MLB ALL STARS

[UNHWildCats]

American League

C Ivan Rodriguez Det
1B David Ortiz Bos
2B Mark Loretta Bos
SS Derek Jeter NYY
3B Alex Rodriguez NYY
OF Manny Ramirez Bos
OF Ichiro Suzuki Sea
OF Vladamir Guerrero LAA

SP Mark Buerhle, CWS (Starter)
SP Jose Contreras, CWS
SP Roy Halladay, TOR
SP Scott Kazmir, TB
SP Mark Redman, KC
SP Kenny Rogers, DET
SP Johan Santana, MIN
SP Barry Zito, OAK
RP Bobby Jenks, CWS
RP Jon Papelbon, BOS
RP Mariano Rivera, NYY
RP B.J. Ryan, TOR
1B Paul Konerko, CWS
1B Jim Thome, CWS
2B Robinson Cano, NYY
2B Jose Lopez, SEA
3B Troy Glaus, TOR
SS Miguel Tejada, BAL
SS Michael Young, TEX
C Joe Mauer, MIN
OF Jermaine Dye, CWS
OF Alex Rios, TOR
OF Gary Matthews, Jr., TEX
OF Grady Sizemore, CLE
OF Vernon Wells, TOR

National League

C Paul LoDuca NYM
1B Albert Pujols StL
2B Chase Utley Phi
SS Jose Reyes NYM
3B David Wright NYM
OF Alfonso Soriano Was
OF Carlos Beltran NYM
OF Jason Bay Pit

SP Carlos Zambrano, CHC
SP Bronson Arroyo, CIN
SP Brad Penny, LAD
SP Tom Glavine, NYM
SP Pedro Martinez, NYM
SP Chris Carpenter, STL
SP Jason Schmidt, SF
RP Brian Fuentes,
RP Derrick Turnbow,
RP Tom Gordon, PHI
RP Trevor Hoffman, SD
1B Lance Berkman, HOU
1B Ryan Howard, PHI
2B Dan Uggla, FLA
3B Miguel Cabrera, FLA
3B Freddy Sanchez, PIT
3B Scott Rolen, STL
SS Edgar Renteria, ATL
C Brian McCann, ATL
OF Andruw Jones, ATL
OF Matt Holliday, COL
OF Carlos Lee, MIL

More to come.

[UNHWildCats]

Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett snubbed.

[blukeys]

Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett snubbed.

Better for the Red Sox. No changes in the rotation.

[HiHiYikas]

It's the BosYork YankSox versus the National league, with home-field advantage (which has proved a true advantage in 20 of the last 25 World Series) on the line.

Fans of Evil Empire and Evil Empire 2.0 (or Evil Empire, Jr.) stack the rosters, and complain about more of their players being snubbed. Meanwhile, the best team in baseball gets a whopping 2 guys on the roster.

Sheesh. I agree with Gene Wojciechowski - stop letting the fans vote. At the very least, take voting off the internet. At the very, very least, stop opening the polls after 30 games.

I actually did not vote this season, since I refuse to vote anyplace but in a Major league ballpark, and I haven't been able to make it out to any games this year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2504856

[UNHWildCats]

well i rather they had been chosen and then opted out ofn the game, Schilling especially hes 10-2 while Guillen chose his pown guy Buerle to start the game with a 9-5 record.

A lot of players get bonuses for being selected, so its not fair they get snubbed for guys like Redman.

[UNHWildCats]

i think they should come up with a statistical annlysis for each posiution, since each is diff from the other and the BEST players be there. Ortiz and Manny deserved there spots as does Papelbon. Loretta doesnt but Schilling shoiuld be there as should Mike Lowell but not as a starter.

the problem with Detroit is there success has been a team contribution no one really stands out. Justin Verlander definatly should be there as should Liriano from Minn boith appear on the last chance ballot unfortunatly one of them wont go until someone backs out.

[Reed Rothchild]

Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett snubbed.


Not snubbed. Just not good enough. Schilling is not the same and Beckett is inconsistent. The guys on there deserve it. Hell, Verlander and Robertson for Detroit have been better this 1st half of the season.

[UNHWildCats]

Just using a simple formula to take into account overall stats, and while I dont think any formula to choose all stars be this simple its a good idea of who the better player is.

I did a sample using the best 7 third basemen in the AL and gave points as follows. (BA + points for someone batting .302 gets 302 points., single 1, double 2, triple 3, HR 4, RBI 1, Run 1, BB 1, error -1, strikeout -1)

Using this these are how the 7 regular third basemen I used rank.

1. Mike Lowell 531
2. Joe Crede 528
3. Alex Rodriguez 505
4. Hank Blalock 502
5. Troy Glaus 484
6. Eric Chavez 435
7. Brandon Inge 390

Only Lowell (.308) and Crede (.302) are batting over .280. ARod, Glaus and Inge have struckout over 65 times while Lowell and Crede have gone down on strikeouts less then 30 times. Arod, Inge and GLaus also combined for 33 errors while Lowell and Crede have 11 between them.

[UNHWildCats]

Not snubbed. Just not good enough. Schilling is not the same and Beckett is inconsistent. The guys on there deserve it. Hell, Verlander and Robertson for Detroit have been better this 1st half of the season.

I agree Verlander deserves a slot as does Liriano.

[Gil Dobie]

I was hoping Liriano would make it. Best pitcher in baseball right now.
9-1, 1.99 ERA, and 12 K's today.

[UNHWildCats]

I was hoping Liriano would make it. Best pitcher in baseball right now.
9-1, 1.99 ERA, and 12 K's today.

He's one of the final 5 so get voting. I suspect its gonna be close between him and Verlander.

[HiHiYikas]

i think they should come up with a statistical annlysis for each posiution, since each is diff from the other and the BEST players be there.
'Win Shares' is just that...an complex statistical formula developed by Red Sox exec. and great baseball mind Bill James. Basically, win shares is the total number of extra wins a player has added to his team.

Starting lineup, according to who has the most win shares so far in 2006...

AL
C - Joe Mauer, Min (15 Win Shares)
1B - Jason Giambi, NYY (13)
2B - Jose Lopez, SEA (13)
3B - Joe Crede (12)
SS- Derek Jeter, NYY (13)
OF - Curtis Granderson, DET (16)
OF - Carl Crawford, TB (14)
OF - Vernon Wells, TOR (14)
DH* - Jim Thome, CWS (14)

SP - Johan Santana, MIN (13)
RP - Jon Papelbon, BOS (11)

NL
C - Johnny Estrada, ARI (10)
1B - Albert Pujols, STL (20) - !
2B - Chase Utley, PHI (13)
3B - David Wright, NYM (16)
SS - Jose Reyes, NYM (14)
OF - Carlos Beltran, NYM (18)
OF - Bobby Abreu, PHI (16)
OF - Alfonso Soriano, WAS (14) (Brian Giles of San Diego also has 14)
DH* - Lance Berkman (17)

SP - Bronson Arroyo, CIN/Brandon Webb, ARI (13)
RP - 5 guys tied with 6, which is a low number. If you wanna get technical, Tom Gordon (PHI) and Brian Fuentes (COL) are a fraction higher than the others at 6.5.

Some of these are a little surprising, but only because I haven't been following all these players very closely. There are a lot of Yankees and Red Sox on top 5 lists, and that plus reputation typically means lots of votes. I'm including DH's for the heck of it, if only to give a little credit to Lance Berkman's higher-than-anybody-in-the-AL win shares total.

[Gil Dobie]

'Win Shares' is just that...an complex statistical formula developed by Red Sox exec. and great baseball mind Bill James. Basically, win shares is the total number of extra wins a player has added to his team.

What are Liriano's win share?

[HiHiYikas]

Here's how the actual starters measure up, again according to Win Shares.

C Ivan Rodriguez Det (11 Win shares, 3rd highest WS total among AL Catchers, 4 shares below leader)
1B David Ortiz Bos (11, 3rd, -3)
2B Mark Loretta Bos (8, 5th, -5)
SS Derek Jeter NYY (13, 1st, 0)
3B Alex Rodriguez NYY (11, 2nd, -1)
OF Manny Ramirez Bos (13, 3rd, -3)
OF Ichiro Suzuki Sea (12, 4th, -4)
OF Vladamir Guerrero LAA (8, 8th, -8) this was clearly a bad choice

C Paul LoDuca NYM (5, 4th, -5) another bad choice
1B Albert Pujols StL (20, 1st, 0)
2B Chase Utley Phi (13, 1st, 0)
SS Jose Reyes NYM (14, 1st, 0)
3B David Wright NYM (16, 1st, 0)
OF Alfonso Soriano Was (14, 3rd, -4)
OF Carlos Beltran NYM (18, 1st, 0)
OF Jason Bay Pit (10, 6th, -8) another bad choice.

I am a little shocked that 6 of the 8 starters for the NL are actually, according to win shares, the best players available. Almost makes me think the fans know what they're doing. Then again, Pujols is an obvious choice, and most of the best position players in the NL this year are playing in New York.

You never know what's going to happen in a given game, but a sound drubbing of the AL by the NL would be a testament to the quality of James' system. Then again, it would take home field advantage away from the AL and potentially his Red Sox.

[HiHiYikas]

What are Liriano's win share?
Liriano has 10 so far...3rd highest total among SP's in the NL. Santana has 13, Halladay and Kazmir have 11, and 7 guys have 10.

Here's the link to Hardball Times' sortable win shares list for 2006...

http://www.hardballtimes.com/thtstats/main/index.php?view=winshares&linesToDisplay=50&orderBy=total&direction=DESC&season_filter%5B%5D=2006&league_filter%5B%5D=All&team_filter%5B%5D=All&pos_filter%5B%5D=All&Submit=Submit

[MplsBison]

Fan voting is bogus IF the all star game determines home field advantage.

Either get rid of fan voting or get rid of the home field advantage determination.

[Gil Dobie]

Fan voting is bogus IF the all star game determines home field advantage.

Either get rid of fan voting or get rid of the home field advantage determination.

I think the fans do a good job. There will still be a great team fielded by both leagues. Some players slip thru because they are rookies or get hot too late to have an affect on their vote totals. There was controversy when the players selected the team. Can't please everyone, but I love to watch the mid-summer classic.

[UNHWildCats]

interestingly the fans vote for the NL was identical to players vote.

[UNHWildCats]

Win shares is hardly a universally acepted forumla

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win_shares

[HiHiYikas]

Win shares is hardly a universally acepted forumla

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win_shares
You're right about that, and I'm not suggesting it is. There's really no such thing as a universally accepted formula, especially in something like sabermetrics. James anticipates many of the drawbacks of his system and addresses them in his 700-something page book, which is basically a collection of explanatory essays, comparative analyses, and statistical logs.

It's a hard stat to calculate fully, but there's an easier short form, and it's not hard to understand what the numbers say.

Personally, I think the system works and makes sense. A fan like me (without a serious grasp of sabermetrics) is inclined to listen to a guy who is regarded by scouts, execs, and writers as one of baseball's smartest statisticians. Plus, he helped bring division titles to the under-funded Oakland A's, not to mention the first title in 80 years to Boston.

[lucchesicourt]

Excuse me, but aren't the pitchers chosen by the manager and not the fans?
Verlander and Liriano being pitchers, the blame should be put on the AL manager, Ozzie Guillen. He probably snubbed these guys because they are in his division. Guillen's true colors are starting to show after his World Series run. Just look at this past year and how he has handled things. Not good IMO. Blaming the fans for this one is unfair. Even though I don't think fans should get a vote. Being elected by your peers rather than fans, I think, means more to the players.

[Gil Dobie]

Mauer may miss the game. He has been have stomach problems this week. Hopefully not appendicitis.

[UNHWildCats]

Mauer may miss the game. He has been have stomach problems this week. Hopefully not appendicitis.

I hope he's ok, he is so deserving of the spot. And I hope he bats .3994444444 this season :nod: just enough to not be roudnded to .400.

[Mr. C]

Where is Nomar Garciaparra? He has had a great season for the Dodgers and has led the league in hitting for much of the season.

[UNHWildCats]

Where is Nomar Garciaparra? He has had a great season for the Dodgers and has led the league in hitting for much of the season.

Looking past just pure homerun power, Garciaparra is the second most productiove NL 1st baseman, just behind Albert Pujols.

I personally rank NL 1st baseman based on total offensive productions as follows.

1. Albert Pujols StL
2. Nomar Garciaparra LAD
3. Lance Berkman HOU
4. Nick Johnson WAS
5. Ryan Howard PHI

Why is Howard so low? because he is the only of the 5 to bat under .300 (.286), strikesout more then Pujols, Garciaparra and Berkman combined.

[dirtbag]

They reeeeeeeally need to do away with the asinine 1-player-from-every-team rule:

Mark Redman, All-Star (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6285)

[blur2005]

Fan voting is idiotic. There are so many people who vote for this who are casual fans at the ballpark, and they're the kind of people who made Ken Griffey, Jr. a starter every year, even when he was having a bad season or had been hurt.

By the way, how the hell is Liriano not on the team? Putting him in that final 5 voting is ridiculous, considering how well he has been pitching.

[dirtbag]

Fan voting is idiotic. There are so many people who vote for this who are casual fans at the ballpark, and they're the kind of people who made Ken Griffey, Jr. a starter every year, even when he was having a bad season or had been hurt.


I really don't have that big of a problem with this. Ken Griffey is a future Hall of Famer and one of the most popular players of my lifetime. He is a star. If people want to see him in the game even though he's not the player he used to be, so be it.

I have a bigger problem with guys like Gary Matthews Jr in the All-Star game. He's in his 30's, he's been in the league since 1999, and he has been given multiple chances to be a starter by multiple teams, yet he has been mediocre at best. He's been pretty uninspiring for 2000+ at bats. And now he has strung together 70 good games to start the season, and he's on the team. This should be the All-Star Game, not the All-Guys-Who-Got-Off-to-a-Good-Start-This-Season Game.