* I have been working on this entry this whole week and have been very busy this whole week with baseball camp and other things so the stats are a little messed up*
Man camp was awesome again. It just always seems to go by waaaaaaaay to fast. Anyway I was hoping to make baseball all-stars and made it! Along with basketball and archery all-stars.
Also I have obviously decided to keep blogging just not once a day. I am going to do a week in review plus extra entries for events like the trading deadline and other things.
Anyway well this year the all-star game rosters just seemed different. Why? Well a few players did not deserve it. Which players did not, and which players should have been there? Well you’ll find out!
The voters, players, and managers got it right mostly in the American League. But there where still a lot of mess ups. For example Chone Figgins only made the team after Evan Longoria pulled himself out due to an infected ring finger. And while at the time Figgins lead the league in runs scored and was tied for the league lead in triples with seven. In an unbiased opinion Mike Lowell might have been better choices. However Figgins and Lowell are three very different players. Also at the time of the all-star game Lowell had not played in an MLB game since June 27th.
And even though Figgins has played more games then Lowell even if the had played the same amount of games the only stats Lowell would lead in would probably be doubles, home runs, RBIs, intentional base on balls, slugging percentage, and maybe if he got on a tear total bases. However Lowell is more of a veteran which might have calmed some players emotions. Figgins though has been in the league since 2002 only four less seasons then Lowell.
Now if I was Joe Maddon I would have picked Figgins. Because he of the fact that the American League team only has about six speedsters besides Figgins. Of corse some people do not consider Derek Jeter, Jason Bartlett, and Ben Zobrist speedsters even though they have a combined total of 47 stolen bases.
Brandon Inge is a question mark. He hit in the home run derby despite having just 21 home runs (tied for fifth in the American League). He won the all-star final vote becoming the first Tiger to do so. Of the five players on the American League ballot three ended up making the team. Yet Ian Kinsler who was ahead of Dustin Pedroia for most of the voting did not make it despite having more runs, hits, total bases, doubles, triples, walks, and less strikeouts.
Inge is a better fielder and has a higher batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, and a higher on base plus slugging percentage. Inge is also a candidate for comeback player of the year which might have given him some what of an edge.
This vote could have gone either way. Heck Blue Jays left fielder/DH Adam Lind could have won it. But what it came down to between Kinsler and Inge was the popularity vote. The Tigers have more of a fan base then the Rangers even though the Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington area is a larger city then Detroit. The Dallas area is a football town and well Detroit does not have much to root for with the 0 and 16 Lions. That is the sad part about sports these days. Most of the time the teams with the larger fan bases tend to have their players win more honors.
In the National League well lets just say there where a lot of players deserving to be in St. Louis that did not get to go. Hunter Pence of the Houston Astros is a five tool player. Yet another five tool player should have been there instead of Pence. That player is Dodgers right fielder, Andre Ethier. Ethier has more runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks, intentional base on balls, and a higher slugging percentage then Pence. Both have nearly the exact same stats though. For example they have the same number of total base and have played in the same amount of games.
Yet their teams are very different. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball while the Astros are trying for a second half push yet again. But think about it this way look what the Dodgers and particularly Ethier has overcome this year. Remember last year when Manny came over and Ethier exploded? Remember this year at the start of Manny’s suspension when Ethier went into a slump. Well yah look at him now.
The fact that Pence made the all-star game and Ethier did not is a joke. There is no doubt that Pence is a good player and very similar to Ethier but look at it this way. For Pence he has Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman, and Ivan Rodriguez to drive him in which would give him more runs. Ethier has James Loney and Matt Kemp to drive him in. Obviously Pence has the advantage. Pence also gets some added RBIs with speedster Michael Born to score. So instead of having Casey Blake stop at third Pence would get an RBI.
Okay still do not think it matters a lot. Okay well look at it this way. In the Astros versus Dodgers game today through the bottom of the eight with no outs and Ethier on first Pence has gone one for four. Ethier is three for four. Yes it is just one game but lets look at it one more way.
The Dodgers have the best record in baseball yet only had three all-stars and Jonathan Broxton is hurt. The Astros are just now playing good. I mean all the facts are there Ethier is having a better season the Pence and deserves to be there. He probably would be there to if it was not for Manny “stealing” his votes even though Ethier probably would not have started.
Two players on the same team probably would not have made it if it was not for Cole Hamels. Shane Victorino and Jason Werth should be thank Hamels today. Victorino won the National League all-star final vote and Werth made the team as Carlos Beltran’s replacement. Yet both got lucky. Ethier could have had either of their spots and so could have Matt Kemp or Mike Cameron, and maybe Carlos Lee, Michael Born, and or Adam Dunn.
Look at the stats as of Jul 22. . .
AVG. HR RBI R H SO SB OBP 2B 3B Errors F. %tage
Werth .266 21 61 63 88 88 12 .378 15 1 0 1.000%
Victorino .307 6 43 67 115 43 15 .374 25 6 1 .995%
Ethier .257 19 58 52 88 71 4 .341 19 1 3 .982%
Kemp .323 13 55 55 110 81 20 .390 12 6 2 .992%
Cameron .260 14 43 44 82 87 4 .366 19 2 3 .988%
Lee .307 15 57 40 107 30 3 .357 17 1 2 .984%
Born .285 3 26 62 101 79 35 .357 17 8 1 .995%
Dunn .268 24 65 45 87 106 0 .401 17 0 7 .950%
So based on my formulas Victorino should have made it but Werth should not have. Matt Kemp should have. Here are the rankings . . .
1. Victorino
2. Kemp
3. Werth
4. Born
5. Lee
6. Ethier
7. Dunn
8. Cameron
The last player who should not have made it was the replacement to Matt Cain, Zach Duke. How does a player who has a losing record at the break (8-9) make the all-star team! His ERA at the break was 3.38 which is good but when your team even though they stink has a great defense not to mention a speedy outfield that could be a little lower.
So lets say the fact that Duke’s ERA was the reason he made the team. As of July 26th his ERA was 3.42, .04 higher then at the break. As of July 26th fourteen players in the National League had a lower ERA then Duke, ten of those players did not make the all-star team including Javier Vazquez.
Duke had eight wins and as of July 26th he has nine wins. As of the 26th eighteen players have more or the same amount of wins as Duke. Of those eighteen players eleven of those players did not make the all-star game including Derek Lowe, Bronson Arroyo, and Yovani Gallardo.
Duke also had 70 strikeouts at the break today he has 74. Lets just say he did not make it because of his strikeouts. There are 37 players with more strikeouts and of those players 31 did not make the team.
So just a few players who could have taken his spot? Well Adam Wainwright, Wandy Rodriguez, Yovani Gallardo, and Jair Jurrjens all had the same or better stats in ERA, strikeouts, and strikeouts. So even though I do not think they deserved it congrats to all the all-stars.
Photo Credits
1- gohalos.com
2- news.bbc.co.uk.com
3- blog.kir.com
4- bostonsports.mlblogs.com
5- baltimoresun.com
6- mlb.com
Bostonball 