Due to the genius idea of leadership making it mean something, the MLB All-Star Game isn’t something to be fooled around with.
By Kevin Flynn
So, due to the fact only the worthy should be heading to Ohio for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, the following list is that collection of worthy talent.
Like it or not, this game actually does mean something.
At the very least, Bruce Bochy and Ned Yost, the baseball managers that led their teams to the World Series last year, get a chance to set themselves up for a repeat. That is, if they win the All-Star game and get back to the October Classic, they get home-field advantage.
So yes, our once awesome exhibition is now strangely looked at as a ploy to make players play more like Pete Rose (destroying catchers careers). Yet, he’s on the outside looking in as the Hall of Fame is considered.
Interesting, to say the least.
The MLB All-Star game takes place in Cincinnati, Ohio on Tuesday night, July 14. Whether you like the event or not, it is still the only All–Star game that has any meaning in the grand scheme of the four-major sports.
When you sit back and think about it, the NFL All-Star Game has nothing meaningful to it other than the people who compete in the game get a free-trip to Hawaii. The tackling is atrocious and the plethora of scoring becomes a sports-show highlight reel for gimmick plays, like onside kicks, triple reverses, and long passing TD’s.
Now we have to deal with a fantasy draft of players, where if you are named to the Pro Bowl, the team captains pick you to play on their fantasy team. Not the Pro Bowl coaches, but retired NFL Hall of Famers.
Hockey has tried to change their All-Star game several times, by moving from East vs. West to North America vs. The World format (which didn’t work either). They have since regressed back to the East vs. West format but changed it again.
This past year, in a fantasy draft style similar to the NFL, Team Toews lost to Team Foligno 17-12. That’s 29 goals in a game. A game that we see as more of a defensive blood-bath during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Take into account the lack of checking and the overabundance of goals. The only way to improve that game is to make it an outside Winter Classic and give the winning conference’s champion home ice during the Stanley Cup Finals.
Lastly, let’s not forget about basketball entirely.
The NBA is credited with the rise of the All-Star Weekend thanks to the skills competition that was born in 1984 when Larry Nance of the Phoenix Suns beat the Human Highlight Film, Dominque Wilkins and Dr. J Julius Erving to be crowned the first NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion.
After the popularity of this event, MLB brought back the Home Run Derby in 1985. The NHL reacted six years later by bringing in the NHL Skills competition weekend. After a disastrous blow to the MLB All-Star Game that ended in a tie in 2002, Bud Selig had to do something.
Kansas City Royals fans have passion now that their team is winning once again. So they decide to stuff the ballots with all of their players, but, interestingly enough, not the ones that could help them win home-field advantage.
The people against a home-field advantage to the winner” argument can certainly be made, which mostly ends in “team with the better record has four games at home in a seven game World Series.”
In any event and unlike the other three sports, it gives the MLB All-Star game a purpose other than merchandising and event sales.
There’s just one problem: The voting process.
This portion of the event is a terrible idea if lackluster players such as Omar Infante, Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar win the vote.
Kansas City Royals fans have passion now that their team is winning once again. So they decide to stuff the ballots with all of their players, but, interestingly enough, not the ones that could help them win home-field advantage.
I ask you Kansas City fans. With the AL trailing 2-1 late in the game with the bases loaded and one out, if Ned Yost could put a pinch hitter up there in the form of Jason Kipnis instead of Infante, wouldn’t you be ok with that?
Then why have your guy there in the form of a starter? You didn’t think this through very well. So we all have by the end of Thursday to get this right.
Here’s my ballot, and according to the rules, every team is represented for a grand total of 35 to a roster.
And no, the Royals don’t get to start 5 players.
First Base
NL:
Starter:
- Paul Goldschmidt: .352 Avg. / 20 HR/ 64 RBI / 15 SB
Backups:
- Adrian Gonzalez: .298 Avg. / 13 HR / 48 RBI / 0 SB
- Joey Votto: .284 Avg. / 14 HR / 38 RBI/ 5 SB
Snubbed:
- Anthony Rizzo, Freddie Freeman
AL:
Starter:
- Miguel Cabrera: .350 Avg. / 15 HR / 53 RBI/ 1 SB
Backups:
- Albert Pujols : .265 Avg. / 23 HR / 48 RBI / 1 SB
- Prince Fielder: .348 Avg / 12 HR / 48 RBI / 0 SB
Snubbed:
- Mark Texeira, Jose Abreu and yes…Eric Hosmer
Second Base
NL:
Starter:
- Dee Gordon: .353 Avg / 0 HR / 17 RBI / 26 SB
Backups:
- DJ LeMahieu: .304 Avg. / 4 HR / 33 RBI / 10 SB
- Joe Panik: . 310 Avg. / 6 HR / 30 RBI / 3 SB
Snubbed:
- Brandon Phillips, Kolten Wong
AL:
Starter:
- Jason Kipnis: .348 Avg. / 5 HR / 32 RBI/ 10 SB
Backups:
- Brian Dozier: .266 Avg. / 16 HR / 40 RBI / 7 SB
- Jose Altuve: .292 Avg. / 7 HR / 31 RBI/ 21 SB
Snubbed:
- Robinson Cano, Logan Forsythe, and yes…Omar Infante
Third Base
NL:
Starter:
- Todd Frazier: .289 Avg / 25 HR / 54 RBI / 8 SB
Backups:
- Nolan Arenado: .292 Avg / 24 HR / 68 RBI / 0 SB
- Kris Bryant: .273 Avg / 10 HR / 43 RBI / 6 SB
Snubbed:
- Matt Carpenter, Maikel Franco
AL:
Starter:
- Josh Donaldson: .301 Avg. / 18 HR / 49 RBI/ 3 SB
Backups:
- Manny Machado: .307 Avg. / 15 HR / 43 RBI / 11 SB
- Mike Moustakas: .317 Avg. / 7 HR / 31 RBI/ 1 SB
Snubbed:
- Evan Longoria, Kyle Seager, Adrian Beltre
Shortstop
NL:
Starter:
- Troy Tulowitzki: .322 Avg / 8 HR / 41 RBI / 0 SB
Backups:
- Jhonny Peralta: .303 Avg / 11 HR / 40 RBI / 1 SB
- Brandon Crawford: .275 Avg / 10 HR / 46 RBI / 4 SB
Snubbed:
- Jean Segura, Wilmer Flores, Starlin Castro
AL:
Starter:
- Xander Bogaerts: .294 Avg. / 3 HR / 33 RBI / 4 SB
Backups:
- Jose Iglesias: .330 Avg. / 1 HR / 11 RBI/ 3 SB
Snubbed:
- Alcides Escobar, Jose Reyes
Catchers
NL:
Starter:
- Buster Posey: .300 Avg / 11 HR / 53 RBI / 1 SB
Backups:
- Yadier Molina: .293 Avg / 2 HR / 26 RBI / 0 SB
- Yasmani Grandal: .266 Avg / 11 HR / 27 RBI / 0 SB
Snubbed:
- Nick Hundley, Miguel Montero, Wilson Ramos
AL:
Starter:
- Stephen Vogt: .304 Avg. / 13 HR / 53 RBI / 0 SB
Backups:
- Salvador Perez: .270 Avg. / 13 HR / 34 RBI/ 1 SB
- Brian McCann: .269 Avg. / 12 HR / 49 RBI/ 0 SB
Snubbed:
- Russell Martin
Outfielders, DH:
NL:
Starters:
- Bryce Harper: .339 Avg / 24 HR / 58 RBI / 3 SB
- Giancarlo Stanton: .265 Avg / 27 HR / 67 RBI / 4 SB
- Justin Upton: .272 Avg / 14 HR / 46 RBI / 15 SB
Backups:
- Ryan Braun: .265 Avg / 15 HR / 50 RBI / 9 SB
- AJ Pollack: .297 Avg / 9 HR / 35 RBI / 16 SB
- Andrew McCutchen: .294 Avg / 9 HR / 44 RBI / 4 SB
- Joc Pederson: .241 Avg / 20 HR / 38 RBI / 2 SB
Snubbed:
- Starling Marte, Nori Aoki, Curtis Granderson
AL:
Starters:
- Mike Trout: .300 Avg / 20 HR / 43 RBI / 9 SB
- Jose Bautista: .238 Avg / 15 HR / 50 RBI / 3 SB
- Brett Gardner: .305 Avg / 9 HR / 39 RBI / 15 SB
Backups:
- Lorenzo Cain: .289 Avg / 6 HR / 39 RBI / 15 SB
- Yoenis Cespedes: .300 Avg / 10 HR / 42 RBI / 3 SB
- J.D. Martinez: .270 Avg / 19 HR / 46 RBI / 2 SB
- Josh Reddick: .287 Avg / 11 HR / 48 RBI / 3 SB
Snubbed:
- Hanley Ramirez, Steven Souza Jr., Adam Jones
AL DH:
- Nelson Cruz: .305 Avg / 19 HR / 46 RBI / 1 SB
Snubbed:
- Alex Rodriguez, Edwin Encarnacion
Pitchers
AL Starter:
- Sonny Gray 9 Wins / 2.09 ERA / 97 K’s
Others:
- Dallas Keuchel
- Chris Sale
- Felix Hernandez
- Chris Archer
- David Price
- Carlos Carrasco
- Michael Pineda
- Glen Perkins
- Huston Street
- Zach Britton
- Dellin Betances
NL Starter:
- Max Scherzer 9 Wins / 1.79 ERA / 130 K’s
Others:
- Zack Greinke
- Shelby Miller
- Cole Hamels
- Gerrit Cole
- Bartolo Colon
- Jeurys Familia
- Madison Bumgarner
- Carlos Martinez
- James Shields
- Jake Arrieta
- Mark Melancon
- Trevor Rosenthal