The MLB All Star Game has quietly turned into a popularity contest rather than putting the absolute best players in there. I’m here to change that, i looked at all the stats, and decided to choose without wanting to see who i wanted to see there. My selections are purely chosen on their stats this season. Not past accolades, nor if they are a vet. We are purely voting on who has been the best at their position.
Sit back, grab a piece of paper, and make your selections. Let’s see how many of our selections line up!
First Base: It’s currently a three-way battle for the starting spot in my opinion for the first base position. In New York, Ben Rice is seeing the ball the best he has in his three years in the league. He’s currently slashing a 1.006 OPS, .617 SLG, which are both top two in the league. He also leads the Yankees with 18 HR’s this season. Nick Kurtz is also doing what he has been doing since his name landed on everyone’s radar. In his past twenty games, Kurtz is batting a perfect .300 AVG, .456 OBP, .629 SLG and 1.084 OPS with 7 HR’s. He’s also been a walk machine this season, leading the majors with 64 currently. Willson Contreras season hasn’t been talked about enough, and that’s probably due to the Red Sox performance this season thus far. Despite that, he’s been showing up, day in and day out. His .284 AVG leads the Red Sox currently, as well as his 13 HR’s and 39 RBI’s. All three of these fielders carry a tremendous glove as well, so it’s hard to choose just one.
For our first of two ballots, we think Ben Rice deserves the nod. All though im not discrediting what Kurtz has done so far. Ben Rice has put the Yankees on his back since Aaron Judge went down with an injury. It will be interesting to see if this answer changes, but as of now. Ben Rice has earned his spot as the starting AL first baseman.
Second Baseman: As things currently stand, i think it’s Ernie Clement’s starting position to lose. All though, i definitely wanna take this opportunity to give Ezequiel Duran his flowers. He his playing some incredible baseball so far, while he doesn’t have the power like the kids like nowadays. He will definitely always get on base, his .349 OBP proves that. He is carrying a 1.9 WAR so far, which is 0.8 higher than his previous career high set in 2023. I truly hope Duran gets his nod in the All-Star Game and if this was a journalist vote. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see him get the nod over Clement.
Shortstop: The shortstop decision is definitely easier than the first baseman decision. For our first ballot, with Jacob Wilson currently on the IL for a left shoulder dislocation, we decided to obviously not put him on. It is worth mentioning though that he would’ve been my decision.
Currently, Kevin McGonigle has been on a roll, and we are all witnesses to the beginning of his amazing career. He has a .283 AVG, which currently is second best on the Tigers organization. He has 9 stolen bases which is the most on the Tigers. As well as an impressive strikeout stat. With Tigers players who have played a minimum of 60 games or more, McGonigle has struck out the least with 38. This is highly impressive considering that’s he’s brand new into the league and already has a veterans mindset at the plate. Jeremy Peña and Bobby Witt Jr are also having solid seasons, but McGonigle definitely deserves the starting nod this year so far.
Third Base: This one is a little more interesting. Josh Jung is having a .309 AVG season up until this point. Compared to Caminero, that’s an over .30 point difference. Now, Caminero’s OPS, SLG, OBP, R, HR and BB have Jung beat. Now, most fans will probably choose Jung over Junior Caminero in their first ballots.
Here at Bear Sports News though, our vote has to go to Caminero. While consistency is key at times, Caminero’s ability to provide runs for the Rays, are one of the main reasons they will be fighting for the first seed in the AL.
Left Field: I had a hard time choosing between Riley Greene, Randy Arozarena and Cody Bellinger. Greene and Arozarena both have batting averages above .290, but with a pretty high K%. Both of them coming in above 21.9%. I think if you’ve been around long enough reading my articles, you know exactly what im gonna say. Bellinger’s strikeout % is definitely one of the main reasons he is being chosen.
While Arozarena is having a stellar season with 19 SB’s, already halfway to his career high of 32. I personally think Bellinger’s play this season, especially with Judge on the IL has been huge for the Yankees. A lot of fans and media were wondering who would step up to the plate for the Yankees during Judge’s absence. While Ben Rice has been holding down the infield, Bellinger has been holding down the outfield for the Bronx Bombers. He definitely deserves the nod in my humble opinion.
Center Field: It’s pretty hard not to automatically choose Ceddanne Rafaela. He’s realistically been one of the few things that Red Sox fans can get excited about lately. His .287 batting average ranks second amongst all LF’s in the league currently. He has 7 SB’s as well as 7 HR’s. I had some thoughts about Buxton due to his incredible power and those 21 HR’s he’s carrying so far, but you’d be crazy to choose Buxton over Rafaela.
Right Field: I hope the Red Sox fans haven’t stopped reading yet, since i know they usually turn the game off by the sixth inning. I’m kidding Sox fans. But let me take you back to the 2005 All-Star Game. It was a simpler time for Red Sox fans for sure, and the last time that two Red Sox outfielders were selected to start the All-Star Game. Johnny Damon got the starting nod in center, with Manny Ramirez getting the nod in right. It’s been 21 years since then, and it’s looking very likely that it happens again. Wilyer Abreu’s .280 batting average ranks 1st amongst all right fielders in the AL, and he’s striking out far less than most of his AL right fielders. He may not have the same power as Aaron Judge, and i know, Yankees fans right now are screaming.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU PICK JUDGE?”
Well cause as im writing this, he’s on the disabled list.
It will be interesting to see how Aaron Judge comes back from injury, and if he can dethrone Abreu, but for now. Wilyer Abreu deserves to be the starting left fielder for the American League.
This is the end of the story.
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Ever wondered what the players receive for getting selected to appear in the All Star Game? Check out my thread on X for some interesting gifts they receive!
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