The most deserving candidates around the MLB All-Star ballot diamond

Admittedly, it is hard to look at the Royals season and think there is anything of All-Star caliber presence within their ranks. Yet, while KC is a team preparing to move past many of the names that made them consecutive World Series participants just a couple years back, there is one part of the club that will not be leaving town any time soon, and for good reason. And that man is Salvy Perez. 

A member of the previous four AL All-Star teams and a starter on three, Perez has stayed close to that standard this year despite the struggles around him. He enters the weekend as the only AL catcher with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, but also has a healthy lead in home runs with 11. As he sits in his mid-prime years, it is Perez’s spot until someone knocks him off. 

First Basemen—Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox 

In a year where play is down across the board at first base in the AL, Abreu’s always strong effort is shining through even brighter. He is leading the junior circuit in on-base + slugging at the position (.879) and runs scored (29), while staying on pace to post a career-high in home runs as well. 

While the resurgence of Eric Hosmer in Kansas City and the out of the blue career-year that Yonder Alonso is experiencing in Oakland are notable, Abreu has long been one of the most productive players in the game and is due for a shot to stand among the ASG starters thus far. 

Second Basemen—Jose Altuve, Houston Astros 

Okay, Starlin Castro has been tremendous for the Yankees thus far, leading the league in batting for much of the first half of the season. Likewise, Robinson Cano has been on a tear of late and is posting his standard fantastic numbers as well. However, the game’s most persistent elite producer is Altuve, and he is having another fantastic season, which is playing a leading role in making the Astros the best team in the game thus far. 

While his average dipped from the .326 level it ended April at towards the .270 mark throughout May, his run production kicked up in the second month instead. Altuve is leading all MLB second basemen in WAR at 1.9, and on the eight-game hitting streak he has built up to close out the month, seven hits within it have gone for extra bases. 

Also, does it need to be mentioned that he is the best player on the game’s top team that cruising along with an eight-game lead in their division? Probably not, but it is too impressive to glide past. 

Third Baseman—Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins

The Twins have been the team that has maintained its success for longer than expected than any team in the American League thus far. And much of that success is due to the presence of the elite power of Sano. He currently sits in the top five in the AL in on-base and slugging percentage, and leads all third basemen in home runs on the year as well. 

The 24-year-old’s promise has long been mentioned, but it looks like the precocious Twins’ slugger is ready to realize his potential. While there are much more famous names on the AL third base ballot (Machado, Donaldson, Longoria to mention a few), none has remotely approached making the impact that Sano has so far. 

Shortstop—Carlos Correa, Houston Astros

It is hard to make a truly ‘bad’ choice when choosing from the elite AL shortstops. Between Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts and Correa, there is plenty of star power to choose from. Even outside of that trinity, there are several high-level performers as well, with Jean Segura, Didi Gregorius and Elvis Andrus all having great years as well. 

However, when it comes down to it, there is no one on Earth that has been playing the position as well as Correa over the past month. After a slow start to the season, Correa is hitting .351 in May and has posted the second-best OPS in the AL for the month as well. There are a lot of great options to chose from –and the rightful holder of this honor could change completely week-to-week— but Correa is the guy so far. 

Outfield—Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels; Aaron Judge, New York Yankees; Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox

The best player in the world is playing better than he ever has: Through a third of the year, he has accumulated a 3.3 WAR already. Running down all of Trout’s accomplishments before he was sidelined with his UCL tear would be an appreciation of the buffet of baseball excellence that he is displaying daily, but it is not needed. Trout is the quintessential All-Star and every ballot should come with his name filled on already. 

Over the past two months, Judge has become one of the most dangerous hitters in the game. The prodigious breakout ride he is on has him atop the American League in home runs and tied for runs scored. He has even been granted a specialty section in his honor at Yankee Stadium this year, known as ‘The Judge’s Chambers’. He will be one of the most-watched fresh faces at the All-Star festivities this year. 

Long gone is the 3-for-20 skid that Betts suffered through early in the year, as he is back playing the brilliant all-around game that made him the breakout star of last year. He is on-pace for 50 doubles, along with 25 stolen bases, 25 homers and 100+ RBI, numbers that are remarkably close to where he finished off last year. Don’t let his early numbers deceive you: nothing has changed with Betts. 

Designated Hitter—Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners 

While the walls have crumbled around him in Seattle this year, Cruz has continued to put up numbers that defy the logic of what Safeco Field previously yielded. Cruz leads the AL with 40 RBI and is on pace to reach 40 home runs for the third consecutive year. He’s the easy call.

Reserves Wellington Castillo (Orioles), Jonathan Lucroy (Rangers), Yonder Alonso (Athletics), Starlin Castro (Yankees), Robinson Cano (Mariners), Jose Ramirez (Indians), Francisco Lindor (Indians), Avisail Garcia (White Sox), Kevin Pillar (Blue Jays), Chris Dickerson (Rays)

Pitchers Chris Sale (Red Sox), Dallas Keuchel (Astros), Ervin Santana (Twins), Jason Vargas (Royals), Yu Darvish (Rangers), Carlos Carrasco (Indians), Michael Fulmer (Tigers), Lance McCullers Jr (Astros), James Paxton (Mariners), Matt Bush (Rangers), Brandon Kinzler (Twins), Ken Giles (Astros) Craig Kimbrel (Red Sox), Andrew Miller (Indians), Cody Allen (Indians)

National League

Catcher—Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants 

Posey is the runaway favorite behind the plate this season, even in a year where there is a higher than usual level of competition behind the plate. His OPS is over 100 points higher than any other catcher in the NL, and his walks out number his strikeouts on the year. He is having arguably the best year of his already considerable career and is reaffirming his place as the game’s top backstop. 

First Basemen—Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

There is nothing easy about pulling one candidate from the pack among others at first base this year, as the position is full of not only elite performers, but legitimate MVP candidates. And while Eric Thames’ breakout, Ryan Zimmerman’s early flirtation with the Triple Crown and Joey Votto’s usual excellence all make strong claims in their favor, it is Goldschmidt who is most deserving of the nod thus far. 

Despite being the most avoided batter in the NL (league-best 36 walks), he continues to be a run production factory. Goldschmidt stands within both the top 10 in runs scored and RBI, while also seeing each of his individual split line measures standing within the NL’s top 10 as well. He is the driving force within the resurgent Arizona effort this year. 

Second Basemen—Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals 

Far from a one-hit wonder, Murphy has continued to prove that 2016 far from a fluke. Murphy has driven in 35 runs in only 46 games, and leads NL second basemen in hits (58), doubles (14), home runs (9), batting average (.319) and OPS (.929). 

Third Baseman—Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

It should come as no surprise that the battle between Arenado and Kris Bryant for third base superiority has shaped up as the tightest one-on-one face off on this year’s ballot. The competition between the two is airtight so far, with Arenado holding the edge in hits, home runs, RBI and defensive metrics, while Bryant is besting him in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS and runs scored. Picking a difference between the two thus far is an exercise in splitting the finest of hairs. 

However, the edge that goes to Arenado is that his efforts are currently driving the Rockies to carrying the NL’s top win/loss record on the year, which also makes them to the most shockingly good team in the game so far this year. In the end, the shear popularity of Bryant will likely land him another starting nod, but make no mistakes about it, so far in this season, Arenado has outclassed the reigning MVP. In the process, this should not come as a slight against second-year slugger Jake Lamb, who has hit his way into contention at the spot as well. However, he simply just is not as big of a heavyweight as the entrenched top options at the spot…. yet. 

Shortstop—Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds 

Production at NL shortstop has been slightly underwhelming in the NL so far, but that should not take away from the consistency that Cozart has displayed this year. The veteran has put on a career-best display at the plate, which has seen him become the only player at the position so far to create better than two Wins Above Replacement on the year and carry an OPS over 120 points higher than any other shortstop in the game. 

The popularity of Corey Seager or Addison Russell could see either run away with the vote, but the lesser known Cincinnati resident is the far and away most deserving candidate on his 2017 merits alone.

Outfield—Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals; Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies; Michael Conforto, New York Mets

Harper has operated on a completely different plane of performance than any other player in the league this year, leading the NL in WAR, while sitting firmly on pace to blow away all of the numbers that made him NL MVP just two years ago. He sits in the NL top five in nearly every significant statistic and has reaffirmed his place as one of the unquestionably elite talents in the game. 

After an offseason where his name was mentioned in everybody’s trade rumors for potential center field upgrades across the game, Blackmon has proved why the Rockies refused to move him, as he has been an essential part of their own resurgence. The National League’s RBI leader (46), he is also second in the league in extra base hits and is hitting .391 at home on the year. 

Conforto has made the absolute most of the opportunity created for him when Yoenis Cespedes’ hamstring gave out on him. He is the most improved player in the National League and has been the lone bright spot in the frustrating 2017 campaign for the Mets. He checks in within the top three in the NL in runs scored (36), home runs (13) and slugging percentage (.653), while working out of the leadoff spot in Flushing.

Reserves

Matt Wieters (Nationals), Yasmani Grandal (Dodgers), Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals), Joey Votto (Reds), Eric Thames (Brewers), Cesar Hernandez (Phillies), Kris Bryant (Cubs), Josh Harrison (Pirates), Jake Lamb (Diamondbacks), Corey Seager (Dodgers), Adam Duvall (Reds), Marcell Ozuna (Marlins), Ender Inciarte (Braves)
Pitchers Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), Max Scherzer (Nationals), Zack Greinke (Diamondbacks), Mike Leake (Cardinals), Carlos Martinez (Cardinals), Ivan Nova (Pirates), Lance Lynn (Cardinals), Greg Holland (Rockies), Kenley Jansen (Dodgers), Wade Davis (Cubs), Brad Hand (Padres), Mark Melancon (Giants), Corey Knebel (Brewers)