All-Star Picks, 2009
by Jesse on Jun 28, 2009 6:49 PM EDT
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PrintWith the midway point of the season on the horizon, what better time to break into our first discussion of the All-Star game? Feel free to check who I selected in the 2007 and 2008 editions, but now it's onto the '09 team.
Catcher
There's really no other choice you can make, that's how good of a year Joe Mauer is having. Hell, he could be hitting 100 points less in each of the triple slash categories and he'd still be the American League's starting catcher. He's having the best year of his career to date, across the board. Nobody deserves to represent his league more than Mauer.
Previous Selections: 2 (2006, 2008)
Runner-Up: Mike Napoli, Angels
First Base
First base was a hard decision, because there are a lot of guys tearing the cover off the ball (Miguel Cabrera, Justin Morneau, Carlos Pena, Victor Martinez, Mark Teixeira...and some lumberjack from Seattle). But Kevin Youkilis wins out not just because he can hit, but because he's not too shabby with the glove, either. And are you seeing the same on-base percentage number as I am? The man is a machine, and I've wished this before and I'll wish it again: I wish Youk played for the Twins so they could bat Mauer/Youkilis one/two.
Previous Selections: 1 (2008)
Runner-Up: Russell Branyan, Mariners
Second Base
Ian Kinsler is following up a great '08 campaign with yet another offensively successful season. He's already tied his home run total from last year, and hopefully he can stay healthy and hit the 130-games played mark. Texas doesn't have the offensive juggernaut it had last season, but that's not stopping Kinsler from topping a list of great candidates for the second base gig.
Previous Selections: 1 (2008)
Runner-Up: Aaron Hill, Blue Jays
Third Base
Then there's Evan Longoria, who's having quite a laugh over the idea of a "sophomore slump". The man has been an absolute monster, racking up extra-base hits like C.C. Sabathia racks up the pounds. Not only is he a beast with the bat, but he's pretty slick in the field as well (13.4 UZR/150). If you had to pick any third baseman in baseball to start your franchise with, considering his age you might have to pick him over A-Rod, wouldn't you? At least right now, he's that good.
Previous Selections: 1 (2008)
Runner-Up: Brandon Inge, Tigers
Shortstop
Yes, that's right...Jason Barlett. Here you see him rocking the Josten's senior picture for the yearbook. This guy is raking at an unsustainable rate, if only because 28% of his BIP are line drives. He's always been pretty reliable as far as being a contact hitter, at least in terms of scoring good ratios with line drives, but this year he's actually hitting more fly balls than grounders. And that's a little bizarre. The result has been more power, and along with that .407 BABIP he's sitting pretty. Like I said, unsustainable, but respect must be paid. Here's to you, Mr. Bartlett.
Previous Selections: 0
Runner-Up: Marco Scutaro, Blue Jays
Left Field
Rumors keep swirling about the Red Sox signing Jason Bay to a long-term deal, but for whatever reason it hasn't happened yet. Maybe they're waiting for him to cool off so he won't be quite as expensive...y'know, save a cool million or two. Well, no sign of that happening either, just yet. Bay, rocking the mug shot after holding up a 711, is the guy every team wants as a left fielder. He walks a lot, he hits for great power and he has superb control of the strike zone. He's a stud.
Previous Selections: 2 (2005, 2006)
Runner-Up: Johnny Damon, Yankees
Center Field
Torii Hunter is a handsome guy, so what's up with this shot? Either he just tasted some cheese that somebody made themselves and is trying really hard to be polite, or they snapped the shot right as he was trying to squeeze out a little air. Anyway, did you know Hunter was capable of this? After hitting roughly his career averages last year offensively, this season we're seeing him tear the cover off the ball once again. The walk rates are career-best, and he's not a big line drive guy, which basically tells me that it doesn't matter if Torii is hitting grounders, liners or flies...because he's just hitting everything hard. His UZR/150 is in the negative (-4.5) for the fourth year in a row, but when a center fielder can hit like he is this year that doesn't matter. He's making up for it. Good for you, Torii.
Previous Selections: 2 (2002, 2007)
Runner-Up: Adam Jones, Orioles
Right Field
Ben Zobrist? Freak of nature. Is isolated power is way up, his walks are way up, and one out of every four balls he hits in the air leaves the park. It's been an unreal year, and nobody could have predicted this. Even better, the man is an outstanding right fielder (22.5 UZR/150). What's there not to like? Sure, Jermaine Dye is having a fine season at the plate, but this one isn't even close. Hell, it's not even close compared to who came in as the runner-up.
Previous Selections: 0
Runner-Up: Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
That's who I'm voting for. Who's on your ballot? Did I miss anyone?
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Jesse
why Youkilis? why not Morneau who has the better overall numbers? Too many people are caught up in the “Youk fan club” and fail to see small matters which will eventually doom Youk’s career.
Youk’s batting stance does not feature long term success for instance….however, this is not about long term success.
Morneau is above Youk in HR, RBI, and 2B. Youkilis leads by a small margin in BA and SLG. Youkilis does have a higher OBP. Youkilis strikes out more than Morny. Youkilis has walked a little bit more than Morneau.
However the numbers are there: Morneau is a better overall hitter than Youkilis is. Youkilis does get on base more than Morneau and that is about it. Who would I rather have given the option of drafting Youkilis or Morneau again? I would take Morneau 9x out of 10.
plus, if you look at his 1B fielding numbers this year
he is a little worse than Morneau at 1B. Youk has committed one error (same as Morneau)…but Morneau has had more opportunities than Youkilis has had to make additional errors. Youk holds a 8.43 RF at 1B…Morneau has a 8.70 RF at 1B. The fact of the matter is this: Morneau > Youkilis.
Only 9X?
What have you got against J-Mo?
"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
by less cowbell, more 'neau on Jun 28, 2009 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions
absolutely nothing
as a matter of fact, I would probably take Morneau 10 out of 10 times. I do not see Youkilis being a long time performer at the plate, mostly due to his stance. He will develop a lot of holes as he grows older and pitchers will hit these holes and sit him on the bench. Youkilis has been a little better than Morneau in the field over the past few years, but now it appears that Youkilis is better suited to 3B (which in my opinion is a much easier position to play, never mind the defensive spectrum).
I'll play...
If Youk had 77 more AB, to tie himself up with Justin, the numbers wouldn’t be as close as they are. But here’s why I chose Youk…
OBP: 388 vs 443, adv Youk. This one isn’t even close.
SLG: 563 vs 573, adv Youk. This one is close, but it gets better.
ISO: 246 vs 264, adv Youk. This just sort of clears up the power issue.
RBI: These I didn’t even look at. Don’t care about RBI enough to count them.
BB%: 11.8 vs 16.8, adv Youk. This is a massive advantage.
LD%: 16.5 vs 24, adv Youk. Harder to turn into outs.
O-Swing %: 33.2 vs 17.3, adv Youk. Far superior discipline.
UZR/150: -6.6 vs 10.7, adv Youk. Defensive metrics are harder to read though, so…
RZR: .742 vs .846, adv Youk. Making far more plays in his zone than J-Mo.
OOZ: 16 vs 2, adv Justin. He’s definitely more athletic, this helps him.
I’m not saying that Morneau doesn’t have advantages over Youkilis, especially long-term, but it’s not like I just picked Kevin because I like his goatee. Which I do. I think he’s legitimately having a better season.
Good comparision
I’d rather see Justin in there, but Youk’s had an awesome year.
by carverslacker on Jun 29, 2009 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions
A good list
I agree with Youkilis over Morneau.
The question is always—how much do you reward 2-3 good months vs. long term quality? This year, that argument revolves around Ben Zobrist, I think. I mean, I think Scott Cooper was an all-star once. Do we prefer to avoid that kind of result? If so, it ought to be Ichiro. If you prefer to reward the great first part of the season, Zobrist is your man.
I generally fall on the pick the real stars not the first 3 month guys, especially because voting really starts with only 2 months or so in the books. But I’m not saying my position is inevitably the right one. It’s a matter of taste.
by Eric in Madison on Jun 28, 2009 7:19 PM EDT reply actions
That's the problem with All-Star voting,
because everyone votes differently. And sometimes I think it can rob the rightful player.
Zobrist is probably just a flash-in-the-pan, I know that, but I like seeing different guys get in there. And it’s not like Zobrist is lucking into a lot of his numbers, he’s earned them. But your argument is valid, I’ve gone over the same question every time I vote. There’s definitey an argument for Ichiro specifically here, but I did go with Zobrist just because of the amazing start he’s had.
why Ben Zobrist?
why not Ichiro Suzuki? Suzuki has a .375 AVG after all, and as much as I hate the hype about Suzuki, he is a good player. I would take Suzuki over Hunter as a matter of fact.
Because Zobrist has a 1.026 OPS.
And Ichiro has walked 13 times. Plus, Zobrist’s UZR/150 is better than Ichiro’s as well.
russell branyan as the backup
i’d like to hear the argument for that.
he has 20 fewer rbis than morneau, and there are several other 1Bs ahead of him in that (and other) catagories.
his average with RISP is a paltry .250, and his RISP w/2 outs is an embarrassing .136 !!!!!!
plus, he’s made six (count ’em, 6!) errors at first base.
there are several very good 1Bs in the AL this year, but Branyan isn’t one of them
by just kidding, right? on Jun 28, 2009 7:22 PM EDT reply actions
The argument for Branyan? K...
HR: 3rd in AL (Behind Pena, Teixeira)
OBP: .399. This doesn’t need to be defended, but ok, he’s 4th (Behind Youkilis, Overbay and Martinez if you want to count him)
SLG: .613. This leads all first basemen.
RBI: Really? Don’t care. Stat result dependent on if there are people on base in front of him, which in Seattle is a crap shoot.
OPS: 2nd, behind Youk.
One out of every four fly balls leaves the park. The man is having an outstanding season, and I took him over the other candidates because his overall offensive performance was too much for me to ignore. The man is huge.
RBIs take two things...
one is “if there are people on base in front of him” as you pointed out.
the other is being able to actually drive them in when the opportunity presents itself (which you ignore).
to repeat my previous post, branyan is batting a mere .250 with runners in scoring postion and only .136 RISP with two outs.
this is why he has so few rbis, and one of the reasons why seattle has had trouble scoring runs this year.
you also ignored his poor play at 1B (and before you say you don’t care about fielding, it’s a reason you cited for youk over morneau)
by just kidding, right? on Jun 28, 2009 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions
BA with RISP?
Let’s cite a worse stat.
stop by Waving the Wheat (http://wavingthewheat.wordpress.com/) and The College Hockey Blog (http://thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com/)
Got to defend Branyan here
M’s fan here. The case for Morneau over Branyan could certainly be justified, and I’m not going to argue it much. But it bugs me that, just because Branyan reminds people of a lumberjack, they assume he’s a poor defensive player. They don’t even care to look up the facts. He’s a former third baseman, and this year…
Branyan- 0.2 UZR
Morneau2.2 UZR +3.1 UZR
Youkilis
by Fuckmikereilly on Jul 1, 2009 5:54 AM EDT up reply actions
I like it But I think Jeter will unseat Bartlett
But Barlett should definately be the Reserve…
and one of Kubel or Morneau should get in as the DH quite honestly !!!!
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jun 28, 2009 8:19 PM EDT reply actions
Question
Am I the only one who keeps wanting to refer to the Orioles’ Adam Jones as “Pacman”, because of the insane football player?
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Zobrist? He's a utility player.
I think you have to be a regular starter to qualify as a starter for the All-Star game. Or at least that’s how it should be.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
subclause
If you’re OPS is over 1.000, you can get consideration I think.
formerly known in these parts as adamb
Agreed
It’s not Zobrist’s fault that he had to rake for two months to become an everyday starter (which, by the way, he is now). He’s got way more plate appearances than Mauer at this point, and no one thinks Mauer is questionable as an all-star starter.
This discussion is entirely academic, as there’s zero chance that he would get enough fan votes to start anyway. He’s probably more useful on the bench anyway, giving the manager a bit more flexibility.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Zobrist is the Rays' everday second baseman now
since Iwamura is out for (at least most of) the season.
by DK on Jun 29, 2009 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
That was my point: He’s only played 24 games in RF this year. He’s had 30 games at second, 9 games at short, 4 games in LF one at center and one at third. Also, as a right fielder, he’s hitting .254/.371/.475. One more thing: He’s not on the ballot, so it ain’t going to happen. He might be an All-Star bench player this year, but he’s not the regular right fielder for the AL, Ichiro is.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
He'll be on the team
since Maddon is the manager. I don’t think Jesse’s post was about “who should be the All-Stars from just the guys on the ballot”, though, I think he was considering everyone out there. There’s reasonable arguments both ways about whether the All-Star game should be about three outstanding months (if so, then Zobrist absolutely deserves to be on the team) or about being a star for one’s career (if so, then Ichiro absolutely deserves to be on the team). The rest of your post is pretty much just noise.
by DK on Jun 29, 2009 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions
More noise
Ichiro is hitting .372 /.402/.500/.902 and leading the league in hits in 312 plate appearances as a right fielder, while playing the best defense in all of baseball out there. Ask anybody in the game who the best right fielder is and they will say Ichiro.
I could see Zobrist at second. But right? No way.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
And Zobrist has a better hitting line
than Ichiro this year, as you can see from what Jesse posted (disregarding, of course, the useless BA stat). I don’t have a very high opinion of most things that most people “in the game” would say, so that really would be more noise.
Like I said, anyway, they’ll both end up on the squad.
by DK on Jun 29, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions
BA is not useless
If two guys have identical OBPs but one had the higher batting average, I’ll take the guy with the higher batting average. Why? Because an offense can do more with a hit than a walk. Runners score from second on hits. Runners go from first to third on hits. Walks are station-to-station. Hits often result in extra bases.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
I disagree with just about everything...
C – Joe Mauer
1B – Justin Morneau (Teixera is second here; I don’t care what the stats say… I hate Youk)
2B – Ian Kinsler
SS – Marco Scutaro
3B – Evan Longoria
LF – Jason Bay
CF – Adam Jones
RF – not sure… probabyl not Zobrist though…
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You know what would be really nice about Jesse's list?
If it were to come to pass, not a single player would have more than 2 prior appearances and most of them have 1 or 0. No more Jeter or A-Rod or Posada or “Pudge” …
by montanatwinsfan on Jun 29, 2009 11:19 PM EDT reply actions
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