The Should-Be All-Star Starters (AL Edition)

I don't care if Ken Griffey, Jr. had hit his 900th -- not 600th -- career home run this season: the man doesn't deserve to start in the all-star game.

Yes, the game is "for the fans." But it's also for the players -- and you have to earn your way onto the team. And popularity and past performances is NOT earning your way onto the team.

What have you done for me lately Griffey?

Fans get the voting wrong all the time. Griffey is yet another example of that, assuming he does hold onto a spot in the NL.

But for now, let's focus on the American League, and decipher who SHOULD -- not WILL -- be starting for the AL in Yankee Stadium for the 2008 All-Star game.


CATCHER: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (.326 AVG, 3 HR, 36 RBI)

Mauer leads AL catchers with 36 RBI and a .326 AVG. In fact, he leads ALL players in the American League in hitting.

He also leads in runs scored with 51 (13 more than anyone else), hits (89), doubles (22), walks (43), on-base percentage (.423) and OPS (.859).

Yeah, I think he deserves it.

Only two other catchers in the AL are having good seasons -- Tampa Bay's Dioner Navarro (.312 AVG, 4 HR, 33 RBI) and Chicago's A.J. Pierzynski (.300 AVG, 7 HR, 32 RBI). One or both could find themselves backing up Mauer -- exactly where they should be.


FIRST BASE: Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox (.306 AVG, 13 HR, 51 RBI)

This is perhaps the toughest decision to be made in the AL this year.

Minnesota's Justin Morneau (.310 AVG, 12 HR, 63 RBI) and New York's Jason Giambi (.268 AVG, 18 HR, 52 RBI) both have cases to be made over Youkilis: Giambi has more homers and RBI, while Morneau has a better average and 12 more RBIs.

But, Youkilis leads all AL first baseman in runs (48) and doubles (22), while ranking second in hits (89), home runs (13), on-base percentage (.376) and slugging percentage (.529).

Most importantly, he leads in triples with three! OK, that's not really important, but he has played excellent defense the whole season and has picked up the pace with David Ortiz out of the lineup for the Red Sox.

Morneau and Giambi both have cases, but in my mind they should be backing up Youkilis.


SECOND BASE: Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers (.323 AVG, 13 HR, 50 RBI)

This is unquestionably the easiest decision to be made in the AL this year.

Sure, guys like Dustin Pedroia, Brian Roberts and Jose Lopez have all had nice seasons at second base, but none of them have come close to what Kinsler is doing under-the-radar for Texas.

Kinsler ranks first among AL second baseman in nearly everything: runs scored (74), hits (114), home runs (13), RBI (50), stolen bases (23), batting average (.323), on-base percentage (.381), slugging percentage (.533) and OPS (.913).

He's on pace for: 142 runs, 218 hits, 52 doubles, 8 triples, 25 HR, 96 RBI and 44 SB (2 CS!).

I'm not sure how the fan voting is currently going, but if this guy doesn't get voted to start -- fans should forever lose the right to pick players.


SHORTSTOP: Michael Young, Texas Rangers (.288 AVG, 7 HR, 45 RBI)

I'll admit, not the prettiest numbers. Numbers that probably shouldn't constitute an all-star starter at this point in the season.

But it's beyond slim picking in the AL nowadays at shortstop. Long gone are the days when we had Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada and Derek Jeter.

All shortstops in the American League have combined to hit just .259 this season (1,159-for-4,481) and only one has more than seven home runs -- and that's Jhonny Peralta (12) but he's hitting a robust .253.

Young leads them all in the biggest categories: runs (58), hits (100), RBI (45) OPS (.760) and batting average at .288.

So the Rangers have both starters up the middle, and something tells me Mr. Josh Hamilton will find his way onto the starters in the outfield.

Now, only if Texas had any pitching...


THIRD BASE: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (.321 AVG, 17 HR, 47 RBI)

Love him, hate him, loathe him: he's still the class of the AL at third base. Maybe in all of baseball.

Mike Lowell, Joe Crede and Evan Longoria certainly get consideration for the spot, but it's A-Rod. And you KNOW it.

He leads all AL third baseman in average (.321), home runs (17), slugging percentage (.591), on-base percentage (.399) and OPS (.990); which is even more impressive when you consider he had a stint on the 15-day DL earlier this season.


OUTFIELD: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers (.308 AVG, 19 HR, 82 RBI), Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox (.280 AVG, 19 HR, 61 RBI) and J.D. Drew, Boston Red Sox (.299 AVG, 16 HR, 50 RBI)

First, let's get all the apologies out of the way: sorry to Jose Guillen, Jermaine Dye, Magglio Ordonez and Grady Sizemore.

If you're wondering where Milton Bradley is: he has 176 at-bats at DH, while just 68 in the OF...he's my designated hitter.

Hamilton needs no explanation: leads the planet in RBIs by a wide margin, and is second in the AL in homers with 19 (tied with Quentin).

Quentin has those 19 homers and his 61 RBIs rank in a tie for third for all players in the AL. His OPS (.911) ranks third among AL outfielders, his slugging percentage (.526) is fifth and so does is on-base percentage (.385). He has been a huge surprise for the White Sox (his name isn't even on the All-Star ballot) and has helped carry them to a 47-36 record with sluggerd Jim Thome, Nick Swisher and Paul Konerko all struggling.

The Drew selection may surprise some, but what is more surprising is that he leads all AL outfielders with a .412 on-base percentage (B.J. Upton is second at .392), slugging percentage (.577) and OPS (.989). Much like Quentin has done for the White Sox, Drew has picked up the Red Sox who are without David Ortiz and without a 100% Manny Ramirez.


DESIGNATED HITTER: Milton Bradley, Texas Rangers (.320 AVG, 17 HR, 51 RBI)

David Ortiz has been hurt, Jim Thome is hitting .228, Sheffield is hitting .227 and Travis Hafner has been perhaps the most disappointing player in all of baseball.

Not a good year for the DH's, to say the least.

But a great year to be Milton Bradley.

He leads the entire AL in slugging percentage at .611. He leads the entire AL in on-base percentage at .437. He leads the entire AL in OPS at 1.048.

His .320 AVG ranks seventh.

What a slacker.