MLB Power Post - Part IV

Much like the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the MLB Power Post is back for an installment that no one asked for. The All-Star game rosters are filled barring the final vote, and it wouldn't be an MLB All-Star game unless there was griping about how it determines home-field for the World Series or how certain players were snubbed. I'll let the lamestream sports media take care of the former while I call out for justice on behalf of the latter.

Let's take it away with the current rosters!


Behold my table making skills in html:

American League	Starter	Bench	Bench
Catcher	Alex Avila	Russell Martin	Matt Wieters
First Base	Adrian Gonzalez	Miguel Cabrera
Second Base	Robinson Cano	Howie Kendrick
Shortstop	Derek Jeter	Asdrubal Cabrera
Third Base	Alex Rodriguez	Adrian Beltre
Outfield	Curtis Granderson	Michael Cuddyer	Carlos Quentin
Outfield	Josh Hamilton	Jacoby Ellsbury
Outfield	Jose Bautista	Matt Joyce
Designated Hitter	David Ortiz	Michael Young

Pitcher	Justin Verlander	Josh Beckett	Jered Weaver	Chris Perez
Pitcher	Felix Hernandez	David Price	James Shields	Mariano Rivera
Pitcher	Gio Gonzalez	C.J. Wilson	Aaron Crow	Jose Valverde
Pitcher	Brandon League

I'm seeing some suspect players up in my AL All-Star roster...

• Russell Martin: His BA sits at .219, but in terms of WAR he's comparable to Carlos Santana and Victor Martinez. If you're just looking for a bat though, V-Mart should replace him.
• Matt Wieters: His bat speed may look like it's in slow motion, but his defense is ridiculous, putting his WAR among the upper tier of catchers. He leads the league in caught stealing and is the only catcher who hasn't allowed a passed ball this year. That last fact is shocking. Keep him.
• Howie Kendrick: His WAR is up there with Ben Zobrist and Dustin Pedroia, so I say let him play despite his high BABIP.
• Derek Jeter: There's nothing you can do about him, but if I were to replace him, it would be with Jhonny Peralta. I didn't even realize until now that his slash line is crazy good: .314/.365/.539! Jeter's, you ask? .256/.320/.324 - lolz.
• Michael Cuddyer: He has to be the guy from Minnesota. Look at the rest of his team, it's pathetic. One thing to like about Cuddyer though is his flexibility in that he can move to 3B if needed.
• Carlos Quentin: He's had a nice little year by Quentin standards, but Paul Konerko is the best player on the White Sox. Swap 'em and have Konerko as a third 1B. The other option is to take out Brandon League later on for Phil Humber so that the White Sox get representation and then swap Mark Teixeira for Quentin since his WAR is technically higher than Konerko's. I'd rather roll with Pauly K's .324/.393/.579 over Teix's .246/.351/.530 given how precious at-bats are in the ASG.
• Matt Joyce: He's cooled off quite a bit, so one option is to take Alex Gordon here (4th in AL OF WAR) and spend Aaron Crow's spot on another pitcher, though I do like Crow.
• Brandon League and Jose Valverde: I've never understood why All-Star teams tend to overload on closers. These guys have had nice years, but top starters are simply better. I'd rather see League's teammate Michael Pineda take his place, and Valverde can be replaced by Dan Haren.
• C.J. Wilson: Their ERAs are similar, but C.C. Sabathia's FIP is notably lower, and 2nd to Weaver for the AL. Swap 'em.

Now, on to the NL for more Extreme Makeover: All-Star Team Edition:

National League	Starter	Bench	Bench
Catcher	Brian McCann	Yadier Molina
First Base	Prince Fielder	Joey Votto	Gaby Sanchez
Second Base	Rickie Weeks	Brandon Phillips
Shortstop	Jose Reyes	Troy Tulowitzki	Starlin Castro
Third Base	Placido Polanco	Chipper Jones
Outfield	Ryan Braun	Carlos Beltran	Hunter Pence
Outfield	Lance Berkman	Jay Bruce	Justin Upton
Outfield	Matt Kemp	Matt Holliday

Pitcher	Roy Halladay	Cole Hamels	Jair Jurrjens	Cliff Lee
Pitcher	Clayton Kershaw	Tim Lincecum	Matt Cain	Ryan Vogelsong
Pitcher	Heath Bell	Tyler Clippard	Joel Hanrahan	Jonny Venters
Pitcher	Brian Wilson

Many deserving inclusions here, but I'll take issue with a few others...

• Yadier Molina: An argument can be made that Miguel Montero is more deserving as the better offensive player (higher OBP and SLG, not to mention WAR). Hindsight's 20-20, but there are only 2 steal threats on the AL squad, meaning Molina's arm loses some value too.
• Gaby Sanchez: Anibal Sanchez is the only other Marlin I would even consider replacing him, but he was recently massacred by the Rangers. Roll with Gaby, he's the best they've got, and his WAR is actually 3rd in the NL for 1Bs anyways.
• Third base: Due to injuries and lack of depth, this position is a bit of a crapshoot. If you're looking at WAR leaders, the reps should be Pablo Sandoval and Chase Headley, if you can believe that. My ideal replacements here would be Panda and David Freese, who's been a hit machine when healthy.
• Jay Bruce: I still think Jay Bruce can be one of the best players in the game, but he's not worthy of All-Star inclusion this year. Andrew McCutchen needs to take his place. He has the highest WAR of all NL outfielders, including Matt Kemp, thanks to his nasty offense AND defense. How he isn't included in the Final Vote astounds me. The Pirates actually deserve more than one rep this year. Jay Bruce's WAR? It's actually lower than Carlos Lee's....
• Ryan Vogelsong: RV is this year's winner of the Josh Hamilton Award for most inspiring All-Star appearance. 33 years old, bounced around the minors, Japan, and even Venezuela to reach this point. Sure his BABIP is a little lucky, his FIP is a little higher than some, but he earned this. It's tough to turn away a guy with his story and a 2.13 ERA.
• Matt Cain: Without going too heavy on advanced statistics, I'd prefer seeing Tommy Hanson in Cain's spot. Solid ERA, K/9 and Ws for one of the NL's best pitching staffs. You could also argue for Johnny Cueto or Tim Stauffer for Cain's spot or Lincecum's, but they still rate favorably against other pitchers on advanced stats despite ERAs in the low 3's.
• Brian Wilson: Among relievers, Wilson isn't even in the top 30 for ERA or FIP. Granted, RPs deal in smaller sample sizes, but if I want the most dominant RP available I'm looking at Craig Kimbrel (amazing K/9 and leads all NL relievers in FIP) or Mike Adams of the Padres (4th in FIP, 6th in ERA). I will admit that, for ratings, my former teammate would put on more of a show (we played Pony League ball together for one year).

Those are my selections and I'm sticking to them. Which player do you think got snubbed the hardest? Who are your picks in MLB's Final Vote? Mine are Konerko and Shane Victorino.

NB: WAR stats taken from Fan Graphs.