First Base:
Lance Berkman, and it's not even close. Which is pretty amazing, considering how good guys like Adrian Gonzalez and Pujols are doing. But Berkman's line of .354/.432/1.121 is sort of ridiculous, even considering that he plays in a little league-sized park. But it's fun to see Gonzalez really develop into a top-tier 1B in the NL lately. I bet the Rangers are wishing they had either him or Teixeira these days.
Second Base:
A couple weeks ago people were writing that this was an easy pick of Chase Utley. But now not only is it not an obvious choice, Utley and Florida's Dan Uggla have basically identical stat lines. And Uggla's home park is not as hitter-friendly as Philly.
Utley: .291/.379/.599 - 22 HR, 57 R, 63 RBIs, 173 TB, 6/0 SBs/CS
Uggla: .294/.379/.643 - 23 HR, 57 R, 57 RBIs, 175 TB, 4/1 SBs/CS
Pretty amazingly similar, considering all the love Utley is (deservedly
) getting these days. I think Utley is a better fielder, but I'm not going to look that up now. And I also give a little value to track record, and Utley has the edge in that category too. So I'll vote for Chase Utley, but only after acknowledging that this season Dan Uggla has basically matched him, and should definitely be named to the team as well. And yeah, Jayson Nix? The same Jayson Nix that has a grand total of 5 hits in 45 ABs, last playing in the majors in late April? Don't vote for that guy, even if you're a die-hard Rockies fan.Shortstop:
Some good candidates here. Furcal is getting close to Chipper Jones territory, batting .366 along with a .448 OBP, but his power is down with only 5 HRs and 19 XBHs. Rey
es is having an all-around good season in NY and leads the SS class with 26 SBs, but Hanley Ramirez is better in most categories - .295/.386/.521, 16 HR, 19/5 SB/CS. And there's Tejada, who has bounced back from the Mitchell Report and steroid accusations to help power the Astros with 10 HR, and a .294/.332/.468 line to date. I think there are several good shortstops in the NL so far, and I would guess we'll see Reyes on the roster, but Hanley Ramirez should win the fan vote, even if you factor in his crappy defense. By the way, where is last year's "MVP" Jimmy Rollins?Third Base:
So, in case you hadn't heard, Chipper Jones is giving Ted Williams a run for his money this year. He's at .393(!)/.485/.631 and he has my vote easily. Honorable Mentions go to David Wright, Aramis Ramirez, and sure, what the heck, Jorge Cantu.Catcher:
The three to consider here are Brian McCann, Russell Martin, and the Cubs' rookie Geovany Soto. Martin has slightly better on-base numbers (.315/.412/.451, 7 HR), but McCann edges him out in the power catergories (.306/.379/.562, 14 HR). Soto is a fun rookie to root for, but I think he needs to put up numbers like this for a few seasons before he gets the benefit of the doubt to make up for his statistical deficits. Martin is a solid choice, but I think McCann has the edge this year and also calls a great game for that Atlanta pitching staff.
Outfield:
Another interesting position. There are the "nobodies" (Ryan Ludwick, Nate McClouth), the "out from the shadows" (Pat Burrell), and the "small-market st
ars" (Jason Bay, Ryan Braun, Matt Holliday). What there is NOT is the sentimental-favorite rapidly declining old guy (Ken Griffey Jr., currently 3rd in OF voting), the Japanese guy who plays for the Cubs (Fukudome, 2nd in voting), and the guy famous from his Yankees stint who signed a huge contract so he must be worthy (Soriano, 1st in voting). Anyways, voter ignorance rant aside, I hadn't realized how McClouth (a career .261 hitter in 4 seasons) and Ludwick (a former Indian who's bounced between AAA and the sho
w since 2002 hitting a career .263) and are tearing it up this year:McClouth: .292/.375/.546, 15 HR
Ludwick: .297/.370/.606, 16 HR
Burrell has been similarly terrorizing NL pitchers: .271/.411/.571, 18 HR, and leads NL OFs in win probability added (by over a full win). Bay's line is similar too, at .283/.393/.524, 15 HR. And then there's Holliday, who has been injured a little but still has put up good numbers: .329/.410/.538, 9 HR.
Ryan Braun, the new star in Milwaukee, leads the pack in HRs with 20, but has a sort of dismal OBP of .324 and his defense, while mitigated in the OF, is notoriously poor. I think all of these guys should make the team, but on my ballot I think I'll punch the holes next to Burrell, Ludwick, and Holliday, and really cross my fingers for McClouth.It'll be interesting to see how the voting plays out, and how much clout the lemming fans in Boston, NY, and Chicago have over the baseball fans who haven't yet been brainwashed by ESPN. And leave a comment if you'd like to point out how stupid I am for picking Hanley over Tejeda, leaving off McClouth, or for pulling Dioner Navarro out of the sky and giving him my vote, please do!
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