As promised, the second edition of the "Who Really Should Start the All-Star Game for the NL" is here (if you want to see the first, then click here, or if you want the current AL, click here). Again, for some reason, voters are better for the NL than the AL (no East Coast Bias?).
First Baseman
Actual: Lance Berkman (HOU)
Should Be: Lance Berkman. Sorry Prince Albert, but your spectacular first half has been beaten by Berkman, by quite a bit actually. Berkman has the higher BA by 25 points, SLG by 100 points, 3 more HR, 11 more RBI, 8 more 2B, 20 more R, and even 2 more 3B. The only thing Pujols wins is OBP by 16 points. Berkman is the clear winner.
Second Baseman
Actual: Chase Utley (PHI)
Should Be: Chase Utley. Actually, Dan Uggla has been almost as impressive and overlooked, but Utley beats him out in most categories. Seriously, take a look. Things are closer than they appear.
Third Baseman
Actual: Chipper Jones (ATL)
Should Be: Chipper Jones. Three in a row. Wow. If you say Wright deserves it more, I'll come smack you with his undeserved Gold Glove.
Shortstop
Actual: Miguel Tejada (HOU)
Should Be: Hanley Ramirez (FLA). This is a little closer than the other ones. Tejada leads in RBI, 2nd in R and DB, 3rd in HR, BA, and SLG. Theriot deserves a look for his leading BA and OBP, but his stealing percentage is horrendous (11 of 19). Yet, Hanley Ramirez is probably the best due to leading in HR, R, and SLG, being 2nd in OBP and SB (all of these among shortstops by the way, not the entire NL). Tough call, but I'll give it to Ramirez.
Catcher
Actual: Geovany Soto (CHC)
Should Be: Brian McCann (ATL). A tough four-way battle between catchers. Molina has the most RBI and the highest BA but has a terrible walk rate. Russell Martin has also done well with the second-highest BA and the highest OBP, but his power numbers aren't there. That leaves two: McCann and Soto. McCann wins in almost every category. He has a higher BA (by 28), higher OBP (by 16), more HR (by 2), more R (by 7), and a higher SLG (by 52). Soto wins in RBI (by 2). McCann, though, has walked more than he has struck out.
Outfielders
Actual: Alfonso Soriano (CHC), Kosuke Fukudome (CHC), Ken Griffey Jr. (CIN)
Should Be: Xavier Nady (PIT), Nate McClouth (PIT), Ryan Ludwick (STL). Still three NL Central outfielders, just from different teams. The entire Pittsburgh outfield is having an outstanding year so far. Because of the massive numbers, you can check out the numbers here instead of me trying to cram everything in here. Carlos Lee is 4th in the voting, but his .257 average takes him out for me. Carlos Beltran is the same way except he also has less RBI's than my chosen three. Ryan Braun is close, sooo close. He has more HR, but his BA is a little lower and his OBP is much lower. Pat Burrell is also close, but his average is .270 (compared to the chosen three all being over .300). Aaron Rowand has also done a nice job, but his run production (both R and RBI) are lower than the chosen three. Soriano's OBP and BA take him out for me (including having lower run production). Fukudome is steady and consistent, but he is not an All-Star (maybe there's a Chicago Cub Bias?).
My last "advice" will come in two weeks when the next voting polls come out. Then, I'll give my final picks for the entire team (each team).
No comments:
Post a Comment