The biggest snub of the entire All Star selection was undoubtedly the entire Oakland A's team. With a three game lead on Detroit in the American League, the A's were voted to one spot on the AL All Star team while Tigers fans will see six of their players in New York. Although the best player that the A's could have sent, Josh Donaldson, is a third baseman and there's already an overload of talented third baseman, Donaldson deserved a spot over Manny Machado of the Orioles. The A's will instead will be represented by their leading pitcher Bartolo Colon (11-3, 2.78 ERA), not a bad rep, but still a snub of the entire team.
Oh and the six Tigers involved in the All-Star Game include Miguel Cabrera, easily the best third baseman in the AL this year, Prince Fielder, a first baseman who is hitting .266, Torii Hunter and Jhonny Peralta, both hitting .307, Max Scherzer, the best pitcher in the AL at 13-0 and a 3.09 ERA, and finally Justin Verlander, a pitcher with a 9-5 record this year. Nothing against the Tigers but they are not deserving of six All Stars, of course with Jim Leyland being the coach of the AL All Stars, it's to be expected that they receive more spots than other teams.
As far as the NL team goes, there weren't any huge surprises. The Pirates were rewarded for attaining the best record for the first three months of the year with four All Stars (Andrew McCutchen, Jason Grilli, Jeff Locke and Pedro Alvarez). It's obvious that popularity won the heart of the All Star voting when a player (Bryce Harper) who missed 31 games is starting for the NL's team.
As a Cincinnati fan, I was surprised that both Shin-Soo Choo and Jay Bruce were overlooked for the team. Choo is second in the NL, behind teammate Joey Votto, in On Base Percentage (.418) and fifth in Runs with 57. Bruce lit up in May and June, producing 24 and 21 RBIs respectively along with 7 homers in May and 10 in June alongside a .292 average over those two months.
However, I am happy to report that, for the fourth straight year, the National League could be holding home field advantage in the October Classic. With Yadier Molina and Joey Votto at the forefront of a very efficient starting lineup and the relief of Jason Grilli and Aroldis Chapman to back the starters up, the National League is easily set for a fourth straight All Star win.
Oh and the six Tigers involved in the All-Star Game include Miguel Cabrera, easily the best third baseman in the AL this year, Prince Fielder, a first baseman who is hitting .266, Torii Hunter and Jhonny Peralta, both hitting .307, Max Scherzer, the best pitcher in the AL at 13-0 and a 3.09 ERA, and finally Justin Verlander, a pitcher with a 9-5 record this year. Nothing against the Tigers but they are not deserving of six All Stars, of course with Jim Leyland being the coach of the AL All Stars, it's to be expected that they receive more spots than other teams.
As far as the NL team goes, there weren't any huge surprises. The Pirates were rewarded for attaining the best record for the first three months of the year with four All Stars (Andrew McCutchen, Jason Grilli, Jeff Locke and Pedro Alvarez). It's obvious that popularity won the heart of the All Star voting when a player (Bryce Harper) who missed 31 games is starting for the NL's team.
As a Cincinnati fan, I was surprised that both Shin-Soo Choo and Jay Bruce were overlooked for the team. Choo is second in the NL, behind teammate Joey Votto, in On Base Percentage (.418) and fifth in Runs with 57. Bruce lit up in May and June, producing 24 and 21 RBIs respectively along with 7 homers in May and 10 in June alongside a .292 average over those two months.
However, I am happy to report that, for the fourth straight year, the National League could be holding home field advantage in the October Classic. With Yadier Molina and Joey Votto at the forefront of a very efficient starting lineup and the relief of Jason Grilli and Aroldis Chapman to back the starters up, the National League is easily set for a fourth straight All Star win.
I'll be taking the NL in a 6-3 game.
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