All-Star Game: Breaking down the most deserving to fill our NL roster
For baseball fans, the beauty of the All-Star Game is that they have a direct say in a portion of the roster.
The occasional bad fan choice, unfortunately, often means players having All-Star caliber seasons don’t even make the roster at all, what with all 30 teams needing representation.
As Major League Baseball readies for the final four days of fan voting, we present you a utopian vision of AL and NL rosters, based on merit alone.
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All-Star Game: Breaking down the most deserving to fill our AL roster
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National League starters
SP, Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Leads the NL with 145 strikeouts and a 2.09 ERA.
C, Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
It’s still Posey, and then everyone else. His .961 OPS blows away every catcher in the NL, and he leads nearly every batting category.
1B, Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
Goldschmidt is leading NL first basemen in runs scored, hits, RBI and on-base percentage.
2B, Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals
Murphy’s .344 batting average is almost 41 points better than his next closest competition. He also leads NL second basemen with 50 RBI.
3B, Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
A slight nod over Jake Lamb - hey, defense is a factor, too.
SS, Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
Zack Cozart of the Cincinnati Reds makes an interesting case, but Seager is leading NL shortstops with 12 home runs and 79 hits.
OF, Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies
NL-best 99 hits and 185 total bases, and a .964 OPS.
OF, Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
Tied with Blackmon with 56 RBI, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
OF, Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
Twenty-four home runs, 55 games.
Reserves
C, Tyler Flowers, Atlanta Braves
An .898 OPS, albeit in limited duty.
C, J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins
Getting the nod over Yasmani Grandal of the Los Angeles Dodgers thanks to better contact in slightly more at-bats. He also only trails Posey in hits and on-base percentage.
1B, Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals
A league-leading .348 average and a strong case to nudge Goldschmidt out of the starting lineup.
1B, Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
Classic Votto: 20 homers, 50 walks.
2B, Yangervis Solarte, San Diego Padres
Murphy is the only second baseman in the NL with more home runs and RBI.
SS, Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds
Cozart is defying his career numbers with a .320 batting average and 33 RBI. The former leads NL shortstops.
SS, Chris Owings, Arizona Diamondbacks
Very solid all-around numbers, and the D’backs deserve some shine.
3B, Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
Star-studded squad is struggling, but none are more reliably great than Bryant, with 16 home runs and a .914 OPS.
3B, Jake Lamb, Arizona Diamondbacks
Lamb could vie for the starting spot, as is tied with Bryant for the most home runs among NL third baseman and also leads the group with 61 RBI.
OF, Michael Conforto, New York Mets
Yes, the Mets need a representative. But Conforto would probably belong on this roster regardless. His .404 on-base percentage trails only Harper.
OF, Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins
The best player in a talented outfield? Perhaps. Ozuna ranks in the NL top 10 in WAR and OPS and pairs 20 homers with a .325 batting average.
OF, Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
He’s healthy, on pace for 44 home runs and the game is in his home yard, so Stanton is on the team. It’s in the rulebook, somewhere.
OF, David Peralta, Arizona Diamondbacks
An excellent .377 on-base percentage and .869 OPS.
Gallery: Bellinger making history
Pitchers
SP, Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Giving up the home run ball but little else.
SP, Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals
With a 2.87 ERA and 111 strikeouts, Martinez isn’t the one to blame for a 6-6 record.
SP, Robbie Ray, Arizona Diamondbacks
Ray boasts a 1.32 road ERA with 114 strikeouts as well.
SP, Chase Anderson, Milwaukee Brewers
Anderson has the fifth-best ERA in the NL.
SP, Antonio Senzatela, Colorado Rockies
A 4.79 ERA could make one question Senzatela’s place as an All-Star, but his nine wins are the second most in the NL.
SP, Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks
He’s back - and now his team’s so good, he probably won’t get traded this summer.
SP, Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
The 3.57 ERA isn’t what you like to see, but the 109 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings and 1.13 WHIP make him more than deserving.
SP, Ivan Nova, Pittsburgh Pirates
Slim pickings on the Pirates, but Nova’s seven wins, 3.06 ERA and just 11 walks in 103 innings make him more than worthy.
SP, Alex Wood, Los Angeles Dodgers
8-0 in 11 starts with a 1.86 ERA.
RP, Greg Holland, Colorado Rockies
NL-best 25 saves.
RP, Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
Fifty-two strikeouts and (finally) one walk.
RP, Corey Knebel, Milwaukee Brewers
With Holland and Jansen pitching the way they are, you may not realize that Knebel has 65 strikeouts and 0.96 ERA in 38 2/3 innings.
RP, Pat Neshek, Philadelphia Phillies
Nineteen holds and a 0.61 ERA, and hopefully he’s still a Phillie come game time.