In less than two weeks, the 81st MLB All Star game will be played. In recent years the voting has been a little one sided to a few teams players starting and only a few divisions being represented by starting rosters. This years voting so far, has been pretty much the same, especially in the American League where the Red Sox, Yankees, and Twins players dominate.
The Sports Dish will be attempting to make a great AL roster that places the most deserving and best players at their certain position, so far this year. Now without any interruptions here is how the AL Roster should look like according to The Sports Dish.
Catcher- Joe Mauer
Mauer is lock to make the All-Star game because of his, yet again, spectacular season. Although his home-run hitting is down this season, he still leads all Catchers in batting average and finishes top five in every major statistic besides home runs. Mauer is not only on the team for his offense but is a very good defensive catcher. Very few balls get passes Joe Mauer during games.
First Base- Miguel Cabrera
The choice for the First Base representative of the AL, was tough because there was about three or four different players that could have started at First Base in the American League. But ultimately, it came down to Justin Morneau and Miguel Cabrera, with Cabrera winning out because his power numbers were a little higher. In terms of batting averages and OPS, Morneau destroys Cabrera, but ultimately I looked at how Cabrera has four more home runs and 12 more RBI’s than Morneau in about the same number of bats.
Second Base- Robinson Cano
Another obvious choice, who wouldn’t want Robinson Cano to start on their All-Star roster with his amazing year that he is currently having. Cano, is leading all American League Second Basemen in every major statistical category out there. He has been hitting great over this season and is a major part of the Yankees being in first base this year. In addition to his success hitting, Cano is playing very well defensively and he is making great grabs all the time.
Shortstop- Alex Gonzalez
People are probably thinking that whoever is writing this article is crazy for placing Alex Gonzalez over Derek Jeter in the starting roster. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to see the same player keep playing in the All-Star game for so many years straight. Also, it is because Alex Gonzalez has been playing outstanding during this season as well. He leads all American League Shortstops in Home Runs and RBI’s so far this season. Although he does have 11 errors, he has been shown to make tough plays.
Third Base- Adrian Beltre
Another easy choice for the Third Base spot on the All-Star team. Adrian Beltre is arguably the best Third Baseman in the Major Leagues at this point. Beltre is also the American League leader in Batting Average for all Third Basemen and is top three in most every statistical category for Third Basemen currently. Adrian Beltre is not only doing well offensively, but on the defensive end he is making great plays (although two have resulted in injuries to his left fielders) most every game.
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