All-Star Picks

Sloooooooowwwww day today in sports. So, I'll go ahead and give you my All-Star ballot for the NL (because who cares about the American League, really? They get to have an extra hitter to put their respective fat, power-hitting players in that can't run anymore. That's not real baseball.). By the way, I vote based on individual stats, not RBIs or runs or anything like that. There certainly is some value of teammates and opponents quality that factor into these stats but they are, for the most part, a good way to value an individual's performance.

C- Fan vote: Russell Martin .306/.371/.483/9 HR/16 SB!
My vote: same

There's got to be someone from the Dodgers on this team, so I'll go ahead and give it to the guy who leads all NL catchers in the above categories. As much as I'd love to vote for Bengie, Martin deserves it.

1B- Fan vote: Prince Fielder .278/.372/.608/27 HR
My vote: same

My personal loathing of Pujols aside, despite a better OBP, I think the slugging and the number of home runs push Prince over Pujols. Plus, it's always exciting to see a fresh face, even if it's another fat, lumbering Fielder.

2B- Fan vote: Chase Utley .322/.402/.572/15 HR
My vote: same

No argument from me. He's leading the NL in all the above stats.

SS- Fan vote: Jose Reyes .316/.397/.453/4 HR/40 SB
My vote: Edgar Renteria .326/.389./.497/10 HR

If we're going purely off stats, which I said I would, I feel like I ought to vote for Renteria, as he equals or bests Reyes in everything but SB. However, for enjoyment factor, there aren't a lot of guys more exciting to watch these days than Reyes, so I am not at all disappointed with the fan's voting.

3B- Fan vote: David Wright .290/.378/.505/14 HR
My vote: Chipper Jones .333/.419/.596/13 HR

Holy freaking Chipper, Batman! I really had no idea the kind of season Chipper's been having until I looked it up, but talk about a revitalization in his career! I assumed he had his best years behind him, but he's still getting on base at a .419 clip. You'd think his name would get him in over his stats if nothing else, but logic is thrown out the window when it comes to All-Star voting. Apparently name and stats aren't even enough to get you in, Chip.

OF- Fan vote: Ken Griffey, Jr .292/.387/.577/22 HR
Barry Bonds .304/.516/.603/16 HR
Carlos Beltran .271/.346/.475/14 HR

My vote: Griffey, Jr.
Barry
Matt Holliday .347/.394/.582/14 HR

It was nothing short of a miracle that Bonds got a starting spot (although he's unarguably deserving of it) , so I'm thrilled about that. However, that Beltran got in was quite a shock. He's actually 15th in OBP among NL OFs. Probably the biggest snub in all of All-Star voting would go to Matt Holliday. He's having a monster year, but it's going unnoticed in the media black hole of baseball--Colorado. The stats speak for themselves.

SP- I haven't seen who the starter will be yet (if they've even announced it), but I'll go ahead and throw my starting spot to Jake Peavy. He's been absolutely dealing, with a 2.09 ERA, and although Penny may have more wins and a slightly better ERA, I'll take Peavy's 119 K's and 87 hits to Penny's 77 K's and 96 hits. Plus, I already gave the Dodgers their obligatory All-Star spot.