B Mac's NL All Stars

Yesterday I set the American League straight, now it's time to fix the National League's roster for next Tuesday's All Star game. Adhering to the rules and standards, i.e. 33 man roster and including at least one player from each team; here are my selections. (Bold = league leader, Italics = top 5 in league.)

STARTERS

• C- Brian McCann, Braves (.299 BA 8 HR 35 RBI)
• 1B- Albert Pujols, Cardinals (.332 31 HR 83 RBI)
• 2B- Chase Utley, Phillies (.307 20 HR 61RBI)
• 3B- Pablo Sandoval, Giants (.328 13 HR 50 RBI)
• SS- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins (.348 14 HR 60 RBI)
• OF- Raul Ibanez, Phillies (.312 22 HR 59 RBI)
• OF- Brad Hawpe, Rockies (.324 .577 SLUG 57 RBI)
• OF- Ryan Braun, Brewers (.321 16 HR 58 RBI)
• SP- Dan Haren, Diamondbacks (8-5 2.16 ERA 0.83 WHIP)

BENCH

• C- Bengie Molina, Giants (.266 11 HR 50 RBI)
• 1B- Prince Fielder, Brewers (.312 22 HR 77 RBI)
• 1B- Adrian Gonzalez, Padres (.256 24 HR 52 RBI)
• 2B- Brandon Phillips, Reds (.268 13 HR 56 RBI)
• 2B- Freddy Sanchez, Pirates (.316 25 2B .477 SLUG)
• 3B- Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks (.259 24 HR 62 RBI)
• 3B- David Wright, Mets (.328 20 SB 43 RBI)
• SS- Miguel Tejada, Astros (.329 29 2B 47 RBI)
• OF- Justin Upton, D'Backs (.296 16 HR 12 SB)
• OF- Matt Kemp, Dodgers (.319 19 SB 46 RBI)
• OF- Adam Dunn, Nationals (.259 22 HR 60 RBI)

BULLPEN

• SP- Tim Lincecum, Giants (9-2 2.33 ERA 149 K)
• SP- Matt Cain, Giants (10-2 2.42 ERA 12 QS)
• SP- Josh Johnson, Marlins (7-2 2.82 ERA 15 QS)
• SP- Yavonni Gallardo, Brewers (8-6 2.95 ERA 120 K)
• SP- Chad Billingsley, Dodgers (9-4 3.14 ERA 115 K)
• SP- Ted Lilly, Cubs (8-6 3.32 ERA 13 QS)
• SP- Javier Vasquez, Braves (6-7 2.95 ERA 136 K)
• RP- Heath Bell, Padres (23 SV 1.49 ERA 1 BLSV)
• RP- Ryan Franklin, Cardinals (20 SV 0.83 ERA 1 BLSV)
• RP- Francisco Cordero, Reds (21 SV 1.75 ERA 1 BLSV)
• RP- Trevor Hoffman, Brewers (19 SV 1.85 ERA 1 BLSV)
• RP- Houston Street, Rockies (22 SV 2.82 ERA 1 BLSV)
• RP- Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers (20 SV 2.72 ERA 2 BLSV)

Who I left off:

Yadier Molina, C Cardinals (.284 5 HR 28 RBI) Fans chose him over his brother probably because the game is in St. Louis and he is a superior defensive back stop. His numbers don't measure up to brother Bengie.

Carlos Beltran, OF Mets (.336 8 HR 40 RBI) He's hurt and won't play in the game.

Jason Marquis, SP Rockies (11-5 3.61 ERA) Again the league leader in the overrated stat of pitcher's wins with 11. His ERA ranks 20th in the NL and has benefited from a Colorado offense that is averaging 6.67 runs during his starts.

Ryan Howard, 1B Phillies (.253 21 HR 63 RBI) A ridiculous manager's selection that makes Howard the 4th first baseman on the National League squad. A choice that should have been used for more versatile and deserving, Kung Fu Panda (Pablo Sandoval). No wonder the American League hasn't lost a game in this series since 1996.

1st HALF MVP: ALBERT PUJOLS, 1B ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Pujols leads the planet in almost every offensive statistical category the computers can invent, including home runs, runs batted in, on base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, total bases, extra base hits, and walks. Let's just hope (knock on wood) we're seeing the first historic clean season from a slugger in the steroid-testing era.

1st HALF CY YOUNG: DAN HAREN, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

This is a really close call between Haren and San Francisco's Tim Lincecum. I'll admit I am slightly biased because Haren has help me dominate my fantasy league this year. Following him game in and game out has given me a front row seat to his brilliance this year. He has been the most consistent starting pitcher in all of baseball (16 quality starts out of 18 games started) and is only overlooked because of Arizona's hideous record (18.5 games out of first in the NL West) and lack of offense in Haren's starts (5.65 runs/start; 44th in the NL out of pitchers with a minimum of 80 innings pitched). He should be your All Star game starter.

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B Mac's AL All Stars

As usual the fans and MLB have screwed up the all star rosters. I'm here to fix them. Adhering to the rules and standards, i.e. 33 man roster and including at least one player from each team; here are my selections for the 2009 All Star Game in St. Louis on July 14. (Bold - league leader, Italic - top 5 in league.)

STARTERS:

• C- Joe Mauer, Twins (.388 BA 15 HR 47 RBI)
• 1B- Justin Morneu, Twins (.313, 21 HR 69 RBI)
• 2B- Aaron Hill, Blue Jays (.298, 20 HR 59 RBI)
• 3B- Evan Longoria, Rays (.287, 16 HR 65 RBI)
• SS- Jason Bartlett, Rays (.354, 8 HR .558 SLUG)
• OF- Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners (.356, 17 SB 120 H)
• OF- Torii Hunter, Angels (.305, 17 HR 65 RBI)
• OF- Jason Bay, Red Sox (.263, 20 HR 71 RBI)
• SP- Zach Greinke, Royals (10-5 2.12 ERA 5 CG 15 QS)

BENCH:

• C- Victor Martinez, Indians (.299, 14 HR 58 RBI)
• 1B- Mark Texeria, Yankees (.281, 21 HR 63 RBI)
• 1B- Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (.323, 17 HR 48 RBI)
• 2B- Ian Kinsler, Rangers (.252, 20 HR 52 RBI 17 SB)
• 3B- Kevin Youklis, Red Sox (.289, 14 HR 47 RBI .959 OPS)
• 3B- Michael Young, Rangers (.314, 10 HR 34 RBI)
• SS- Derek Jeter, Yankees (.315, 10 HR 17 SB)
• SS- Ben Zobrist, Rays (.288, 17 HR 50 RBI 1.009 OPS)
• OF- Carl Crawford, Rays (.314, 43 SB 58 R)
• OF- Luke Scott, Orioles (.304, 17 HR 50 RBI)
• OF- Jermaine Dye, White Sox (.300, 20 HR 54 RBI)
• OF- Adam Lind, Blue Jays (.309, 19 HR 59 RBI)

BULLPEN

• SP- Roy Halladay, Blue Jays (10-2 2.79 ERA 11 QS)
• SP- Edwin Jackson, Tigers (6-4 2.59 ERA 13 QS)
• SP- Felix Hernandez, Mariners (8-3 2.62 ERA 13 QS)
• SP- Kevin Millwood, Rangers (8-6 3.34 ERA 12 QS)
• SP- Cliff Lee, Indians (4-8 3.45 ERA 14 QS)
• SP- Justin Verlander, Tigers (9-4 3.59 ERA 141 K)
• SP- Mark Buehrle, White Sox (9-2 3.14 ERA 11 QS)
• SP- Nick Blackburn, Twins (7-4 2.94 ERA 3 CG)
• RP- Marino Rivera, Yankees (23 SV 2.43 ERA 1 BLSV 14.33 K:BB)
• RP- Joe Nathan, Twins (22 SV 1.35 ERA 2 BLSV)
• RP- Jonathan Papelbon (22 SV 1.84 ERA 2 BLSV)
• RP- Andrew Bailey (9 SV 2.03 ERA 1.01 WHIP)

1st Half MVP: JOE MAUER C MINNESOTA TWINS

How does someone miss 22 of their teams first 85 games and claim the most valuable player of the first half of the season? How about these May stats? .414 BA .500 OBP 11 HR 32 RBI 1.338 OPS? Is that something that might interest you? After finally officially qualifying for MLB stats with enough at bats this week, he leads the league in batting, on base %, slugging, and OPS. He also plays the most difficult defensive position on the field and anchors another solid Minnesota pitching staff. In the history of major league baseball three catchers have won a league batting title. Joe Mauer is two of them (2006, 2008)

1st Half Cy Young: ZACH GREINKE KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Speaking of hot starts, check out these April/May stats for Greinke: In 11 starts he had 10 quality starts, 8 wins, 4 complete games, and 3 shutouts. Through those 11 starts he amassed an ERA of 0.90. Since then he has cooled off but he still leads the league in ERA, QS, CG, shutouts, and is 2nd in strikeouts with only 21 walks in 18 starts. The most dominant starter in the league.

Who I left off the team:

Dustin Pedroia 2B Red Sox: An up-and-down 1st half which leaves him only 3 HR in 328 AB and an OPS under .800.

Tim Wakefield SP Red Sox: He leads the league in the most overrated of pitching stats, wins (11). He ranks 26th in the AL in ERA (4.31), 15th in innings pitched (108), and has walked at least four batters in 5 of his 17 starts.

Josh Hamilton, OF Rangers: Last year's home run derby hero was voted in as a starter by the fans. Big mistake. He's only totalled 138 at bats this year with .254 BA 6 HR 24 RBI in 38 games.

Brian Fuentes, RP Angels: He leads the league in saves with 24 but also has 3 blown saves and an ERA of 3.38. Honestly he probably would have the roster spot if not for the one player per team rule. It hurts me to admit the one team in the league that doesn't deserve an All Star is my favorite team, the Oakland Athletics. Andrew Bailey has had a solid start but has only been the team's full time closer for about a month and has more blown saves than Fuentes with 15 less saves.

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Oakland's One Shining Moment in 2009

Being an Athletics fans recently has not been a very promising prospect the last few years. Last year they finished 24.5 games out of first place in the West Division. They also dumped a bunch of salary in trading away their top three starting pitchers Dan Haren, Rich Harden, and Joe Blanton. In 2007 they finished 18 games out of first place and and lost pitcher Barry Zito and Frank Thomas (4th place in 2006 MVP voting) to free agency. Since their 2006 playoff run to the AL Championship Series they have consistently traded away and ignored re-signing high priced veteran talent in favor of acquiring young, cheap players to build up an impressive farm system. In the current economics of Major League Baseball this is one of the few ways for a small market team like Oakland to compete. In 2009 the A's had an approximate payroll of $63 million. Slightly less than the to the 2009 salaries of New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texeria, and CC Sabathia ($69 million combined).

It's hard to be patient as a fan. You want your team to win right now, every year. That's why the NFL is so popular; every year going in there is a legitimate chance that your team will compete for the playoffs. For God's sake the Arizona Cardinals were in the Super Bowl last year. And I guess technically its possible in the MLB. The Tampa Bay Rays ($31.8 million payroll in 2008) made an appearance in the 2008 World Series after winning a division title over the New York Yankees ($218 million) and Boston Red Sox ($155 million). Oakland is now using Tampa Bay's template to build a contender 2-3 years in the future.

We finally got to see a glimpse of that future last night in Boston. The A's trail in the West eleven games out of first place and nine games under .500. Their season was basically over before July 4th. The offseason trade of Matt Holliday from the Rockies and the free agent signings of veteran position players Jason Giambi and Orlando Cabrera has done little to improve the anemic offense that has plagued the team since '06. The only reason to follow the team this year is the development of their talented but youthful pitching staff.

Brett Anderson, a 21 year old baby-faced Texan, making his 15th start of his rookie season dominated the Boston Red Sox in their home park. Anderson stole the spotlight from Nomar Garciaparra who was making his first return to Boston since being traded away in 2004. Pitching a complete game 2-hitter, Anderson shut down one of the top offensive teams in one of the most batter-friendly parks in the majors.

Brett Anderson's stat line for the game:

9 IP 2 H O ER O R 9 K 2 BB

ESPN.com gave Anderson a game score of 90, which ranks as the third best-pitched game in the American League this year. He became the first rookie to shut out the Sox in Fenway since Jim Abbot in 1989. It's the A's first complete game since Justin Duscherer threw one last July.

Anderson, 21, along with Dallas Braden, 25, and Trevor Cahill, 21, make up the core of Oakland's young starting staff. Along with top prospect Michael Ynoa, 18, and minor leaguers Dana Eveland, 25, Gio Gonzalez, 23, and Josh Outman, 24, they make up a deep pool of pitchers for the A's to build on. If they can develop or add some offense and cultivate their pitching prospects correctly, there is reason for hope in the Athletic Nation. Just not right now, but maybe later.

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Ron-Ron in La-La Land

On Thusday night Ron Artest announced that he had agreed to join the Lakers for a mid-level exception contract of approx. $6.2 million per for either 3 or 5 years. In what amounts to a virtual trade with the Houston Rockets, after Trevor Ariza agreed to sign with Artest's former team for the same mid-level exception for 5 years.

What does this mean for LA? It means that they have in effect set themselves a championship window of 3 years. For the next three years they'll keep the core of Kobe-Gasol-Bynum-Artest locked up. Having done virtually nothing the last two years in the draft and focusing on veteran players, Phil Jackson and Mitch Kupchak have decided to play for right now. After the 2011 season it looks like it'll be time to blow it up or reload in a new version with (hopefully) Kobe and Bynum.

Next priority is locking up Lamar Odom to join that core of talent. Odom is reportedly seeking a $10 mil.+ deal. LA is offering in the neighborhood of $8 mil. and is likely to be Odom's best offer. Worst-case scenario is that San Antonio overpays Odom to keep him out of LA and deepen the Spurs bench.

The Artest signing was a good defensive signing in a matter of speaking. It kept Artest away from a contender like Cleveland who was reportedly pursuing him to add alongside LeBron James and Shaquille O' Neal. It also opened up the postion in Houston for Ariza and kept him off a likely championship contender. Cleveland and Boston were rumored to be after him. For all the improving that Cleveland, Orlando, and San Antonio have done this offseason it is good to see LA being proactive and not standing pat with the same vulnerable squad that won the 2009 title.

The two biggest questions for LA going into 09-10 will be likely be defending opposing point guards (Derek Fisher despite his Game 4 heroics is still old, slow, and a terrible defender) and Andrew Bynum's continuing development as a force underneath. There is no question they have the talent both on the court and on the coaching staff to repeat as champs. Like every team going into a new season they'll have to find a new chemistry with new faces, get lucky and stay injury free (that means you, Bynum!), and stay hungry and motivated.

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