The Global New York Mets Blog: All Star Game Preview

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

All Star Game Preview

The 78th Major League Baseball All Star game begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) in San Francisco and on televisions nationwide on FOX. I’m sure over the next 12 hours most of you will hear more than you ever wanted to know about San Francisco, AT&T Park, the All Star Game’s history, Barry Bonds in his home town, the American League’s 9 game winning streak in the Midsummer classic, Barry Bonds and the home run record, the Home Run Derby last night, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey, what AL manager Jim Leyland had for breakfast, Barry Bonds and steroids, the winning league taking home (somewhat literally) home field advantage in the World Series this October, Barry Bonds and the San Fran Fans, and every last random thought (whether baseball related or not) in the minds of the broadcasters, players, former players, fans, and coaches.

But the All Star Game is most of all about the players it showcases, their individual accomplishments this year, and to a lesser extent their team’s accomplishments. Let’s ignore the arguments over who does and doesn’t deserve most to be on this team and to start this game, and look briefly at each of the players on your 2007 MLB All Star Team, and what they have accomplished in the last three-plus months.

First, the “visiting” American League team:

STARTING LINEUP

CF Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (7th All Star Game)

Ichiro has gotten off to a blistering first half, showing again why he is considered one of the league’s most constant hitting machines. He is batting .359 with 128 hits, 61 runs, and 23 steals. And, equally impressive, he has yet to make an error this season in his first full year in center field. The Mariners themselves have had a better season than their last few, sitting just 2.5 games behind the division-leading Angels at the break.

SS Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (8th)

Jeter, still only 33, is one of the bright spots on a disappointing (or thrilling, depending on your point of view) Yankees team full of old men, injuries, and bad pitching. Hitting .336 for the season with 23 doubles and slugging .463, he is putting up another consistent season while many of his teammates have not.

1B David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (4th)

Big Papi will get a chance to test out his rarely used first baseman’s mitt tonight, which should provide some excitement in itself. The Boston DH is having a somewhat down year by his standards but still comes into the break hitting .314 with 14 homers and 52 RBI and slugging .556 for the first place Red Sox, who have been threatening to run away with the AL East.

3B Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (11th)

A-Rod, while drawing many haters, seems to be re-establishing himself as the best player in the game. After a terrific home run tear to start the season, he has followed up with two more monster months, leaving him with 30 homers and 86 RBIs in the first half, to go along with a .317 average. The Yankees may have under-performed as a team, but Rodriguez has not.

RF Vladimir Guerrero, LA Angels of Anaheim (8th)

The team with the longest name in baseball is also the team with the most wins at the break (53 wins, tied with Boston for tops in the majors). Vlad himself is having another stellar season, punctuated by winning the Home Run derby last night. He carries a .325 average, 75 RBIs and a .547 slugging percentage while only striking out 32 times.

LF Magglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers (6th)

After suffering through several years of injuries, Ordondez, with an eye-popping first half, is finally rewarding the Tigers for signing him to a large contract. He sports a .367 average to lead the majors, with 13 homers, and an outstanding 70 RBIs. He is also hitting .440 with RISP. The Tigers as a team have been hot, demonstrating a fearsome lineup to go along with their great young pitching staff and battling to a virtual tie with the Indians atop AL Central.

C Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers (14th)

No longer tops at throwing out would-be base-stealers, Pudge is still a very good defensive (.992 fielding percentage) and hitting (.288 average, .447 slugging percentage) catcher. He, along with fellow starters Ordonez and Polanco, has been a key part of the Tigers very deep lineup.

2B Placido Polanco, Detroit Tigers (1st)

Polanco, no longer overlooked, is hitting .335 for the season while only striking out 16 times, an impressive feat in this day of high strikeout totals. Defensively, he is one of only two regular players, along with fellow AL All Star Ichiro Suzuki, who have yet to make an error this season.

P Dan Haren, Oakland Athletics (1st)

Haren has burst onto the scene this season, more than taking the place of departed Oakland ace Barry Zito (who signed with the Giants over the winter) and putting up numbers rarely seen in the AL: 10-3, 2.30 ERA, 32 BB, 101 K, .205 opponent’s batting average, as well as consistently pitching deep into ball games.

RESERVES

INFIELDERS

Brian Roberts, BAL: 322 AVG, 27 SB, 111 H
Mike Lowell, BOS: .300 AVG, 14 HR, 63 RBI
Carlos Guillen, DET: .325 AVG, 92 H, 67 RBI
Justin Morneau, MIN: .295 AVG, 24 HR, 74 RBI
Michael Young, TEX: .288AVG, 22 2B, 50 RBI

OUTFIELDERS

Manny Ramirez, BOS: .284 AVG, 11 HR, 45 RBI
Grady Sizemore, CLE: .280 AVG, 73 R, 15 HR
Torii Hunter, MIN: .301 AVG, 19 HR, 69 RBI
Carl Crawford, TAB: .285 AVG, 23 SB, 51 RBI
Alex Rios, TOR: .294 AVG, 17 HR, 53 RBI

CATCHERS

Victor Martinez, CLE: .324 AVG, 16 HR, 68 RBI
Jorge Posada, NYY: .326 AVG, 25 2B, 48 RBI

PITCHERS

Josh Beckett, BOS: 12-2, 3.44 ERA, 92 SO
Hideki Okajima, BOS: 2-0, 0.83 ERA, 4 S
Jonathan Papelbon, BOS: 1.93 ERA, 20 S, 46 SO
C.C. Sabathia, CLE: 12-3, 3.58 ERA, 119 SO
Bobby Jenks, CWS: 3.28 ERA, 23 S
Justin Verlander, DET: 10-3, 3.14 ERA, 97 SO
Gil Meche, KC: 5-6, 3.44 ERA, 88 SO
John Lackey, LAA: 11-5, 2.91 ERA, 98 SO
Francisco Rodriguez, LAA: 2.33 ERA, 24 S, 53 SO
Johan Santana, MIN: 10-6, 2.75 ERA, 125 SO
J.J. Putz, SEA: 0.90 ERA, 24 S, 43 SO

And now, the “home” National League team:

STARTING LINEUP

SS Jose Reyes, New York Mets (2nd All Star Game)

Reyes is the sparkplug that makes the Mets lineup go. He is also one of the best all around young players in the game, hitting .307 with a .387 OBP, 9 triples, and 46 steals for the NL East leading Mets. He is on pace for one of the highest stolen base totals in 2 decades.

LF Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants (14th)

The hometown favorite and impending all time home run champion, has actually had a solid year offensively, despite the woes of the last-place Giants, and his impending 43rd birthday. Bonds is hitting .295 with 17 homers, 42 RBIs, and a major league leading 1.101 OPS. We all have heard too much about the home run record chase, but hidden behind that is another solid season by Bonds.

CF Carlos Beltran, New York Mets (4th)

The popular Beltran leads all NL center fielders with 16 homers, and is hitting .264 with 18 doubles and 55 RBIs. Some have questioned whether his starting spot was deserved, but Beltran is a critical piece of a first place team and also an excellent defender.

RF Ken Griffey Jr, Cincinnati Reds (13th)

Griffey, having finally vanquished his injury woes, seems to have returned to his old form at age 37, batting .286 with 23 homers and 59 RBIs. The Reds have had a very forgettable season, but Griffey has turned things around and while he no longer has a chance to be the all time home run champion, he should join the 600 HR club by the end of the season.

3B David Wright, New York Mets (2nd)

Wright is the third piece of the Mets star-studded lineup to be elected to start. Despite a slow start, he hit .292 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs in the first half, while slugging .506 and hitting 21 doubles. He has also used his speed to accumulate 18 steals.

1B Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers (1st)

Fielder, only 23, has literally powered his way onto this team, hitting out 29 homers so far in his second major league season to go with a .284 average, .620 slugging percentage, and 22 doubles, stealing away the starting spot from perennial candidates Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard. Hulking Prince Fielder and the surprising Brewers, sporting a very powerful and youthful lineup, stand atop the NL Central at the break.

C Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers (1st)

Martin, in his second major league season, is already showing signs of being the best double threat catcher in history. He is on pace for an astounding 114 RBI and 30 SBs. He is hitting .306 with 11 homers and 61 RBIs for the Dodgers, who find themselves one game out of the NL West, behind the Padres, at the break.

2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies (2nd)

Utley has carried an injury wracked Phillies team and kept them in contention. He is batting .325 with 15 homers, 34 doubles, and 68 RBI while making only 7 errors. Showing power rarely seen in second basemen, he has helped keep the Phillies only 4.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East.

P Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres (2nd)

Peavy, a big part of the reason the Padres are in first place, has absolutely dominated on the mound this season. He has posted a 9-3 record with a 2.19 ERA, and 125 strikeouts to 34 walks. He had a 16-strikeout game, tops in the majors this year, and has allowed one run or less in 10 starts.

RESERVES

INFIELDERS