Fired Up About The All-Star Game

Now that the final vote has been decided and Nick Swisher (AL) and Joey Votto (NL, shouldn't have even needed the final vote) have made the teams, it's time to discuss some of the more questionable choices.



Let's start with the American League Team. The two pitchers who are having good seasons, but should not have been selected are Fausto Carmona and Matt Thornton. Who would I replace them with? Jeff Niemann and Jered Weaver.



Carmona has had a nice first half so far and has posted solid numbers: 7-7, 3.69 ERA, 1.29 WHIP. His numbers look less stellar when compared to my replacement choice, Jeff Niemann. Niemann has been the second best pitcher (and most consistent) all season for the Rays and his numbers currently sit at: 7-2, 2.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP. Is that not convincing enough? Let's delve deeper. Carmona's strikeout-to-walk ratio is less than the goal of 2-to-1 and Niemann is greater. Also, Niemann's team is contending in the AL East and Carmona's isn't even a threat to win the Central. The only reason Girardi could have selected Carmona is because no other Cleveland Indian is good enough to be selected.



Thornton has been lights out most of the year, but is his role on the team All-Star worthy? Based solely on his numbers: 2-3, 5 SV's, 2.72 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and more than 1 k per inning, I would say he is a contender. When you look into it, however, he does not deserve the nomination. He is a set-up man on a team who has struggled at times. Compare that to Jered Weaver, who is the ace on a team that is contending for the division title in the AL West. His numbers sit at: 8-4, 2.97 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 6-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and more than 1 k per inning. Are you serious Joe? How could you not pick this guy? His numbers are better than half the current players on the All-Star team.



Onto the AL Reserves. Girardi did a good job with these picks, except for one. Ty Wigginton should not have been selected over Paul Konerko. How does a guy who has 20 HR's and 61 RBI's not make the team? Sure, Wigginton has been a nice surprise in the early going, but his numbers are all inferior to Konerko's. He has a mere 14 HR, 44 RBI's, and a below-average .253 AVG (Konerko is at .296). Also, Baltimore is the worst team in the league and Wigginton's defense has not been superb. Konerko is a solid defender and has the White Sox on their way up in that division. The only reasons why Wigginton was picked are that Baltimore has no other All-Stars (I would suggest either Tejada or Markakis) and Wigginton's versatility has been helpful to the Orioles.



There you have it, the AL has three mistakes on its roster. Niemann should be there instead of Carmona, Weaver should be there instead of Thornton, and Konerko should be there instead of Wigginton. Now on to the NL.



Charlie Manuel may be getting a bit out of touch with the league because he has a few mind-boggling picks. Lets start with the pitchers. I have a firm belief that middle relievers should not be All-Stars because they don't have a significant enough role on the team. With that said, I would take Arthur Rhodes and Evan Meek off the NL Roster. The replacements are: Jaime Garcia and Mat Latos. Also, Jonathan Broxton should be replaced with Billy Wagner.

Here is the statistical breakdown of Meek, Rhodes, Garcia, and Latos.

Meek: His 45 K's in 48.2 IP, 1.11 ERA, and a 0.95 WHIP are all good. The problem with Meek is that he only has 1 SV and 5 holds, but he also has 5 blown saves.

Rhodes: His 32 K's in 34.2 IP, 1.56 ERA, and 0.95 WHIP are solid numbers, but while he has 15 holds, he has yet to record a save.

Garcia: He boasts an 8-4 record with an impressive 2.17 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Also, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is 2-to-1 and he has been key to St. Louis' success.

Latos: Latos' numbers are the most impressive of all the names here. He is 10-4 with a 5-to-1 K:BB ratio and a 2.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. His WHIP is equally as impressive as CY Young candidate Josh Johnson's.

After reviewing these stats, there is no way that you can possibly argue that Rhodes and Meek deserve the nod over Latos and Garcia. Latos has been the unquestioned ace of the Padres' staff and Garcia has been an ace-caliber third starter in the stacked Cardinals' rotation. Rhodes and Meek have been nice early season stories, but do not warant roster spots on the NL All-Star team, period.

The last switch I would make is Wagner in for Broxton. This is a very close call, but I will tell you why I chose Wagner. Wagner has one more save and blown save then Broxton, but the real separation appears in ERA, WHIP, and team performance. Wagner sports a 1.24 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP (Broxton has a 2.11 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP) and his team (Atlanta) currently leads their division while Broxton's team (LA Dodgers) sit in second behind San Diego.

Enough with the NL Pitching Staff, how about the reserves? I have one quip.

Carlos Gonzalez should be on the team. He has been one of the best hitters this half and should replace Omar Infante in a heartbeat. Infante isn't even a full-time starter, he's a backup! How does a backup get on the All-Star team? Somebody needs to inform Charlie Manuel that an All-Star must first be a starter in order to impact his team in such a way that he deserves a mention. Carlos Gonzalez started off the season hotter than any hitter in the bigs (aside from Martin Prado) and, despite a minor slump, still has top-notch numbers. He has a .312 AVG, 16 HR's, 57 RBI's, and a .343 OBP in 317 at-bats. Infante has a .321 AVG, .349 OBP, 2 HR, and 23 RBI's in 184 at-bats. 184! Are you kidding me? This is by far the worst pick this year and my apologies go out to Carlos Gonzalez.

Furthermore, you could replace Michael Bourn with Angel Pagan if you added Oswalt to the staff (because you need an Astro).

Okay, well, if you've read through all of my babbling and made it this far in the post (thanks and congratulations) then you need to get a hobby. Just kidding. Here is a recap of my changes:

Fausto Carmona and Matt Thornton out, Jeff Niemann and Jered Weaver in.
Ty Wigginton out, Paul Konerko in.
Evan Meek and Arthur Rhodes out, Jaime Garcia and Mat Latos in.
Jonathan Broxton out, Billy Wagner in.
Omar Infante out, Carlos Gonzalez in.
Michael Bourn out, Angel Pagan in (pending addition of Roy Oswalt).

Now that I've told you what I think should've been done, please tell me what you think.