2011 All Star Selections & Reaction

The official lineups, reserves, and pitchers were named yesterday for the 2011 All Star Game. As most fans tend to do, we'll second guess the selections, discuss snubs, and provide general reaction. First, here are the lists.

AL Starters:
C - Alex Avila (DET)
1B - Adrian Gonzalez (BOS)
2B - Robinson Cano (NYY)
3B - Alex Rodriguez (NYY)
SS - Derek Jeter (NYY)
OF - Jose Bautista (TOR)
OF - Curtis Granderson (NYY)
OF - Josh Hamilton (TEX)
DH - David Ortiz (BOS)

AL Reserve Hitters:
C - Russell Martin (NYY)
C - Matt Wieters (BAL)
1B - Miguel Cabrera (DET)
2B - Howie Kendrick (LAA)
SS - Asdrubal Cabrera (CLE)
3B - Adrian Beltre (TEX)
IF - Michael Young (TEX)
OF - Michael Cuddyer (MIN)
OF - Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS)
OF - Matthew Joyce (TB)
OF - Carlos Quentin (CHW)

AL Pitchers:
RHP - Josh Beckett (BOS)
RHP - Aaron Crow (KC)
LHP - Gio Gonzalez (OAK)
RHP - Felix Hernandez (SEA)
RHP - Brandon League (SEA)
RHP - Chris Perez (CLE)
LHP - David Price (TB)
RHP - Mariano Rivera (NYY)
RHP - James Shields (TB)
RHP - Jose Valverde (DET)
RHP - Justin Verlander (DET)
RHP - Jered Weaver (LAA)
LHP - C. J. Wilson (TEX)

Who made it that shouldn't have: For the most part the fans did a good job of voting. Only a few question marks. Like most years, there are entirely too many Yankees on the roster, and they left off perhaps the most derserving of all.

Michael Young - he's having a nice year, but there are players having more impactful years so far.
Derek Jeter - .260 average is far below what he's capable of and that's even much improved from where he started the year. 2 HR and 20 RBI to go with that. This is one of those popularity votes.
Russell Martin - he had the early success with the dingers and big hits, but now he's down to a paltry .220 average.
Felix Hernandez - I'm not sure he's the best starter on his own team (Michael Pineda) let alone beat out some top pitching in the AL for a spot.

Who didn't make it that should have: I know there's more to it than just deserving to be there. You can't take 7 first basemen or all starting pitchers, and each team has to be represented. But there are a couple pretty major snubs on the AL side.

Paul Konerko (CHW) - Seemingly always forgotten, Konerko is top ten AL in average, homers, and rbi. Maybe take off Young and the ambiguous "IF" designation for a 3rd first baseman (the NL has 3).
CC Sabathia (NYY) - Yes, the Yanks have a hundred players already, but the fans picked 3 of them. Sabathia is only tied for league lead in wins and his ERA is a very solid 3.05.
Jhonny Peralta (DET) - He's on pace for career highs in just about every category. Hitting .311/14/48, he's helping to keep the Tigers in the hunt in the Central.

NL Starters:
C - Brian McCann (ATL)
1B - Prince Fielder (MIL)
2B - Rickie Weeks (MIL)
3B - Placido Polanco (PHI)
SS - Jose Reyes (NYM)
OF - Ryan Braun (MIL)
OF - Lance Berkman (STL)
OF - Matt Kemp (LAD)

NL Reserve Hitters:
C - Yadier Molina (STL)
1B - Gaby Sanchez (FLA)
1B - Joey Votto (CIN)
2B - Brandon Phillips (CIN)
SS - Troy Tulowitzki (COL)
SS - Starlin Castro (CHC)
3B - Chipper Jones (ATL)
OF - Jay Bruce (CIN)
OF - Carlos Beltran (NYM)
OF - Matt Holliday (STL)
OF - Justin Upton (ARI)
OF - Hunter Pence (HOU)

NL Pitchers:
RHP - Matt Cain (SF)
RHP - Roy Halladay (PHI)
RHP - Jair Jurrjens (ATL)
RHP - Tim Lincecum (SF)
LHP - Cole Hamels (PHI)
LHP - Cliff Lee (PHI)
LHP - Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
RHP - Heath Bell (SDP)
RHP - Tyler Clippard (WAS)
RHP - Joel Hanrahan (PIT)
LHP - Jonny Venters (ATL)
RHP - Ryan Vogelsong (SF)
RHP - Brian Wilson (SF)

Who made it that shouldn't have: On the hitters' side, I was a little surprised to see Weeks there (thought there'd be a better 2B), but after looking at the stats, he's deserving. I really don't have much of a problem at all with the hitters as there is only one major glaring problem I see. It's the pitching that I take some issue with.

Tim Lincecum - I know he's "The Freak" and everything, but 6-6 just doesn't cut it for the AS team. His 3.04 ERA is good suggesting some hard luck, but even that's not top 10 right now. This to me was a homer pick. I'm even okay with the Vogelsong pick over this one.
Chipper Jones - Really? .256 average with 7 HR and 44 RBI. There has to be a better option at 3B. If not, then Braun can play some third, and bring on someone like Andrew McCutchen (PIT) who is having an AS caliber year.
Matt Cain - Again, decent season, not AS worthy. Not top 10 in anything noteworthy either.

Who didn't make it that should have: The Giants shouldn't have 4 pitchers on this staff (I'm actually okay with the Philly three). They should give someone that's having a deserving year but might not ever get the chance again.

Tommy Hanson (ATL) - 5th in ERA, 4th in wins (or tied for 2nd depending how you look at it). He's putting it all together this year while also staying a power pitcher and racking up K's.
Kevin Correia (PIT) - No one thought the Pirates would be anywhere near .500 this late in the season. The stats apart from wins aren't very glamorous, but rewards should be given to those players keeping their team in contention, or at least relevant.
Ian Kennedy (ARI) - Along similar lines, if you're going to give someone a shot that doesn't quite have the numbers of the top guys, Kennedy is a good selection. He's 8-3 on another team that everyone assumed would fade to the bottom of the division. He's helping to keep them in contention as well.

What other snubs or bad choices do you see within this year's picks?