Time is running out before the starters are decided for this year's All Star Game! Everything you need to know about which player is leading in which position and who would most deserve your vote is here! Click below to find all that out! National League*Results came in from Monday, June 19. Who YOU Should Vote for Based on Last Week: Catcher- Buster Posey, San Francisco Why? Posey leads THE MAJOR LEAGUE in batting average with his impressive .352. This week, he was .400 in his 20 at-bats and drove in two runs, including a two-run home run against the hot Rockies. His nine home runs rank him second among the other NL catchers but obviously, when you are the best hitter right now in baseball, there is no way anyone should not vote for him. Thankfully, he has a great lead over the catchers and he should keep that, otherwise something is wrong with voting. First Base- Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Why? He may not lead the league in average anymore (look above for the guy that does) but he still is putting up great numbers after missing some time this week to deal with a small injury. Once he returned last Tuesday, he acted like he never left and hit two home runs with three RBIs and three runs scored in that game. After that game, Zimmerman had two RBIs in other games and is hitting at a great .349 with 54 RBIs (fifth in the NL) and 19 home runs (second in the NL). Second Base- Daniel Murphy, Washington Why? Murphy still leads everyone in his category in home runs and average, 11 and .345 respectively. The second baseman was on fire this week, going 12-for-28 and hitting .428 with one home run and five RBIs. Murphy's week also included his second triple of the season which helped his team win 8-3. Third Base- Nolan Arenado, Colorado Why? Arenado is coming off a great week after he went 13-for-38, hit .342, and hit for the cycle on Father's Day. Not only did he do something rare, but he also capped off the cycle with a walk-off home run. Only five other players have done this, including his own teammate Carlos Gonzalez. Arenado may not have the most RBIs among third basemen but he does rank third in the NL with 55, a number that should not be taken lightly. Arenado and his team are on a roll right now and they definitely should see some of their best players in starting positions. Shortstop- Chris Owings, Arizona Why? As much as I want to give Zack Cozart a donkey, he was just placed on the Disabled List today (June 19) so it would not be fair to have people vote for an injured player while other healthy players may be doing just as well. The next best in line would be Owings because he has the second-highest average at .292 and already has 8 home runs, 39 RBIs (the most!), and 9 stolen bases (second for shortstops, only because Trea Turner is training for the Olympics or something). Players like Owings are the reason why Arizona has become such a force in the West and is making the race for first place all the more interesting. Outfield- Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Marcell Ozuna, Miami Bryce Harper, Washington Why? Blackmon is fourth in the NL in batting average with .328 and leads all outfielders in that area, as well as in RBIs (54), runs (59), slugging percentage (.610), hits (95), and triples (10). Ozuna hit .333 this week, including a double, three home runs, and 6 RBIs. With his .324 batting average and 18 home runs (third in NL), he should be starting in the outfield. Harper leads outfielders in on base plus slugging (1.028) and on base percentage (.422). Harper is currently hitting .218 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs. American League*Results came in from Tuesday, June 20. Who YOU Should Vote for Based on Last Week: Catcher- Salvador Perez, Kansas City Why? Perez still leads catchers in home runs (14) and RBIs (38), so it would be appropriate to continue voting for him as he continues to do well. This week was no exception with him hitting .421 and launching his 14th home run on Sunday. Perez's slugging percentage has also steadily increased this week by .016 (from .505 to .521). This means that Perez is getting more bases with his at-bats and it's a good way to measure consistency, which brings us back to why Perez is a consistent All Star. He deserves it and is simply better than his competition. First Base- Justin Smoak, Toronto Why? Smoak has the third most home runs in the American League at 20 and also is seventh in RBIs with 46 (just one behind another first baseman!!). Smoak had a stellar week where he hit .348 in 23 at-bats that included two home runs. Smoak is on a four-game hitting streak and definitely deserves recognition for his surprising season. Right now Smoak is hitting at an even .300, which is great for a career .230 hitter. Improvement can come at any stage in a career and this a wonderful example of that. So please, spare him a vote or five. Second Base- Jose Altuve, Houston Why? Altuve has the highest average for second basemen by a little bit, but here is why he leads. He went 9-for-21 this week and bounces back from disappointment very quickly. After going 0-for-4 last Tuesday, he went 3-for-3 the next day with two doubles. He hit .428 this week and included his tenth home run, which isn't a high number compared to the others but he is more of a hitter that relies on speed rather than a power hitter who relies on strength. Third Base- José Ramirez, Cleveland Why? Ramirez hit .513 with three home runs during the eight-game stretch. Ramirez entered that week hitting at .279 and walked out with a .318 batting average (I doubt he walked with that great change, he probably floated with that one). His ten doubles from that stretch alone helped with his previous thirteen to make him tied for the most doubles in the American League at 23. Ramirez also leads the third basemen with 7 stolen bases and if you want him to steal something else, it should be your vote(s). Shortstop- Xander Bogaerts, Boston Why? Bogaerts had ten hits this week and was .333 for those games. He ranks sixth in the AL with a great .319 that leads all shortstops. His eight stolen bases place him third among his competition and his RBIs are fourth, but he is the best hitter in how he ranks fourth with 84 hits and uses his speed wisely with tied lead for triples (4). Designated Hitter- Corey Dickerson, Tampa Bay Why? Dickerson leads all designated hitters with his batting average (.325) that ranks him fourth in the American League. He did well recently with a four hit game last Tuesday and then had a three hit game on Sunday. Dickerson went 9-for-28 dating back to his four hit game last week and hit .321 for that time. Dickerson has been on here every week because he is much better than his competition in how he is a great hitter, and not just a home run hitter. Home runs are great but the high strikeout rates that associate with them are also not as great. Dickerson is the best hitter here and he should be starting in this position because of that. Outfield-
Aaron Judge, New York Avisail Garcia, Chicago George Springer, Houston Why? Judge still has his lead in average even though he only had five hits in twenty-two at-bats. Judge still deserves to go with his lead in almost every category in the American League. Garcia is second in the AL in average with .332 and hit .318 just this week, going 7-for-22. Garcia's 48 RBIs rank him second among outfielders (the first being above). Springer has one of the higher averages for outfielders at .284 and with 20 home runs this year, you can't go wrong picking him. Leave a Reply. |
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