Battles Abound For Midseason National League All Star Spots

The National League has some intriguing division races going on in the NL East and NL Central, and with that we’ve seen a lot of high level performance from many players. It seems as if every position in the NL has a battle for the top spot, which will make All Star Game selections that much tougher. There are a few things to keep in mind when thinking about the All Star Game:

1. Every team needs a representative, regardless of how well the team is performing.
2. Since 2010, the roster size for each league has been 34 players, which can lead to some all star worthy players getting snubbed.
3. Some positions are much more loaded with talent than others, which can lead to some questionable selections to fill roster spots.

STARTERS

Catcher: Willson Contreras, CHC: Contreras has easily been the best offensive catcher in baseball this year, off to a scorching .321/.426/.627 start. He’d shown signs in the past of his offensive abilities, and it seems that he’s putting it all together this year.

First Base: Josh Bell, PIT: This may surprise some, but in a loaded National League that features sluggers like Anthony Rizzo and Freddie Freeman, Bell has been the best first baseman in the league. Bell had a pretty a bit of an underwhelming 2018 season, but he has been crushing the ball to start the season. He’s currently hitting .333/.404/.697 with 14 homers (he had 12 homers all of last year) and an MLB best 44 RBI. He’s also put on an impressive display of power, earlier this month having hit a ball into the Allegheny River on a fly.

Second Base: Cesar Hernandez, PHI: Second base has easily been the weakest position in the NL, with Hernandez’s .849 OPS being tops at the position. His defense hasn’t been spectacular either, but his .310 batting average is well above his career mark of .278.

Third Base: Anthony Rendon, WAS: For an underperforming Nationals club, Rendon has been the only player that has lived up to and exceeded his expectations and looks to be in position to finally make his first all star team. Despite missing some time with an injury, Rendon is slashing a blistering .342/.433/.708 with nine homers and 27 RBI. This performance has also helped his free agent stock increase, as he is due to hit the open market after this season.

Shortstop: Javier Baez, CHC: You could argue for Paul DeJong to be in this spot, but Baez has been on fire after a rough first two weeks. He has proven that last year wasn’t a fluke with a .319/.359/.595 batting line to go with 11 homers and 31 RBI. He has become one of the most exciting players in baseball and is big reason behind the Cubs’ recent surge.

Left Field: Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL: Acuña has followed an electrifying rookie season that saw him win NL Rookie of the Year with a strong .281/.383/.526 start to the season. He’s shown improvement on defense and is tied for the team lead in home runs with 11 and leads the team with 31 RBI.

Center Field: Christian Yelich, MIL: Yes, Yelich has played a majority of his games in right field, but there’s another MVP candidate that also plays right field, so Yelich has to move over to accommodate the other player. Some thought that Yelich’s power would regress after he hit 25 homers after the all star break last season, but he has shown no signs of slowing down, having already cranked out 19 homers and 41 RBI through his first 44 games to go with a .325/.440/.732 slash line. It will be very fun to see if Yelich can defend his NL MVP title throughout the season.

Right Field: Cody Bellinger, LAD: It’s hard to believe that someone could be ahead of Yelich in the MVP race, but Bellinger through 46 games already has a 4.6 bWAR. In addition, he leads the majors in hits (66), batting average (.405), on base percentage (.485), slugging percentage (.791), OPS (1.285), and is tied with Bell for the lead in RBI with 44. Bellinger and Yelich seem ready to battle for the NL MVP all season long.

Pitcher: Hyun-Jin Ryu, LAD: Ryu was excellent last season, and has followed up with an MLB best 1.52 ERA and 0.74 WHIP through his first 59.1 innings pitched. For a loaded Dodgers pitching staff, he has been their best pitcher.

RESERVES:

Yasmani Grandal, C, MIL: Grandal has come back to earth lately, but his .265/.358/.463 batting line is still much better than any other NL catcher, outside of Contreras.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL: Freeman once again is tearing the cover off the ball for Atlanta, owning a .319/.410/.577 batting line to go with 11 homers and 29 RBI, while also playing some good defense at first base.

Anthony Rizzo, 1B, CHC: Rizzo, like most of the Cubs’ hitters, got off to a bit of a slow start this year, but he has come on strong and sports a .910 OPS to go with his 11 homers and 31 RBI.

Pete Alonso, 1B, NYM: Many expected Alonso to begin the season in Triple-A Syracuse, but the Mets seem to have made the right call in promoting him to the bigs, with him already having blasted 16 home runs and 36 RBI on the year, while posting an OPS over .900.

Ozzie Albies, 2B, ATL: Albies hasn’t been outstanding, but at a very weak position, his numbers should be good enough to get himself a spot in the Mid-Summer Classic.

Kris Bryant, 3B, CHC: Bryant has bounced back from a disappointing 2018 and a slow start to this season to post a .263/.392/.545 slash line with 11 homers (he had 13 all of last season) and 32 RBI. His 1.7 bWAR is already almost his total from last year (1.9) and he is almost back to being the same player that won the 2016 NL MVP.

Nolan Arenado, 3B, COL: Arenado once again has been one of the best third basemen in baseball, hitting .306/.354/.578 with 11 homers and 31 RBI, while play his typically stellar defense.

Paul DeJong, SS, STL: DeJong’s 2018 season was a bit disappointing, but he is off to a rip-roaring start to 2019, posting a .320/.408/.562 slash line, which is the best offensive numbers of any shortstop in the NL. He leads the NL in doubles with 17 and has played some strong defense to boot.

Jeff McNeil, 3B/LF, NYM: All McNeil has done since he got to the bigs last summer is hit, backing up an impressive rookie season with a .333/.418/.461 slash line while also being one of the toughest hitters in baseball to strike out (just 20 strikeouts in 170 at bats).

Charlie Blackmon, OF, COL: Blackmon started off the year rather sluggish, but he’s come on strong as of late, putting together a .294/.354/.567 line with ten homers and 28 RBI. Even if his defense has been subpar, his bat has done more than enough to make up for that.

Alex Verdugo, OF, LAD: Verdugo has shown off the bat that once made him a top prospect in the Dodgers organization, with a strong .323/.370/.532 slash line and a 2.1 bWAR through his first 46 games.

David Peralta, OF, ARI: The Freight Train has backed up a strong 2018 with another strong season this far, hitting .312/.361/.529 with seven homers and 30 RBI. He has established himself as the DBacks’ best hitter, especially with Paul Goldschmidt no longer in the picture.

Caleb Smith, SP, MIA: Smith has been something to get excited about for a Marlins team that has been the worst team in baseball thus far. He owns a 2.25 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 64 strikeouts across 48 innings pitched, giving him an NL best 12.0 K/9.

Chris Paddack, SP, SD: Paddack has been every bit as advertised for the Padres, sporting a 1.93 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 56 strikeouts over 51.1 innings pitched. What’s hard to believe is that Padres were able to get Paddack from the Marlins back in 2016 for a rental of 39-year-old Fernando Rodney.

Zach Davies, SP, MIL: Davies’ 1.54 ERA is just 0.02 behind Ryu’s 1.52 mark for best in the majors, despite only averaging 6.2 K/9. He’s a control artist that has done a good job of keeping the ball in the park this year, which has led to these stellar results.

Luis Castillo, SP, CIN: Castillo is finally looking like the ace we thought he’d become when he first came up with the Reds in 2017. He’s currently sporting a 1.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 76 strikeouts over 61.1 innings pitched, while keeping the ball in the yard at a very good rate (one three homers allowed thus far).

Mike Soroka, SP, ATL: Soroka hasn’t qualified for the ERA title yet since he only has pitched 44.2 innings, but he has been lights-out thus far, pitching to a minuscule 1.01 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, while only allowing one home run. The crazy part is that he’s only 21 years old, which means that the Braves have legitimate ace in the making.

Jon Lester, SP, CHC: Lester also is short of qualifying for the ERA title because of an early season injury, but he has been great when healthy, pitching to a 2.09 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 43 innings.

Jordan Lyles, SP, PIT: Lyles has been quite the success story this season, putting up a 1.97 ERA in 45.2 innings after coming to Pittsburgh as a free agent this past offseason and having never put together a full season with an ERA below 4. Still just in his age 28 season, Lyles has surprised many with his performance.

Zack Greinke, SP, ARI: Greinke has put together another strong season pitching to a 6-1 record with a 2.78 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. He looks to be making a push to solidify his case to one day be immortalized in Cooperstown.

Edwin Diaz, RP, NYM: Diaz hasn’t been as lights-out as he was last season, but he’s still rocking a 1.93 ERA and 28 strikeouts over his first 18.2 innings pitched. He’s had his occasional hiccups, but thus far he is 11 for 11 in save chances.

Kirby Yates, RP, SD: Since becoming the Padres’ closer last summer, Yates has been dominant, this year leading the majors in saves and going 18 for 18 in save opportunities. In addition, he has 40 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched (16.4 K/9) to go with a 1.23 ERA.

Will Smith, RP, SF: Smith has made himself an attractive trade chip for a struggling Giants team with his performance this year, racking up 12 saves and 26 strikeouts to with a 2.89 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 18.2 innings pitched.

Josh Hader, RP, MIL: The Brewers have had the luxury of being able to use Hader for multi-inning saves, and he has done a great job as a full-time closer thus far. He has struck out an eye-popping 47 batters over his first 23.1 innings pitched this year (18.1 K/9). While he has struggled with the home run ball this year, his strikeout rate alone has allowed many to look past that.

The National League has a ton of depth at many positions this year, and it will be interesting to see if they can snap the AL’s six game winning streak dating back to 2013.

Picking the 2019 AL All Star Roster (May Edition)

We’ve reached the point in the MLB season where we are starting to get the sense of which players are looking like stars, and which ones might just be in a season-long slump. With the new format that the league has introduced for All Star Game voting, it isn’t too early to start speculating which players will be representing their teams in the Mid-Summer Classic. With that being said, there are some things to keep in mind:

1.) Every team must have at least one representative. This will often lead to some all-star caliber players being snubbed because another team needs a representative and their team already has one.

2.) Since 2010, the roster size for each team has been 34 players.

3.) Some positions have far more talent than others, which could lead to some snubs that will raise eyebrows.

This is how I see the roster currently stacking up (expect the NL picks to posted in the coming week):

STARTERS

Catcher: Gary Sanchez, NYY: Sanchez appears to have regained his form after a pretty disappointing 2018. He currently is hitting .250/.328/.615 to go along with 12 homers and 22 RBI. In a pretty weak hitting position, Sanchez has put numbers that are far better than most catchers in baseball.

First Base: CJ Cron, MIN: American League first basemen as a whole have been pretty underwhelming, but Cron is off to a pretty strong start to this season, and it’s been the best season of his career thus far. He’s currently slashing .270/.333/.547 with 12 homers and 29 RBI and has a 1.2 bWAR, which is already approaching his career high of 2.0.

Second Base: Brandon Lowe, TB: Lowe has burst on to the scene this year, having won AL Rookie of the Month in April and currently slashing .292/.344/.556 to go with nine homers and 24 RBI. Lowe has also played some solid defense, and has been a big part of the Rays’ early success.

Third Base: Alex Bregman, HOU: Bregman broke out in a big way last year, and has only gotten better this year. He’s hitting .270/.381/.572 with 14 homers and 34 RBI, posting a 2.5 bWAR thus far. Bregman has played like an MVP candidate and will look to defend last year’s All Star Game MVP award that he received at last year’s Mid-Summer Classic.

Shortstop: Carlos Correa, HOU: After a pretty disappointing 2018, Correa has rebounded nicely to post a line of .296/.359./.568 with ten homers and 28 RBI. With the other premier shortstop in the AL, Francisco Lindor, having to battle injuries, Correa looks like a pretty safe bet to start at shortstop.

Left Field: Michael Brantley, HOU: After dealing with injuries for the past few seasons, many thought signing Brantley was a bit of a risk considering his past, but he has made that deal look like a bargain thus far, as he leads the AL in both batting average and hits. He appears to have returned to the form that led him to a third place finish in MVP voting back in 2014.

Center Field: Mike Trout, LAA: What more is there to say about Trout. Some may consider his .297/.468/.580 slash line to be a bit underwhelming because of what he’s done every other year. He’s got a walk to strikeout ratio of 41:28 and is still able to hit home runs at a strong rate. It should also be mentioned that his defense has also been pretty good too.

Right Field: George Springer, HOU: Yes, another starter for the Astros. Springer has been red hot in the month of May and currently leads the AL in home runs, RBI and OPS, being quite the spark plug at the top of the Astros line up. Having him healthy is a big reason why the Astros are once again one of the best teams in baseball.

Designated Hitter: Austin Meadows, TB: We always knew Meadows could hit, which is what made him a first round selection back in 2013. He is off to a scorching .347/.423/.694 start with nine homers and 23 RBI. If he hadn’t had to miss time earlier in the season, he would be well ahead of the AL in OPS, but he doesn’t have enough at bats to qualify.

Starting Pitcher: Justin Verlander, HOU: Starting to get the sense the Astros are doing something right if they could potentially have five guys starting in the All Star Game. Verlander is pitching like a Cy Young Award candidate, sporting a 7-1 record with a 2.38 ERA, 77 strikeouts, and an AL best 0.79 WHIP in 64.1 innings pitched. The season he’s currently having is further solidifying his case to be a future Hall of Famer.

RESERVES

Robinson Chirinos, C, HOU: Chirinos left the in-state rival Rangers this past offseason and has made them pay, posting a .260/.389/.519 slash line with six homers and 21 RBI. His offense has been outstanding for a catcher, far more than what is expected from the position these days.

Mitch Moreland, 1B, BOS: Moreland’s batting average might not be very high, but his OPS currently sits at .885, higher than that of any other AL first baseman. He also has cranked out 12 homers on the year, which leads the Red Sox.

Tommy La Stella, 2B, LAA: No one expected La Stella to perform the way he is right now, with a blistering .289/.372/.579 slash line to go with 11 home runs (he had just ten career homers coming into this season) and 26 RBI. While he may not hit at this level all season long, he definitely has made a case to be an all star this year, as his OPS is currently than all AL second basemen.

Hunter Dozier, 3B, KC: Dozier is finally starting to hit the way the Royals expected him to when they drafted him eighth overall in the 2013 draft. His .305/.398/.576 slash line leads the team in every offensive category, and he’s also belted nine homers and 24 RBI to go along with it. It may not seem sustainable, but it’s been great to Dozier finally round into form.

Matt Chapman, 3B, OAK: Chapman’s bat may have cooled off a little bit in the past few weeks, but he’s still having a solid offensive season why playing his usual stellar defense. This will probably be the first of many All Star Games that Chapman will be named to.

Tim Anderson, SS, CHW: Anderson garnered a lot of attention for his epic bat-flip that sparked a lot of controversy, but he’s played great thus far. His walk rate is very low (just six walks in 168 plate appearances), but he’s hitting .335/.368/.516, which has far exceeded anyone’s expectations for him.

Joey Gallo, LF, TEX: Yes, Gallo still leads the majors in strikeouts and has an alarmingly high strikeout rate (62 in just 175 plate appearances) but he is off to an outstanding start to the season. He owns a .277/.411/.638 slash line to go with 13 homers and 32 RBI, looking like the Gallo we expected to see when he was coming up through the Rangers organization. His 2.5 bWAR has already surpassed his 2.1 bWAR from last year, and he’s played some solid defense too.

Mookie Betts, OF, BOS: Betts may not be performing at the level he was at last year, but he’s still been very productive thus far. He has more walks than strikeouts (31:30) and he’s put together a .298/.408/.491 hitting line after a slow start.

Trey Mancini, OF, BAL: For an organization that is going through some very dark days, Mancini has been a glimmer of hope. Even if his defense is questionable, his .304/.351/.561 slash line has been something for Baltimore to get excited about. The Orioles will have to decide whether or not to build around him, but his offense is easily the best on their team right now.

Alex Gordon, OF, KC: Gordon is off to the best start of his career at age 35, hitting .292/.389/.528 with eight homers and 34 RBI. Despite many thinking his career was nearing the end, he has shown that he may still have something more in the tank.

Dan Vogelbach, DH, SEA: Vogelbach has come back to earth a little bit since his insane month of April, but he’s been the most exciting player for a Mariners team that has come crashing back to reality over the past month. His .258/.392/.629 batting line has turned many heads as he’s shown much improved plate discipline and power.

Tyler Glasnow, SP, TB: Glasnow still has to miss a few weeks because of a forearm strain, but he has been outstanding thus far. His 1.86 ERA and 2.18 FIP lead the AL, and he still has a strikeout rate of 10.1 K/9.

Domingo German, SP, NYY: German has stepped up big time for an injury depleted Yankees team that is somehow in first place in the AL East. He leads the majors in wins with eight and his 2.50 ERA is fourth in the AL.

Mike Minor, SP, TEX: Minor is enjoying the best season of his career thus far, sporting a 2.61 ERA and sitting at a 2.9 bWAR, which leads all AL pitchers.

Matt Boyd, SP, DET: Boyd has struck out 73 batters while only walking 13 across 60.2 innings pitched this year to go along with 3.41 ERA. His 1.01 WHIP is sixth best in the AL, and he’s starting to emerge as an ace for the Tigers.

Blake Snell, SP, TB: Snell dealt with injuries early on, but he’s started to come back to form as he defends his AL Cy Young Award. He’s already struck out 71 batters in 49 innings and a FIP of 2.58 indicates he is just getting started.

Jake Odorizzi, SP, MIN: Odorizzi has been the best pitcher for a pretty strong Twins staff, putting up a 6-2 record and 2.63 ERA thus far. He currently ranks in the top ten in both ERA and WHIP in the AL.

Gerrit Cole, SP, HOU: Cole had a couple of rough outings early in the season, but he is rolling now, leading the majors with 93 strikeouts in just 60.2 innings pitched (that’s 13.8 K/9). His 3.56 ERA may not be eye-popping but his FIP is 2.75 and his WHIP is 1.04, which shows that Cole is looking like he will be one of the best pitchers in baseball again this year.

Shane Bieber, SP, CLE: For a Cleveland pitching staff that has been very disappointing this year, Bieber has been their best pitcher thus far. He ranks in the top ten in strikeouts and WHIP in the AL, and ranks 12th in ERA.

Ryan Pressly, RP, HOU: Pressly has yet to allow a run or walk this season, and recently set an MLB record by not allowing a run in his 39th straight appearance.

Roberto Osuna, RP, HOU: Yes, we have a ninth Astro on here. Osuna is 11 for 11 in save opportunities this year to go with a 0.44 ERA and a 0.39 WHIP. Those numbers alone should be enough to explain why he’s worthy of an all star appearance.

Shane Greene, RP, DET: Greene leads the AL in saves with 15 and has yet to blow a save opportunity this year. After struggling mightily with the home run ball last year, he’s allowed just two homers in 19 innings pitched, to go with a 1.42 ERA and 0.79 WHIP. He also has a 23:5 strikeout to walk ratio, which is much improved over last season’s numbers.

Ken Giles, RP, TOR: After a pretty disappointing 2018 that saw him get optioned to the minors and traded, Giles has put together his best season to date, with a 1.37 ERA and going 10 for 11 in save opportunities thus far. He has 31 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched and has only allowed one home run thus far.

Brad Hand, RP, CLE: The bullpen was an Achilles Heel for the Indians last season, and Hand has done a great job at solidifying the back of the bullpen. His 12 saves are second only to Greene in the AL and has yet to blow a save, to go along with his 1.42 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched.

A lot can change between now and July, but currently, these players have stood out and will look to maintain their success through the season.

Ranking Which Current Division Lead is the Safest

With the Major League Baseball season a little over a month in, experts can start to sense which teams are going to compete this year, and which one’s should maybe start looking towards next season. Right now, four of the six divisions have different leaders than what they finished with last season. Only the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers are currently succeeding in defending last year’s divisional crowns. Over the coming months, we will see which of these surprise teams can hang on to their division lead. Here is how safe each division lead is, in my opinion, on a scale of 1-10 (1 being dangerous, 10 being very safe).

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers are playing with a chip on their shoulders, after losing two straight World Series, they are playing determined to prove those wrong and show that they can get over the hump and win a World Series. With very little competition in the NL West, it is extremely unlikely that we will see the Dodgers relinquish their division lead, even if another team in the division gets hot. Security Level: 10
2. Houston Astros: The Astros are playing better than what their record shows, as their run differential is currently third best in the AL. Their offense has been strong, averaging 5.1 runs per game (good for third best in the AL), and their pitching staff ranks second in ERA in the AL at 3.73. With the A’s underperforming and the Mariners having come crashing down to earth in the past four weeks, the Astros seem like a very safe bet to win their third straight AL West title. Security Level: 10
3. Minnesota Twins: This might surprise some, but the Twins have the best winning percentage in all of baseball at .657. While the Indians have won the AL Central each of the past three seasons, the Twins have been firing on all cylinders, while the Indians have seen their star players struggle and have dealt with injuries. It wouldn’t be too surprising if the Indians overtake the Twins, but the Twins have played like a complete team through the first 35 games of the season and seem poised to win their first division crown since 2010. Security Level: 7
4. Chicago Cubs: The Cubs got off to a dreadful start, starting the year 2-7 with dreadful starting pitching. Since then however, the Cubs have gone 19-6, fresh off a sweep of their arch-rival St Louis Cardinals. Kris Bryant has started hit like the all star he has shown he can be, as well as Anthony Rizzo, with Javier Baez and Wilson Contreras also tearing the cover of the ball. Even Jason Heyward has been hitting well, with an OPS almost 200 points higher than his mark since he joined the Cubs. Outside of Yu Darvish, the starting pitching has been excellent, and despite not having a designated closer, their bullpen has been pretty solid as well. The Cardinals and Brewers are definitely going to give the Cubs a run for their money though, so the Cubs can’t be placing their bets on running away with the division. Security Level: 5
5. Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies were very aggressive this offseason, and thus far, despite Bryce Harper struggling, the moves seem to be paying off. Their offense has produced 5.22 runs per game, and despite a shaky bullpen, their pitching staff has a 3.93 ERA thus far. However, even though the Braves and Mets have been struggling of late, both teams could be dangerous. As mentioned earlier, the Phillies’ bullpen has struggled, and their defensive flaws have been shown as well, having committed the eighth most errors in the NL. It’s hard to see the Mets’ pitching staff struggling all season long, and the Phillies haven’t exactly gotten the best results from ace Aaron Nola. The Phillies could still win the NL East, but the Mets and Braves are going to be on their heels all season. Security Level: 4
6. Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays have been outstanding thus far, boasting a team ERA of 2.87 that is the best in the majors by a country mile at the moment, over a half run better than the second best team (Cincinnati Reds are second at 3.44). The offense has averaged 4.7 runs per game, led by defending AL Rookie of the Month Brandon Lowe, as well as outfielders Tommy Pham and Austin Meadows. The Rays definitely look like a playoff team, but the Yankees have been winning despite having most of their stars on the injured list, and the defending world champion Red Sox have started to heat up, having won 13 of their last 19 games. Even if the Rays continue to do everything right, the two teams right behind them are starting to heat up and will be hard to stop once they are both at full strength. Security Level: 3

What Makes Baseball Games Worth Attending

Despite being our national pastime, baseball has seen a significant decrease in interest over the past 10 years. As a result, attendance has reached an all time low across Major League Baseball, with minor league baseball also seeing a decrease in attendance. I had the chance to sit down and interview Matt Mancuso, a current freshman at TCNJ who, just like me, is a big baseball fan. Mancuso detailed how his recent experience at a Trenton Thunder game allowed him to watch players develop and cited enjoying some high thrill moments as reasons why baseball games are still worth attending. Additionally, he explained how different ballparks across the country have many attractions that add to the experience of going to games.