Daily Baseball Update: All Star Preview

This year's All Star Game will be held in Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium. Ron Washington's AL crew squares off against Tony La Russa's NL team in what will be Tony's final game. Neither manager chose the pitcher with the best numbers to start, though nonetheless both pitchers are well worthy, and no one questions Tony La Russa. Here are the starting lineups.

American League

1. SS Derek Jeter: 7 HR, 25 RBI, .308 AVG, 7 SB.

2. 2B Robinson Cano: 20 HR, 51 RBI, .313 AVG, 1 SB.

3. LF Josh Hamilton: 27 HR, 75 RBI, .308 AVG, 6 SB.

4. RF Jose Bautista: 27 HR, 65 RBI, .244 AVG, 4 SB.

5. 1B Prince Fielder: 15 HR, 63 RBI, .299 AVG, 1 SB.

6. 3B Adrian Beltre: 15 HR, 54 RBI, .326 AVG, 1 SB.

7. DH David Ortiz: 22 HR, 57 RBI, .312 AVG, 0 SB.

8. C Mike Napoli: 12 HR, 30 RBI. .228 AVG, 0 SB.

9. CF Curtis Granderson: 23 HR, 48 RBI, .248 AVG, 6 SB.

Josh Hamilton obviously stands out in the lineup, tied for the most home runs, leading in RBI, tied for the fourth best average, and tied for the second most stolen bases among starters. As of now, it looks like Hamilton is on his way to another MVP. One token of the greatness of this lineup is that two-time Home Run Derby champion Prince Fielder is batting fifth. The only question I have of the lineup choices is that David Ortiz is batting seventh, behind Adrian Beltre and Fielder, despite much better numbers. Derek Jeter could be in his final All Star Game start, noting he is 38 and in the first year of what could be his final three-year contract, and fittingly, he is batting first, ahead of teammate Robinson Cano.

National League
1. DH Carlos Gonzalez: 17 HR, 58 RBI, .330 AVG, 11 SB.

2. CF Melky Cabrera: 8 HR, 44 RBI, .353 AVG, 10 SB.

3. LF Ryan Braun: 24 HR, 61 RBI, .306 AVG, 15 SB.

4. 1B Joey Votto: 14 HR, 48 RBI, .348 AVG, 5 SB.

5. RF Carlos Beltran: 20 HR, 65 RBI, .296 AVG, 8 SB.

6. C Buster Posey: 10 HR, 43 RBI, .289 AVG, 1 SB.

7. 3B Pablo Sandoval: 8 HR, 30 RBI, .307 AVG, 0 SB.

8. 2B Dan Uggla: 12 HR, 45 RBI, .221 AVG, 0 SB.

9. SS Rafael Furcal: 5 HR, 36 RBI, .275 AVG, 9 SB.

Tony La Russa's most intriguing lineup choice may be leadoff man Carlos Gonzalez, the only player La Russa was allowed to add to the lineup. With options like Andrew McCutchen, David Wright and Jay Bruce for the DH spot, La Russa decided Gonzalez was the best fit. Personally, I think McCutchen and Wright had better numbers than CarGo, but Tony is one of the greatest managers of all time and he absolutely knows what he is doing. He says he would rather have guys like the trio of other candidates to get to play in the field, instead of just DH-ing. There is no one strong standout in the NL lineup, except for the fact that Melky Cabrera is in it, and batting second. Before the season, not many people would have expected Cabrera, who had 58 career home runs and a .275 average over seven seasons, to bat second in the star-studded lineup. After a breakout year last year, Cabrera has taken his production to another level, most notably his .353 average. Ryan Braun wasn't originally supposed to start, but with an injury to Matt Kemp, he finds himself batting third, ahead of Joey Votto. According to many people, including myself, David Wright should have started at third over Pablo Sandoval, but the fans voted the Panda into the starting role. 

AL Pitching

WHIP, a new stat to my blog, is the combination of walks and hits, divided by innings pitched. A league leader usually has his WHIP between 0.95 and 1.05, while a decent WHIP is between 1.25 and 1.40.  1.20 is considered very good, and 1.10 is considered great. Relievers usually have lower WHIP's than starters.

Starter: Justin Verlander: 9-5, 2.58 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 128 K's in 132.2 innings.

Other Notable Pitchers

Chris Sale: 10-2, 2.19 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 98 K's in 102.2 innings.

David Price: 11-4, 2.82 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 105 K's in 111.2 innings.

Yu Darvish: 10-5, 3.59 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 117 K's in 102.2 innings.

Jered Weaver: 10-1, 1.96 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 73 K's in 96.2 innings.

Jim Johnson: 1-0, 1.21 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 22 K's in 37.1 innings, 26 saves.

Ryan Cook: 2-2, 1.41 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 39 K's in 38.1 innings, 8 saves.

Fernando Rodney: 2-1, 0.93 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 38 K's in 38.2 innings, 25 saves.

Justin Verlander may not have had better numbers than Chris Sale or Jered Weaver, but he got the start, and deservingly so. He already has five complete games, one of which was a one hit shutout against Pittsburgh. He did not start last year despite an incredible first half (12-4, 2.15 ERA) because of the fact he had started a regular game just two days earlier. This year, his incredible consistency — he has not had a month with an ERA above 2.98 — has earned him the starting role. Chris Sale was a notable option, as Chicago's former reliever has limited opponents to a .198 BAA in 16 games. Jered Weaver was another intriguing option, as he leads the majors with a 1.96 ERA, but he started just three days ago against Baltimore. A bullpen standout is Tampa Bay's Fernando Rodney, who has given up just four earned runs all season, while saving 25 games, including his 100th career save. Baltimore's Jim Johnson boasts a 1.21 ERA and .151 BAA, not to mention a league leading 26 saves. Rookie Ryan Cook, who without one bad outing against the Giants, would have a 0.47 ERA, took over Oakland's closing duties from Brian Fuentes in the midst of a great rookie season.

NL Pitching

Starter: Matt Cain: 9-3, 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 118 K's in 120.1 innings.

Other Notable Pitchers

R.A. Dickey: 12-1, 2.40 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 123 K's in 120 innings.

Gio Gonzalez: 12-3, 2.92 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 118 K's in 101.2 innings.

Stephen Strasburg: 9-4, 2.82 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 128 K's in 99 innings.

Clayton Kershaw: 6-5, 2.91 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 119 K's in 120.2 innings.

Aroldis Chapman: 4-4, 1.83 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 71 K's in 39.1 innings, 11 saves.

Craig Kimbrel: 0-1, 1.36 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 56 K's in 33 innings, 25 saves.

Huston Street: 2-0, 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 32 K's in 24 innings, 13 saves.

The loaded NL pitching staff has produced starter Matt Cain, who not only has thrown a perfect game but has dominated his opponents in nearly every start. In the month of June, he was 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA, including his perfecto. R.A. Dickey was a strong contender to start, but Tony La Russa ultimately based his decision on the fact that Dickey is a knuckleballer and starting catcher Buster Posey would have a tough time catching him. Dickey will enter the game with Carlos Ruiz. His season has been incredible. He didn't allow a run in his starts between his May 22nd and June 24th starts, and incredible 42.2 shutout innings. Between June 13th and 18th, he tossed 18 shutout innings on just two hits and two walks, striking out 25. Aroldis Chapman had a great first two and a half months, tossing 29 shutout innings on just seven hits and 52 K's before giving up a run June 7th against Pittsburgh. Even with his terrible June (0-4, 6.97 ERA), he still owns a 1.83 ERA for the season and an incredible 71 K's in under 40 innings. Craig Kimbrel is on pace for another great season, with a 1.36 ERA that has dropped his career mark to 1.65. Since May 4th, he has yielded one run on four hits, two walks, and 37 K's over 22 innings. Huston Street has turned a lot of heads with his comeback season in San Diego, boasting a 1.13 ERA that is less than a third of his 2011 ERA of 3.86.  He didn't allow a hit in eight straight appearances from June 20th to July 4th.

Notable AL Bench Members

Adam Jones: 20 HR, 44 RBI, .289 AVG, 11 SB.

Adam Dunn: 25 HR, 61 RBI, .208 AVG, 0 SB.

Paul Konerko: 14 HR, 42 RBI, .329 AVG, 0 SB.

Miguel Cabrera: 18 HR, 71 RBI, .324 AVG, 3 SB.

Billy Butler: 16 HR, 52 RBI, .290 AVG, 2 SB.

Mike Trout: 12 HR, 40 RBI, .341 AVG, 26 SB.

Mark Trumbo: 22 HR, 57 RBI, .306 AVG, 4 SB.

Mike Trout is a standout for many reasons, including his age (20), average, and stolen base totals. On pace for a Rookie of the Year award, Trout may have been a starter if he was on the original ballot for the outfield. His teammate, Mark Trumbo, also stands out due to his offensive outburst this season. His 22 home runs and .306 average would look good even if they were in the starting lineup. Paul Konerko looked on pace to start at first base after hitting 11 home runs and batting .381 over the seasons first two months. A tough June (3 HR, .241 AVG) hurt his standing, but still landed him on the team. Hometown hero Billy Butler, the Royals' only All Star, is on pace for a career year, already just five home runs shy of his career high while maintaining a .290 average.  

Notable NL Bench Members

David Wright: 11 HR, 59 RBI, .351 AVG, 9 SB.

Andrew McCutchen: 18 HR, 60 RBI, .362 AVG, 14 SB.

Carlos Ruiz: 13 HR, 46 RBI, .350 AVG, 3 SB.

Chipper Jones: 6 HR, 33 RBI, .318 AVG, 1 SB.

Michael Bourn: 7 HR, 32 RBI, .311 AVG, 25 SB.

Bryce Harper: 8 HR, 25 RBI, .282 AVG, 10 SB.

The NL bench has many names that pop out, and for all different reasons. David Wright, Andrew McCutchen and Carlos Ruiz are all having career years, averaging 14 HR, 55 RBI and a .354 AVG among the three. McCutchen is perhaps having the best season, with his .362 average leading the majors and his other numbers not far behind. Ruiz and Wright both showed better numbers than the San Francisco pair of starters at their positions (Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, respectively), but the voting system landed them on the bench. Forty-year-old Chipper Jones is playing in his 8th and final All Star Game, while 19-year-old Bryce Harper is playing in his first of what should be many.

Other AL Members

Pitchers Matt Harrison (Texas), Felix Hernandez (Seattle), C.C. Sabathia (New York), Joe Nathan (Texas), Chris Perez (Cleveland), and Jake Peavy (Chicago). Position players Matt Wieters (Baltimore), Joe Mauer (Minnesota), Elvis Andrus (Texas), Ian Kinsler (Texas), and Asdrubal Cabrera (Cleveland). Injured players include C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles)

Other NL Members

Pitchers Cole Hamels (Philadelphia), Wade Miley (Arizona), Lance Lynn (St. Louis), Jonathan Papelbon (Philadelphia), and Joel Hanrahan (Pittsburgh). Position Players Starlin Castro (Chicago), Bryan Lahair (Chicago), Jay Bruce (Cincinnati), Jose Altuve (Houston), David Freese (St. Louis). Injured players include Matt Kemp (Los Angeles), Giancarlo Stanton (Miami), Yadier Molina (St. Louis), and Ian Desmond (Washington).

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Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.

HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. WHIP: Walks/Hits per Innings Pitched. K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman