Posted by Will
When I vote for the All-Star team every season, I vote for the players that truly deserve to make it to the Midsummer Classic. But most people have a different mindset. The All-Star game has become a popularity contest, not a game that features the game’s best players. Hence the reason that Derek Jeter has essentially won the shortstop vote once again by a landslide despite the fact that he isn’t even top-5 in the AL in shortstop WAR produced thus far in 2012.
Every year, the manager of both leagues will tend to take a few of his players. That’s the way it’s always been. And chances are that the Royals will have a few representatives of their own considering that the game is being played in their home park. There is also the rule that every team must have at least one representative.
So, here’s my list. I mostly used WAR to determine the team. You may agree or disagree with what I have here but remember that this actually has a little logic behind it. I tried to put together a team that has put up the best numbers yet may also appeal to a normal fan that is only familiar with the big names.
Starting Lineup:
C – Joe Mauer (Twins)
1B – Paul Konerko (White Sox)
2B – Robinson Cano (Yankees)
3B – Brett Lawrie (Blue Jays)
SS – Elvis Andrus (Rangers)
OF – Josh Hamilton (Rangers)
OF – Adam Jones (Orioles)
OF – Mike Trout (Angels)
DH – David Ortiz (Red Sox)
Projected Lineup:
1. CF – Mike Trout
2. RF – Adam Jones
3. 2B – Robinson Cano
4. LF – Josh Hamilton
5. DH – David Ortiz
6. 1B – Paul Konerko
7. C – Joe Mauer
8. 3B – Brett Lawrie
9. SS – Elvis Andrus
Reserve Position Players:
C – A.J. Pierzynski (White Sox)
C – Matt Wieters (Orioles)
1B – Mark Teixeira (Yankees)
1B – Prince Fielder (Tigers)
2B – Ian Kinsler (Rangers)
2B – Jason Kipnis (Indians)
3B – Adrian Beltre (Rangers)
3B – Mike Moustakas (Royals)
SS – Asdrubal Cabrera (Indians)
SS – Derek Jeter (Yankees)
OF – Mark Trumbo (Angels)
OF – Jose Bautista (Blue Jays)
OF – Josh Reddick (Athletics)
Starting Pitchers:
RHP – Justin Verlander (Tigers)*
RHP – Jake Peavy (White Sox)
RHP – Jered Weaver (Angels)
RHP – Jason Hammel (Orioles)
LHP – David Price (Rays)
LHP – Chris Sale (White Sox)
LHP – C.J. Wilson (Angels)
Relievers:
RHP – Joe Nathan (Rangers)
RHP – Chris Perez (Indians)
RHP – Fernando Rodney (Rays)
LHP – Charlie Furbush (Mariners)
LHP – Tim Collins (Royals)
All-Stars By Team:
Angels (4) – Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson
Athletics (1) – Josh Reddick
Blue Jays (2) – Brett Lawrie, Jose Bautista
Indians (3) – Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Chris Perez
Mariners (1) – Charlie Furbush
Orioles (3) – Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Jason Hammel
Rangers (5) – Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Joe Nathan
Rays (2) – David Price, Fernando Rodney
Red Sox (1) – David Ortiz
Royals (2) – Mike Moustakas, Tim Collins
Tigers (2) – Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander
Twins (1) – Joe Mauer
White Sox (4) – Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski, Jake Peavy, Chris Sale
Yankees (3) – Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter
Total All-Stars: 34
* = Projected Starting Pitcher
All-Star Almosts:
2B – Ben Zobrist (Rays)
3B – Kyle Seager (Mariners)
3B – Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)
SS – Mike Aviles (Red Sox)
SS – J.J. Hardy (Orioles)
OF – Alex Gordon (Royals)
OF – Josh Willingham (Twins)
OF – Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners)
OF – Curtis Granderson (Yankees)
OF – Alejando De Aza (White Sox)
OF – Colby Rasmus (Blue Jays)
DH – Edwin Encarnacion (Blue Jays)
SP – C.C. Sabathia (Yankees)
SP – Felix Hernandez (Mariners)
SP – Yu Darvish (Rangers)
SP – Matt Harrison (Rangers)
SP – Brandon Morrow (Blue Jays)
RP – Joaquin Benoit (Tigers)
RP – Scott Downs (Angels)
RP – Alexi Ogando (Rangers)
After taking over an hour to thoroughly research everything FanGraphs has to offer, this is what I have decided on. There were some big time snubs left off the list, namely Cabrera, Hernandez, Sabathia, and Darvish, who would have made the team had the rule of every team must have a representative not been in order. Some surprises from this list include the Red Sox having just one representative in Ortiz and the AL West having as many representatives as the AL East. Overall, I like this list and I think it would make for an interesting ballgame. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Pine Tar and Pocket Protectors 
I’m going to go ahead and point out the homerism here.
Kyle Seager does NOT deserve to be an All-Star. You really shouldn’t carry 3 guys from a single position, and Seager is both an unproven commodity in the majors and the #3 third baseman in WAR. The idea is that you want the best team on the field to help you win. Do you HONESTLY think that when it gets down to it, a guy with ugly left-right splits like Seager is going to be the answer? No, a lefty is going to come in from the bullpen and shut his .243 AVG and .679 OPS against lefties down without issue.
And Darvish is a snub? If we’re going to play the WAR game (which you seem to be doing here), then are you honestly of the belief that 12 SPs are needed for an All-Star game? Darvish is 12th in AL WAR, so do you really think 12 SPs is a good idea? Maybe he is an alternate for the guys who pitch right before the game, but as a primary candidate? I would rather go with about 8 starters, if that, then pile on the power relievers.
And how J.J. Hardy is a snub with the #5 AL SS WAR (right behind…JAMEY CARROLL) is beyond me.
Yes, WAR is a big deal. It shoudl be given its due attention in analysis like this. However, there is a level of reputation and career achievement that shouldn’t be ignored. I’d take probably 5 AL third basemen over Seager because they’re outperforming him and/or have done more to give me the faith to let them come in late and hit. That would include the likes of Lawrie, Moustakas, Rodriguez, Cabrera, and Beltre for sure. Seager’s not a rational pick.
You’re simply giving WAY too many SPs credit here. You can’t go rostering 12 of them, it’s not rational. Overall, you have 20 snubs listed. Can you actually find 20 underserving All-Stars on that AL list? And would you REALLY carry 6 OFs? On top of it, you’ll kick off Trout, Hamilton, Bautista, and more?
This list seems more like the list of guys who would be on the All-Star team if you doubled its size, rather than a list of players unjustly left off of the team.
I understand that Seager doesn’t deserve to be an All-Star. And that is why I don’t think he will be. But, when I did make this post four days ago, Seager was third in 3B WAR behind Lawrie and Moustakas, ahead of guys like Cabrera, Beltre, and Rodriguez. Cabrera’s been on a tear the past four days (0.7 WAR) so I’ll give you that, but Rodriguez is second-to-last on the list of eligible 3B in WAR so far in 2012. He’s on the downhill slope and I think there is plenty of reason to leave him off the team. So I don’t understand why you’d call me a homer when technically (going off of WAR) Seager was high enough in 3B WAR to justify him getting a spot on the team.
And I think you’re putting too much stock in to the list of “snubs”. Those are guys that I think are putting up solid 2012 campaigns but just aren’t good enough to make the team. I’ll re-word it now.
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