We’ve heard from Al DiFranco a couple times this season. Today he offers up his take on the A.L. All-Star possibilities. I won’t give away how many Indians make his list. You’ll have to read.
We are only beginning the eighth week of baseball’s marathon regular season, but this has been a season like none other in recent memory for Indians fans. A major-league best record of 29-15 and a seven game lead in the American League Central Division have Tribe fans giddy with excitement. With that has come some interesting discussion around town about how many Indians will make the American League All-Star Team. Indians skipper Manny Acta’s recent appointment to be an assistant coach on the All-Star team should help the club get an extra player or two on the roster.
With all this banter, I thought I would put together an analysis of how the AL All-Star Roster is shaping up. I will do an analysis like this periodically in the lead up to the Midsummer Classic, which will be held on July 12 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
A quick primer on the assembly of an All-Star Roster:
-AL and NL rosters consist of 34 players each.
-Each team in the league must be represented by at least one player.
-Fans will vote for the starters at each position, except for starting pitcher.
-Players, coaches, and managers vote for five starting pitchers, three relievers, and one back-up player at each position.
-The manager of each league’s All-Star team fills the remainder of the roster.
-Fans will vote for one additional player off a list of five players that are identified by the All-Star manager and Commissioner’s Office.
Here is how I see the American League All-Star Team shaping up as of today, with all 34 eligible spots accounted for:
First base
Al’s Picks:
Miguel Cabrera (DET) .313-8-30
Adrian Gonzalez (BOS) .342-9-41
Paul Konerko (CHW) .301-10-36
Other Candidates:
Adam Lind (TOR) .313-7-27
Justin Smoak (SEA) .271-6-26
Mark Teixeira (NYY) .248-12-29
Analysis:
This position is loaded in the AL. Gonzalez will likely leverage the Red Sox Nation vote into the starting line-up, though Teixeira might steal the nod despite a subpar early season for him. Either way, Gonzalez is deserving of a spot on the All-Star Roster in his first AL season. Cabrera and Konerko seem to be locks with their usual strong numbers. Smoak and Lind both are very good candidate, but the need to fill the roster with the likes of Billy Butler and Jason Kubel (both listed on the ballot as DHs) due to the rule calling for each team to have at least one representative costs them in my analysis. Matt LaPorta (.262-5-22) has been solid for the Tribe, but doesn’t have nearly the numbers of these other contenders to make a strong case for consideration.
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Second base
Al’s Picks
Robinson Cano (NYY) .273-9-28
Howard Kendrick (LAA) .322-7-18
Other Candidates:
Ben Zobrist (TB) .260-8-28
Orlando Cabrera (CLE) .272-2-24
Analysis:
Cano will win the fan vote easily. Kendrick seems to be a lock, as he is putting up huge numbers. Cabrera and Zobrist may fight it out for a third spot, and you would think Cabrera’s flexibility of being able to play short stop would help him here…but Zobrist can play just about any position on the field. Edge to Zobrist for now, but if Cabrera keeps driving in big runs for the league leaders he may sneak in. This position only gets two players in my projection at this point, but that is subject to change.
Short stop
Al’s Picks
Derek Jeter (NYY) .268-2-15
Asdrubal Cabrera (CLE) .302-9-32
Jhonny Peralta (DET) .295-7-24
Other Candidates:
Alexei Ramirez (CHW) .288-6-23
Erick Aybar (LAA) .309-2-14
Analysis:
Jeter is probably going to win the fan vote, which is a shame because Cabrera certainly deserves the starting nod. What struck me in putting this analysis together was how great a season Peralta has been having. Wouldn’t it be something if Cabrera and Peralta both were All-Stars? Right now, you have to give them the nods as backups to Jeter.
Third base
Al’s Picks
Adrian Beltre (TEX) .260-10-37
Alex Rodriguez (NYY) .284-9-26
Kevin Youkilis (BOS) .281-8-32
Other Candidates:
Maicer Izturis (LAA) .308-3-13
Analysis:
Rodriguez and Youkilis will fight over fan votes, but both should make the team with their solid statistics and popularity. Beltre has to be looked at heavily as the third choice, as he is second in the league in RBI and fourth in home runs. Izturis is a great catalyst for the Angels, but as of now he falls short. Jack Hannahan (.238-4-17) has been a good pickup for the Indians, but he has no chance of making the All-Star Game.
Catcher
Al’s Picks
Russell Martin (NYY) .271-8-24
Matt Wieters (BAL) .273-4-25
Other Candidates
Alex Avila (DET) .290-6-24
Analysis
Martin should win the fan vote going away in his first season as a Yankee. Wieters has put up good numbers and will likely be Baltimore’s only All-Star representative. Avila has made important contributions to the Tigers and should make the team if the AL carries three catchers. Carlos Santana (.208-6-21) has been a bit of a disappointment statistically for the Tribe and is out of the running for this year’s All-Star Team at this point.
Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer
Outfield
Al’s Picks
Jose Bautista (TOR) .353-18-31
Michael Brantley (CLE) .296-4-22
Curtis Granderson (NYY) .263-16-34
Josh Hamilton (TEX) .333-0-7
Matt Joyce (TB) .355-7-24
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) .288-0-16
Other Candidates
Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS) .295-4-22
Jeff Francoeur (KC) .282-9-28
Carlos Quentin (CHW) .259-9-26
Analysis
Ichiro and Hamilton are the two best bets to win the fan vote, and they are probably the two least worthy candidates on this list. You still have to assume they are in given their widespread popularity among fans. Granderson should be among the leaders in fan voting, but he is deserving of a spot on the roster either way with his huge stat line. Bautista is putting up video game like numbers and has locked up a spot. If Joyce continues to be near the top in the batting race, he is probably in line for one of the reserve openings as well. Brantley has been a great catalyst for the Tribe this season and will contend for one of the final spots on this roster if he keeps putting up the numbers. Acta’s role as AL coach may help Brantley get to Phoenix. Grady Sizemore (.282-6-11) has put up solid numbers, but has missed too much time.
Designated Hitter
Al’s Picks
Billy Butler (KC) .284-3-17
Jason Kubel (MIN) .318-5-24
David Ortiz (BOS) .299-9-22
Other Candidates
Travis Hafner (CLE) .345-5-22
Vladimir Guerrero (BAL) .309-5-19
Victor Martinez (DET) .302-4-23
Michael Young (TEX) .339-2-31
Analysis
This position is loaded in the AL. Ortiz should win the fan vote running away. Butler and Kubel are their respective teams’ best candidates. It is amazing how the Twins only have one decent candidate for an All-Star spot this season coming off their division title last year, but that’s what a last-place record will do. Hafner might have been on his way to earning a spot as well, but he will miss much of the rest of the first half due to injury and will fall off this list as we enter June.
(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Starting Pitcher
Al’s Picks
Trevor Cahill (OAK) 6-1, 1.79
Dan Haren (LAA) 4-2, 1.84
Felix Hernandez (SEA) 5-4, 3.01
Justin Masterson (CLE) 5-2, 2.52
Michael Pineda (SEA) 6-2, 2.16
Max Scherzer (DET) 6-1, 2.98
James Shields (TB) 5-2, 2.00
Justin Verlander (DET) 4-3, 2.96
Other Candidates
Zach Britton (BAL) 5-2, 2.14
Gavin Floyd (CHW) 5-3, 3.88
Gio Gonzalez (OAK) 5-2, 2.20
Jeremy Hellickson (TB) 5-2, 3.18
Jon Lester (BOS) 6-1, 3.68
David Price (TB) 5-4, 3.89
Josh Tomlin (CLE) 6-1, 2.41
Jared Weaver (LAA) 6-4, 2.45
Analysis
16 American League starting pitchers have at least five wins, but none of them have more than six…so it’s difficult to separate the contenders for these spots right now. Cahill and Haren are leading the ERA race, while King Felix and Shields are leading in strikeouts, followed closely by Verlander (who also threw the only no-hitter of the season so far). Pineda is an impressive 22-year old rookie. With all of these worthy candidates, it looks like the Tribe’s two best starting pitchers so far – Tomlin and Masterson – will fight for one spot on the AL Roster. I give the edge to Masterson right now because of his superior strikeout ratio, but both should remain strong candidates over the next several weeks.
(AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Nathan Denette)
Relief Pitcher
Al’s Picks
Chris Perez (CLE) 2-1, 2.84, 12 saves
Mariano Rivera (NYY) 1-0, 1.80, 13 saves
Jose Valverde (DET) 2-1, 2.70, 11 saves
Neftali Feliz (TEX) 0-0, 1.20, 9 saves
Other Candidates
Kyle Farnsworth (TB) 2-0, 1.76, 9 saves
Jonathon Papelbon (BOS) 2-0, 2.29, 8 saves
Analysis
Rivera continues to amaze the baseball world with his ability to close games at the age of 41. Valverde and Feliz have been perfect in their save opportunities so far this season. Perez has stabilized the Tribe’s bullpen and looks to have a very good chance to make the All-Star Team. Farnsworth has been the surprise of the closing fraternity this season and Papelbon has had a nice comeback season, but they fall short for right now.
Al’s AL All-Star Roster Breakdown by Team:
New York Yankees (6): Cano, Granderson, Jeter, Martin, Rivera, Rodriguez
Detroit Tigers (5): Cabrera, Peralta, Scherzer, Valverde, Verlander
Cleveland Indians (4): Brantley, Cabrera, Perez, Tomlin
Boston Red Sox (3): Ortiz, Gonzalez, Youkilis
Texas Rangers (3): Beltre, Feliz, Hamilton
Seattle Mariners (3): Hernandez, Ichiro, Pineda
Los Angeles Angels (2): Haren, Kendrick
Tampa Bay Rays (2): Joyce, Shields
Baltimore Orioles (1): Wieters
Chicago White Sox (1): Konerko
Kansas City Royals (1): Butler
Minnesota Twins (1): Kubel
Oakland Athletics (1): Cahill
Toronto Blue Jays (1): Bautista