Who Deserves To Be An All-Star: 2010 MLB, Part I

Some quick notes before I tell you how MLB writers, players, managers and fans are, excuse my French, fucking retarded

- I am a firm believer that, like voting, you should have to take a test in order to vote for the All-Star game. And if you use the metrics RBI, Runs, Batting Average, or Wins to determine how you voted, you're automatically disqualified from voting. I don't care if you played baseball before or if you are currently playing- that doesn't mean you're smart enough to decide who's the best in your sport.
- This year, especially more than recent years, non-closer relievers were chosen. Guys like Matt Thorton, Arthur Rhodes, and Evan Meek were chosen as opposed to the teams respected closers. And that's a good thing. Ideally, the best bullpen pitcher on your team is NOT your closer, so that when your team is in a jam, your best reliever can come into the game and get your team out of the jam. It's nice to see these guys get more and more love as opposed to closers just because they get "saves".
- HOW THE FUCK IS ALEX RIOS NOT AN ALL-STAR!? Yes, I am a White Sox fan so of course I'm going to show love for my team, and there are others that got screwed this year, but this selection is just unjustifiable. Rios is 4th among AL OF in wOBA, 3rd among AL OF in WAR, 7th among AL OF in UZR/150, and 3rd among AL OF in OPS. He steals bases, hits home runs, has a batting average over .300 (all of which "baseball guys" like) and is by far the White Sox best player this year.
- I think Paul Konerko should be all All-Star too, but I'm not as worked up about it as I am about Rios. I think Morneau and Cabrera are better than Konerko, but he's light years ahead of David fucking Ortiz- who did get selected to the All-Star game. Konerko is t-2nd in the AL in home runs, 6th in the AL in OPS, 6th in the AL in wOBA, and 5th among AL 1B in WAR. By the way, Konerko is better than Big Papi in all those categories as well as: RBI, BA, OBP, and SLG. The one category David Ortiz does beat Konerko in: years of taking steroids.
- Stephen Strausburg does NOT, you hear me, NOT, deserve to be an All-Star this year. As awesome as he's been, like Manny last year, there are just as good of players out there that have performed just as well- but in many more games. They have been more valuable to their team than Strasburg has been in his six starts.
- Not every team deserves an All-Star. No other sports has this bullshit. If you're the Pittsburgh Pirates or Baltimore Orioles, you have a bad record for a reason, you're roster is full of shitty players. One of these shitty players does not necessarily mean they are good- especially to take away a valuable spot from a deserving All-Star. Ty Wiggington is an All-Star!? Really!?

Now onto to who actually deserves to start in the All-Star game

The AL Team
C- Joe Mauer (MIN)
1B- Justin Morneau (MIN)
2B- Robinson Cano (NYY)
3B- Adrian Beltre (BOS)
SS- Alex Gonzalez (TOR)
OF- Josh Hamilton (TEX)
OF- Alex Rios (CWS)
OF- Carl Crawford (TAM)
DH- Vladimir Guerrero (TEX)
SP- Fransisco Liriano (MIN)
- This pick actually shocked me too, but Liriano leads the AL in FIP and xFIP and his 3rd in the AL in K/9. All better than Cliff Lee and Jon Lester.

The NL Team
C- Brian McCann (ATL)
1B- Joey Votto (CIN)
2B- Chase Utley (PHI) inj
- 2B- Martin Prado (ATL)
3B- David Wright (NYM)
SS- Troy Tulowitzki (COL) inj
- SS- Hanley Ramirez (FLA)
OF- Josh Willingham (WAS)
OF- Corey Hart (MIL)
OF- Andre Ethier (LAD)
DH- Albert Pujols (STL)
SP- Josh Johnson (FLA)
- This was a hard one because you could also make a great case for Roy Halladay and Yovani Gallardo. Surprisingly, all three are better than Ubaldo Jiminez.

Next post, who deserves to be the back ups

5 comments:

The 'Bright' One said...

this is the first time i've been in chicago for the 4th since like 2003. kinda sucks

Joey Votto not being an all star is dumber than aids

if you use wOBA there is no need to give a guys OPS

Adam Kaplan said...

Good point about the wOBA/OPS. But I think it also shows how everyone in baseball, the ones who still think RBI's and wins are a good stat, still understand OPS- which just shows the absurdity in why many players, like Konerko and Votto, didn't get any love.

and I'm sorry Chicago can't be South Beach TBO. Our bad.

Cubsfan4evr said...

It is a crime that Joey Votto and Kevin Youkilis are not in the All-Star game. There are always snubs, but those two have to be there.

Adam Kaplan said...

I think one of the reasons Votto got screwed b/c the Padres needed an All-Star so they choose A-Gon, but Votto has still been the best NL first baseman so I don't care what excuse they give for why Votto didn't make the line up, it will never be a good one

and how the fuck is Alex Rios not even on the last five vote in guys! why does the MLB hate Alex Rios?

Cubsfan4evr said...

Votto and Youkilis didn't make it because they took other people like A-Gon as you said and Beltre or Oritz over Youk. They had to get representatives from all of the teams and players got screwed. Rios does deserve to go, but the other OF in the AL were better. I can't say that for the people who got selected over Votto and Youk.