Who should be starting in the All-Star Game: American League

And I'm back from my mini-break, fresh with my AL list of who should be starting the All-Star game.

But before I give that, let me say some words. Despite some obviously poor choices at some spots by the fans, I'm ok with the fans voting for the starters. After all, it should be about what the fans want to see. The only problem is that if you do that, you can't have the All-Star game count for anything. Including home-field adantage for the winning team. On one hand, you're sending the message that it's an exhibition by letting the fans vote who they want, but then on the other hand you're making it count for something. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

On another note, I liked the point that Harold Reynolds made on Baseball Tonight... maybe it's time to stop having the managers pick the teams. Let them manage the game (Ozzie earned that right with winning the World Series), but some of the choices are so bad that they really shouldn't be picking the team. /rant

Now let's get on with it. Here's the guys that should be starting at each position:

Catcher
Who it is: Ivan Rodriguez
Who it should be: Joe Mauer
Why? Ok, I admit that I am unbashed Mauer guy, but really, this one is obvious. I wrote earlier that he's the best catcher in the MLB, and he hasn't really done anything to change my mind. Let me just put it this way, Mauer's Batting AVG is 66 points better than Pudge's OBP. Oh yeah, and he slugs better as well. Not even close.

First Base
Who it is: David Ortiz
Who it should be: Travis Hafner
Why? If you consider David Ortiz a 1B, then so is Hafner. And Hafner has probably been the best hitter in the AL so far this year. Hafner's AVG, OBP, and SLG are all well above Ortiz', and he doesn't even play in a big hitter's park like Fenway. It's a shame when the best hitter in the League doesn't make the All-Star team (barring the 32nd man vote)

Second Base
Who it is: Mark Loretta
Who it should be: Brian Roberts
Why? Well, Roberts has simply been the 2B so far this year in the AL. Of course, he was injured so he doesn't have the AB that some other guys do, and I could certainly buy that argument for not putting him on there. Jose Lopez is slugging a lot better, but Roberts' .378 OBP is tops among 2B in the AL.

Third Base
Who it is: Alex Rodriguez
Who it should be: Alex Rodriguez
Why? You could make a case for Troy Glaus because of the power numbers, but the nod goes to Alex Rodriguez. He's not having quite his normal power year, but he still gets on base at a nice rate, and he plays good defense at the hot corner. The fans got it right here.

Shortstop
Who it is: Derek Jeter
Who it should be: Derek Jeter
Why? I could definitely see an argument for guys like Carlos Guillen or Miguel Tejada (don't look now, but Guillen has the highest OPS of the group), but I'd stick with Jeter. No, he doesn't play good defense, and he hasn't hit for a ton of power, but he does get on base. His .425 OBP is 6th in the American League, which is superb for a SS.

Outfield
Who it is: Manny Ramirez
Who it should be: Manny Ramirez
Why? Manny's just Manny, which is to say he's been one of the top hitters in the American League this year. He's getting on base at a great clip, and his .621 SLG is 4th in the American League. No, the defense isn't really up to par, but he's been more than good enough at the plate to make up for it.

Who it is: Vladimir Guerrero
Who it should be: Jermaine Dye
Why? Vlad got in strictly on reputation here, because he is not having an All-Star type year (18th in AL in OPS among OF). Meanwhile, Jermaine Dye has been superb for the Sox, as he's 5th in the AL in SLG at .606. He's cranked out 20 HR, his OBP is almost .400, and he's been one of the 3 best OF in the AL so far.

Who it is: Ichiro Suzuki
Who it should be: Vernon Wells
Why? Like Vlad, Ichiro gets in here because of his reputation. He's a great singles hitter and gets on base at a very good rate (and plays great defense), but the power gap between him and a guy like Vernon Wells is too much to ignore. Wells is slugging over 150 points higher than Ichiro, and is playing top notch defense in CF. He deserves the starting nod.

National League tomorrow!