Time To Start The Annual All Star Argument (pitchers, pitcher, win)
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Based on 2012 performance, the deserving players are:
Catcher:
AL: A.J. Pierzynski .299 .345 .512
NL: Yadier Molina .333 .374 .546
The Dodgers' A.J. Ellis is hitting up a storm, but has played in only 40 games.
Thirdbase:
AL: Mark Trumbo .348 .396 .632
NL: David Wright .365 .463 .565
Outfield:
AL:
Josh Hamilton .368 .420 .764
Adam Jones .314 .365 .618
Josh Willingham .276 .401 .564
NL:
Very obviously Matt Kemp deserves it, but his hamstring problems have limited his playing time recently and he is about to go back on the DL. So, other than Kemp...
Carlos Gonzalez .323 .391 .629
Ryan Braun .309 .395 .608
Carlos Beltran .294 .394 .594
Reserves/DH
AL:
David Ortiz .323 .394 .608
Austin Jackson .331 .414 .544
Matt Joyce .288 .401 .542
Derek Jeter .336 .382 .455
Miguel Cabrera .315 .369 .512
Ian Kensler .282 .351 .465
Joe Mauer .296 .408 .408
Adrian Beltre .319 .340 .549
I'll let someone else work up a pitchers list. The above selections represent what strikes me as the easiest picks in many years. Who could argue with any of them?
Ellis has the most WAR of any catcher despite the lack of playing time. Why hold the schedule and Don Mattingly against him?
It is done...remember when Strasberg and Posey were being advanced as candidates in '10?
Quote:
Elvis Andrus has a full win more than Asdrubal
Not according to Baseball Reference which has Asdrubal at 2.0 WAR and Andrus at 1.8 WAR so far in '12.
Quote:
There are a few OFers better than Willingham, when you factor in defence.
Yeah, but when has anyone ever done that when voting for All Stars? Can you identify a single elected outfielder whose primary qualification was superior defense? Further, since in the past you have acknowledged that we are still in the pioneer stage of sorting out defensive metrics, we don't really know that Willingham is inferior, do we? Anyway, who did you have in mind?
It is done...remember when Strasberg and Posey were being advanced as candidates in '10?
Those situations were a bit different. And I think that both probably should have been All-Stars. But, I have a different idea of what that means than many fans.
Quote:
Yeah, but when has anyone ever done that when voting for All Stars? Can you identify a single elected outfielder whose primary qualification was superior defense? Further, since in the past you have acknowledged that we are still in the pioneer stage of sorting out defensive metrics, we don't really know that Willingham is inferior, do we? Anyway, who did you have in mind?
Still don't understand why baseball doesn't elect a RFer, LFer and CFer. Andre Etheir started an All-Star game as a CFer and had never played an inning in CF in his career. CF is as different a position from RF as 3B is from 2B, I'd say.
I'd take Matt Joyce, by a hair over Willingham. Their offense is basically the same and Joyce has a better defensive track record. It's close though. Reddick deserves mention as well.
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