thome, Philadelphia

2B: JEFF KENT, Houston; Mark Loretta, San Diego

3B: SCOTT ROLEN, St. Louis; Mike Lowell, Florida

SS: ADAM EVERETT*, Houston; Jack Wilson, Pittsburgh

OF: BARRY BONDS, San Francisco; SAMMY SOSA*, Chicago; KEN GRIFFEY JR.*, Cincinnati; Lance Berkman, Houston; Craig Wilson, Pittsburgh; Jeromy Burntiz, Colorado; Pat Burrell, Philadelphia

 

Pitchers: ROGER CLEMENS, Houston; Randy Johnson, Arizona; Jake Peavy, San Diego; Carlos Zambrano, Chicago; Brad Penny, Florida; Ben Sheets, Milwaukee; Jason Schmidt*, San Francisco; Tom Glavine, New York; Livan Hernandez, Montreal; Armando Benitez, Florida; Eric Gagne, Los Angeles; Jose Mesa, Pittsburgh

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Sorry Al, but Drew and Burrell came out with better OPS' for the 1st half so far. If Abreu can manage to improve as the season wears on, he'd get a chance on my squad.

 

First off, more than this year should count when selecting all-stars. I am NOT advocating a career-achievement vote. Its just that less than 200 at bats is not a good enough piece of information to truly judge a player.

 

Second, Abreu leads both players in Runs Created.

[Guest Choken One]

Answer this for me...

 

The starters are the #1 place voters right?

 

and the rest of the team is picked by the coaches right?

 

Because I don't like the fans picking Lee and Bagwell over Casey.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The rest of the teams are now selected by players. And I think they have every right to select Bagwell over Casey.

 

HOFer > Above average hitter with hot start

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

I'm still picking Burrell over Abreu. Pat's been better defensively than Abreau, IMO (just watched Pat make 2 great diving catches to save potential runs tonight).

 

I'm just not feeling Abreu this year.

[iggymcfly 0]

I'd say that Abreu being 10-10 in steals and scoring eight more runs shows that he can fill a niche on the All-Star team, as someone who can get on base and then score; maybe batting first or second. There's already plenty of guys who can drive in runs. They don't need a mediocre one like Burrell in the starting lineup.

 

As for the balloting that's out so far, Nomar or Jeter at shortstop is clearly the most egregious error, but what really pisses me off the most is how few votes Melvin Mora has. I know that it's mainly done on name recognition, but you'd think that leading the AL in batting average, hitting 10 homers, driving in 36 runs, and stealing seven bases would be enough to get in the top 5 among AL third basemen. I certainly didn't expect him to have mnoe votes than A-Rod, but I thought SOME fans actully paid attention to what happened this year.

 

And yes, I am an Orioles fan.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I haven't voted myself. If the All-Star game had 2nd or 3rd place selections, I would gladly chose Mora. But with one pick, its A-Rod all the way.

[geniusMoment 0]

If Griffey and Dunn can get hot they both will hopefully make it, thats all I care about from Cincy. My reasoning, its simple. They would both then probably be in the HR derby, which is taking over the All Star Game in terms of popularity. Also, it is a baseballs players chance to make a name for himself with a good showing, as the spotlight is entirely on you. Plus, for anyone who does not know Adam Dunn has the most impressive batting practice home runs since Mac retired, regularly hitting 500 foot shoots. I can just imagine the finals coming down to a battle of Reds.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

There's already plenty of guys who can drive in runs. They don't need a mediocre one like Burrell in the starting lineup.

I believe Burrell is tied for 4th in the NL in RBI.

 

As for more runs, Abreu has Thome & Burrell hitting behind him, while Burrell is usually batting 5th, leaving the bottom part of the lineup behind him. Of course Bobby is going to score more runs than Pat, especially w/ Lieberthal doing nothing behind him.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

They're bitching about the Nomar vote on ATH. "Don't they know this game counts?" Now honestly, if you had to win one game, which player would you pick for your team?

 

Career OPS....

Nomar 925

Young 750

Tejada 795

Guillen 738

Jeter 843

Valentin 777

Berroa 734

 

Its not even close. Garciaparra is the class of AL shortstops, and if the game truly counts, pick the BEST player. Michael Young needs more than 50 games to prove he supplants Nomar.

[Guest Choken One]

but the best "player" is still hurt or is coming off being hurt(by the time ALL STAR game comes around)...so he can't be the best "player" simply because the stats say so...

 

If Jordan had a broken leg and was walking on crutches and it was the NBA All-Star game...would you put him on the court simply because his number historically were better...

[Bored 0]

Tejada wouldn't be deserving to supplant Nomar?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

If Jordan had a broken leg and was walking on crutches and it was the NBA All-Star game...would you put him on the court simply because his number historically were better...

 

We're assuming that Nomar is healthy in mid-July. If Jordan was healthy (and in his prime), I'd put him on the court.

 

Tejada wouldn't be deserving to supplant Nomar?

 

Nope. His "MVP" season trails Nomar's CAREER batting stats.

[MrRant 0]

Sorry Al, but Drew and Burrell came out with better OPS' for the 1st half so far. If Abreu can manage to improve as the season wears on, he'd get a chance on my squad.

 

First off, more than this year should count when selecting all-stars. I am NOT advocating a career-achievement vote. Its just that less than 200 at bats is not a good enough piece of information to truly judge a player.

 

Second, Abreu leads both players in Runs Created.

Eh... I vote on the current year up to this point.

 

What they did last year is irrelevant to me in the scheme of the All-Star Game.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Eh... I vote on the current year up to this point.

 

What they did last year is irrelevant to me in the scheme of the All-Star Game.

 

That's the problem with the All-Star game. Mediocre players voted into the All-Star game because they caught fire for two months. What kind of system NEVER rewards players for what they do in the second half of the season?

[Bored 0]

Call me crazy but you shouldn't be making the All-Star team when you've missed the first two months of the season. That's sounds like a "career achievement" pick to me.

What kind of system NEVER rewards players for what they do in the second half of the season?

Ya your right.

 

Second Half Numbers from last year:

 

Garciaparra: .274/.329/.500

Tejada: .326/.388/.536

 

Come on Al you just don't like Tejada for taking the MVP from your boy A-Rod in 2002.

[MrRant 0]

Eh... I vote on the current year up to this point.

 

What they did last year is irrelevant to me in the scheme of the All-Star Game.

 

That's the problem with the All-Star game. Mediocre players voted into the All-Star game because they caught fire for two months. What kind of system NEVER rewards players for what they do in the second half of the season?

Then move the All-Star Game to after the season like the NFL. That is where it should be anyways.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

It's just a popularity contest anyway, and many times stats don't bear out selections.

[Bored 0]

N.L. voting update

 

Catcher

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Piazza, M. Mets 621,524

2. Ausmus, B. Astros 359,004

3. Lo Duca, P. Dodgers 277,428

4. Barrett, M. Cubs 228,961

5. Estrada, J. Braves 151,716

 

1st Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Pujols, A. Cardinals 564,687

2. Bagwell, J. Astros 523,919

3. Lee, D. Cubs 217,666

4. Thome, J. Phillies 213,779

5. Casey, S. Reds 202,286

 

2nd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Kent, J. Astros 627,162

2. Giles, M. Braves 280,087

3. Castillo, L. Marlins 234,102

4. Grudzielanek, M. Cubs 189,140

5. Alomar, R. Diamondbacks 175,499

 

Shortstop

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Renteria, E. Cardinals 367,301

2. Everett, A. Astros 365,056

3. Matsui, K. Mets 262,524

4. Gonzalez, A. Cubs 223,420

5. Larkin, B. Reds 209,419

 

3rd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Rolen, S. Cardinals 596,823

2. Ramirez, A. Cubs 339,894

3. Lowell, M. Marlins 278,805

4. Ensberg, M. Astros 267,855

5. Beltre, A. Dodgers 225,877

 

Outfield

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Bonds, B. Giants 797,102

2. Sosa, S. Cubs 681,400

3. Griffey Jr., K. Reds 502,077

4. Berkman, L. Astros 437,589

5. Biggio, C. Astros 433,965

6. Alou, M. Cubs 389,805

7. Hidalgo, R. Astros 361,787

8. Edmonds, J. Cardinals 268,750

9. Cabrera, M. Marlins 268,390

10. Jones, A. Braves 217,883

[geniusMoment 0]

Good to see Griffey begining to make some space between him and 4th. With the pursuit of 500 I expect that gap to widen.

[Bored 0]

The page with the updated A.L. vote totals isn't working on mlb.com so just tell you the only change is Jeter took the lead at shortstop.

 

Not gonna bother making picks this week as just taking a quick look at the numbers there wouldn't be much change for this week to last.

[Bored 0]

N.L. voting update.

 

Catcher

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Piazza, M. Mets 950,296

2. Ausmus, B. Astros 587,268

3. Lo Duca, P. Dodgers 392,109

4. Barrett, M. Cubs 302,239

5. Estrada, J. Braves 260,142

 

1st Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Pujols, A. Cardinals 892,603

2. Bagwell, J. Astros 807,564

3. Casey, S. Reds 433,871

4. Thome, J. Phillies 305,107

5. Lee, D. Cubs 276,040

 

2nd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Kent, J. Astros 1,089,924

2. Giles, M. Braves 382,287

3. Castillo, L. Marlins 357,796

4. Alomar, R. Diamondbacks 249,667

5. Grudzielanek, M. Cubs 237,302

 

Shortstop

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Everett, A. Astros 625,055

2. Renteria, E. Cardinals 545,697

3. Matsui, K. Mets 379,979

4. Larkin, B. Reds 378,558

5. Furcal, R. Braves 291,794

 

3rd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Rolen, S. Cardinals 998,851

2. Ramirez, A. Cubs 450,421

3. Ensberg, M. Astros 433,924

4. Lowell, M. Marlins 418,522

5. Beltre, A. Dodgers 299,240

 

Outfield

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Bonds, B. Giants 1,196,386

2. Griffey Jr., K. Reds 980,733

3. Sosa, S. Cubs 920,182

4. Berkman, L. Astros 762,248

5. Biggio, C. Astros 687,721

6. Alou, M. Cubs 550,690

7. Hidalgo, R. Astros 530,377

8. Edmonds, J. Cardinals 393,022

9. Cabrera, M. Marlins 373,207

10. Dunn, A. Reds 364,731

[Guest Deebo]

Lo Duca is getting jobbed.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Astro fans are idiots. Kent and Berkman are the only two who belong in the Top 5.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Sometimes the ballot collecting process is inconsistant, and some players look like they have more votes than they really do, because not all the ballots have arrived. Not all teams send their batches in at the same time. These early totals can be misleading.

[Bored 0]

Well it's not that early with the All-Star Game being less than a month away. Adam Everett isn't going to end up as the starting shortstop though, Kaz Matsui will once the unfair Japanese interent vote is counted. Though in that case Matsui is having a better year than Everett. Edgar Renteria has come crashing down to earth so far this season.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Team Leaders in Win Shares(As of 6/10). Credit to Hardball Times

 

Hardball Times

National League

Arizona: Randy Johnson(10) and Luis Gonzalez(10)

Atlanta: Jorge Estrada(12)

Chicago Cubs: Moises Alou(10)

Cincinnati: Ken Griffey Jr.(15), Adam Dunn(14), Sean Casey(19)

Colorado: Todd Helton(9)

Florida: Mike Lowell(14), Luis Castillo(10)

Houston: Jeff Kent(10), Lance Berkman(13), Roger Clemens(10)

Los Angeles: Adrian Beltre(9)

Milwaukee: Lyle Overbay(9)

Montreal: Zach Day(7)

New York Mets: Tom Glavine(10)

Phillies: Bobby Abreu(16), Burrell(11)

Pittsburgh: Craig Wilson(12)

San Diego: Brian Giles(11), Mark Loretta(11)

San Francisco: Barry Bonds(20)

St. Louis: Scott Rolen(18), Albert Pujols(13)

 

American League

Anaheim: Vladimir Guerrero(14), Jose Guillen(11)

Baltimore: Melvin Mora(13)

Boston: Manny(12), Schilling(10)

White Sox: Frank Thomas(9)

Cleveland: Hafner, Vizquel, Belliard and Martinez with 7

Detroit: Rodriguez(11), Carlos Guillen(10)

Kansas City: Carlos Beltran(10)

Minnesota: Lew Ford(9)

Yankees: A-Rod(12), Posada, Matsui and Sheffield with 10

Oakland: Mulder, Hudson and Hatteberg with 9

Seattle: Ichiro(7)

Tampa Bay: Julio Lugo(9)

Texas: Michael Young(12)

Toronto: Vernon Wells(8)

[Bored 0]

A.L. voting update

 

Catcher

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Rodriguez, I. Tigers 959,254

2. Posada, J. Yankees 691,499

3. Varitek, J. Red Sox 548,400

4. Lopez, J. Orioles 387,429

5. Molina, B. Angels 142,136

 

1st Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Giambi, J. Yankees 748,011

2. Delgado, C. Blue Jays 362,990

3. Millar, K. Red Sox 316,240

4. Thomas, F. White Sox 302,140

5. Palmeiro, R. Orioles 286,127

 

2nd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Soriano, A. Rangers 1,413,944

2. Reese, P. Red Sox 464,971

3. Boone, B. Mariners 442,961

4. Kennedy, A. Angels 177,590

5. Belliard, R. Indians 177,516

 

Shortstop

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Jeter, D. Yankees 797,721

2. Garciaparra, N. Red Sox 696,497

3. Young, M. Rangers 531,575

4. Tejada, M. Orioles 528,803

5. Eckstein, D. Angels 151,889

 

3rd Base

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Rodriguez, A. Yankees 1,141,827

2. Blalock, H. Rangers 447,909

3. Mueller, B. Red Sox 440,468

4. Glaus, T. Angels 296,487

5. Chavez, E. Athletics 288,540

 

Outfield

Player Name Team Total Votes

1. Guerrero, V. Angels 1,250,459

2. Ramirez, M. Red Sox 1,152,444

3. Sheffield, G. Yankees 693,248

4. Damon, J. Red Sox 614,205

5. Matsui, H. Yankees 604,829

6. Suzuki, I. Mariners 585,460

7. Beltran, C. Royals 551,243

8. Williams, B. Yankees 407,209

9. Hunter, T. Twins 370,150

10. Ordoñez, M. White Sox 360,138