Introduction: Since All-Star balloting has officially opened up and we are more than a third into the season I have decided to create my own All-Star team. Instead of doing one for both leagues, I will be combining players from both leagues to change things up. All of the players I will be choosing from are on the ballot at their respective positions. The following positions will be used: SP,1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, a Utility/DH, a Closer, and a few honorable mentions. Having a DH prevents my starting pitcher (deGrom) from hitting even though he has three RBI this season. This way, Jake can rest in between innings and save his energy to mow down hitters. Instead of choosing a manager, I will be typing my thoughts of how I would manage the players in certain situations. At the end of the post I will construct my All-Star lineup and include a lineup analysis.
Note: Players who are currently on the IL will not be listed on my All-Star team. All stats are through June 6th regular season games.
Starting Pitcher: Jacob deGrom- Mets
G: 9, GS 9, 5-2, 0.62 ERA, 0.569 WHIP, 58 IP, 93 SO
Beginning this post with the man, the myth, and the legend that is Jacob deGrom is only fitting. This was the easiest selection for me to make... though I am a little biased. Although it is an All-Star game where starters usually go only two or three innings to let other pitchers pitch, I am treating this like an actual regular season game because of roster size. Based on the size of my team, deGrom would go eight or even nine innings for me. The only way I pull deGrom is: if he gets into some sort of jam which hardly ever happens, if his pitch count is in the 100 plus range, or basically how long he think he could go, I am not going to argue with a future Hall of Famer! However long he thinks he can go I will agree with, no way am I pulling the best pitcher on the planet myself if I do not have to. In my eyes he is my ace, the best pitcher of my generation or any generation for that matter, and a true workhorse who obviously deserves to be treated as one, he is just that good! I would choose deGrom over any other pitcher in baseball history to pitch against the 1927 Yankees or any other team that has ever been assembled, the guy is incredible! As I mentioned in my "Greatness of deGrom" post I have so much faith and confidence in "deGoat" I do not worry one bit who he faces because at the end of the day he is Jacob deGrom. He is the best pitcher I have ever seen pitch and will ever see pitch for however long I am on planet Earth. Needless to say, I drool over deGrom!
Catcher: Salvador Perez- Royals
G: 57, AB 222, 61 H, 14 HR, .275 BA, 40 RBI, 26 R
This was a tough choice for me to make. Will Smith of the Dodgers and J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies both provide strong cases as well. Smith does not get enough playing time and Realmuto has been on the IL for parts of the season, so Salvy is the next best option. With that being said Buster Posey was a tempting option as well. A fixture in the Royals lineup, Perez is a fan favorite who provides more power than contact. Having a great year at the plate so far this season, Perez is on pace to break his personal single season record of home runs, 27 which he hit in 2018. A deGrom, Perez battery is pretty solid as far as pitcher and catcher combos go. This of course will not happen in the real All-Star game because both players are in separate leagues.
First Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.- Blue Jays
G: 57, AB 204, 68 H, 18 HR, .333 BA, 44 R, 47 RBI, 135 TB, .436 OBP, 1.098 OPS
Going into the season I thought Guerrero was a little overrated but those thoughts are now gone from my memory. Vlad is having the season people thought he would have his rookie season two seasons ago, but then Yordan Alvarez decided to show up and blow the roof off the house. Currently leading the league in home runs, total bases, OPS, and OBP as of this writing, Guerrero Jr. is another clear choice for me who can hit in the middle of my lineup. I can see Guerrero hitting a bomb at Coors Field in the All-Star game and driving in a couple of runs.
Second Base: Ozzie Albies- Braves
G: 55, AB 211, H 54, 9 HR, .256 BA, 35 R, 37 RBI, 5 SB
Personally I love Ozzie Albies in the dynamic Atlanta offense. The majority of people would have probably chosen Jose Altuve , but I like all that Albies brings to the table. Being able to switch hit, hit for power, and steal a few bases is pretty impressive, he is the complete package honestly. I can place him anywhere in my lineup, but most likely I would place him down in the order or at the very top so he can provide a bit of speed for either my middle of the order guys or my leadoff hitter.
Shortstop: Fernando Tatis Jr.- Padres
G: 43, AB 154, 45 H, 17 HR, BA .292, R 41, RBI 39, SB 13, OPS 1.058
One of the best young players in all of baseball, Tatis Jr. leads a group of next generation superstars. Most likely my leadoff hitter or somewhere in the middle of my lineup, Tatis can either hit a homer at any given time or like Albies provide a bit of speed as well. Fernando is a very aggressive base runner and takes plenty of risks. Tatis provides plenty of energy to the team as a whole and is very exciting to watch just from a general baseball fan's perspective.
Third Base: Rafael Devers- Red Sox
G: 56, AB 211, 58 H, 38 R, .275 BA,18 2B, HR 15, RBI 48
Another tough choice here, as I could have easily gone with Jose Ramirez or Kris Bryant. Devers is a doubles machine, currently leading the league with 18 and leading the American League in RBI with 48. So far he has hit one double in June, 11 doubles in May, and six more to begin the season in March and April, Devers is a threat to get on base at a high clip. Hitting doubles is not all the third baseman can do, he also hits for average and power as well. Devers brings a little bit of everything to the team.
Outfield: Ronald Acuna Jr.- Braves
G: 53, AB 194, H 54, 17 HR, .278 BA, 46 R, 35 RBI, 11 SB, .598 SLG
Acuna is the definition of a superstar. After getting off to a hot start in March and April, Acuna has slowed down just a bit. Ronald was three stolen bases shy of a 40 40 season in 2019. Currently, he sits at 17 home runs with 11 stolen bases. Personally, I would not count out Acuna to have a 40 40 season, he has the skill to do it. Ronald's defense is also very good as well, he can get to a fly ball pretty quickly with his speed.
Outfield: Nick Castellanos- Reds
G: 52, 209 AB, 75 H, 12 HR, .359 BA, 37 R, 31 RBI, 1.027 OPS
Castellanos has been on a tear recently, recording at least one hit in 21 straight games going into Sunday's (June 6th) action against the Cardinals. His current batting average is .359 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI. Castellanos' teammate Jesse Winker has been just as good, hitting .350 with 17 home runs. The whole Reds lineup is so powerful as a whole, it is quite impressive.
Outfield: Aaron Judge- Yankees
G: 57, 200 AB, 59 H, 14 HR, .295 BA, 32 R, 32 RBI.
This was a tough choice for me to make for the last outfield spot. Personally, I am not a huge fan of Judge because of his high strikeout rate but he is having a great season so far. Judge's batting average is what surprises me the most considering it is up in the .290 range at .295, as he hit .323 in the month of May. His power numbers are not surprising given the overall size and strength he possesses. I predict his average will slowly trickle down to around .270 but his home run numbers will stay consistent.
Designated Hitter: J.D. Martinez- Red Sox
G: 54, 209 AB, 67 H, 12 HR, .321 BA, 41 R, 39 RBI, .958 OPS
Those who know me know how big of a fan I am of Yordan Alvarez, but I have decided to go with Martinez for my DH. J.D. set the world on fire to begin the season hitting .351 across 94 at-bats in March and April combined. Martinez's OPS is almost 1.000 which is incredible. J.D. hits in a lineup with Devers and Xander Bogaerts who form a great trio for the Boston offense on a daily basis.
Closer: Aroldis Chapman- Yankees
G: 23, 4-0, 0.39 ERA, 12 SV, 23 IP, 43 SO, 0.783 WHIP
The decision for a reliever at least for me came down to either Chapman or Mark Melancon of the Padres. Given that Chapman has only given up one run all season up to this point I decided to go with him, although Melancon currently has seven more saves. My strategy for using the Cuban Missile would be to bring him in for either a save situation, or if deGrom struggled in the late innings I would bring him in for a potential two inning save which I doubt would happen. Having Chapman as my closer is amazing because he can either throw 100 MPH plus with his fastball or throw his slider to get hitters off balance. The combo of deGrom and Chapman is pretty good!
Lineup:
Ronald Acuna Jr.-CF
Nick Castellanos-LF
Aaron Judge-RF
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.-1B
J.D. Martinez-DH
Rafael Devers-3B
Fernando Tatis Jr.-SS
Salvador Perez-C
Ozzie Albies-2B
SP- Jacob deGrom
Closer- Aroldis Chapman
Lineup Analysis: I tried spacing out my three speed threats (Acuna Jr., Tatis Jr., and Albies) as best as I could, I also went off of where they hit in their respective team's lineups the most on a daily basis. For example, Acuna hits leadoff every game where as Tatis moves around in the order but he will hit leadoff some games. Having to put together a lineup with all these All-Stars was more challenging than I expected. When your so used to seeing these players hit in their normal lineup spot and they are not there because the level of talent is so high it is is a little weird, but then again it is the All-Star Game! Most importantly, I hope I gave deGrom enough offensive support for him to cruise to an easy victory!
Honorable Mentions:
J.T. Realmuto C- Phillies .295 BA, 5 HR, 23 RBI, .895 OPS
Max Muncy 1B- Dodgers .264 BA, 13 HR, 30 RBI, .950 OPS
Jose Altuve 2B- Astros .302 BA, 9 HR, 27 RBI, .835 OPS
Xander Bogaerts SS- Red Sox .321 BA, 10 HR, 36 RBI, .913 OPS
Jose Ramirez 3B- Indians .262 BA, 13 HR, 31 RBI, .872 OPS
Adolis Garcia OF- Rangers .277 BA, 16 HR, 42 RBI, .863 OPS
Juan Soto OF- Nationals .278 BA, 7 HR, 25 RBI, .857 OPS
Jesse Winker OF- Reds .350 BA, 17 HR, 50 RBI, 1.077 OPS
Shohei Ohtani DH- Angels .255 BA, 16 HR, 42 RBI, .924 OPS
Final Thoughts: I really expected to have more Dodgers on my team or on my Honorable Mentions list than I did end up having. Injuries to Seager and Bellinger who is just now getting back into the swing of things has changed that as well as Betts not having his greatest of starts, but he could easily turn it around. Obviously a lot could change between now and then as baseball changes everyday. I really enjoyed writing my 2021 All-Star team post and look forward to seeing if my predictions come true in mid July at the Midsummer Classic!
See you at the Ballpark!!!
Adam
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