It looks like the Royals fans' ballot stuffing has subsided and we'll have an actual American League All-Star team headed to Cincinnati. Although, Omar Infante is barely good enough to start the Triple A All-Star Game, let alone the Major League All-Star Game, so I really hope the voting situation at second base got straightened out between the last update on Monday and the end of voting on Thursday. Because there are plenty of American League second basemen who belong on the All-Star team more than Omar Infante does.
The Kansas City fans have created quite a problem for their manager, too. Ned Yost isn't going to be able to take a lot of deserving guys because of all the Royals. After the player ballot, he's got only two position-player spots available, and I think one of those is probably going to Xander Bogaerts (or Mookie Betts) as the Red Sok. And who knows how many other team reps he'll have to fill between those two position players and five pitchers?
One of the teams most affected by this is the Yankees, I realize, which is probably one of the reasons I'm so upset about it, but I don't see any way Alex Rodriguez ends up on the All-Star team, especially if the Royals fans get Kendrys Morales, who has about as much business being in the game as Infante, in there at DH. (Prince Fielder was on the fan ballot at first base, but was on the player ballot at DH, which is technically where he'll be selected.) In fact, I think the only reason Mark Teixeira makes it is as an injury replacement for Miguel Cabrera.
That should mean we'll have a pretty good ballot for the AL Final Vote, though. We're gonna have a bunch of worthy All-Stars who get snubbed. At least one will be added to the team via the Final Vote, and, unfortunately, there might be another injury that gets somebody else there, too.
Cabrera and Giancarlo Stanton not being able to play in the All-Star Game flat out sucks. They're two of the best, most entertaining players in baseball. We won't get to see them in the Home Run Derby, either, which is just as disappointing. But at least their injuries came so late in the voting that we're not going to have a situation like last year where Matt Wieters had been out with a season-ending injury since mid-May, yet still got voted in as a starter. We might get Infante and/or Morales, but you at least can't argue the fact that Miggy and Giancarlo still belong on the All-Star team, even though we know they can't play.
This year is also the first of the new selection method where the starters are announced the day before the reserves. I'm not completely sold on this format, but we'll see how it works out.
My selections come all at once, though. I used the vote leaders from the final update as the "starters," with the absolute hope that the AL second base situation has sorted itself out. I also picked an extra first baseman in the AL and an extra outfielder in the NL as injury replacements for Cabrera and Stanton.
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
C: Salvador Perez, Royals; Stephen Vogt, Athletics
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (injured); Albert Pujols, Angels; Mark Teixeira, Yankees (injury replacement)
2B: Omar Infante, Royals; Jason Kipnis, Indians
SS: Alcides Escobar, Royals; Jose Iglesias, Tigers; Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
3B: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays; Mike Moustakas, Royals; Manny Machado, Orioles
OF: Mike Trout, Angels; Lorenzo Cain, Royals; Alex Gordon, Royals; Michael Brantley, Indians; Yoenis Cespedes, Tigers; Brett Gardner, Yankees
DH: Nelson Cruz, Mariners; Prince Fielder, Rangers
P: Zach Britton, Orioles; Chris Sale, White Sox; Carlos Carrasco, Indians; Danny Salazar, Indians; David Price, Tigers; Luke Gregerson, Astros; Dallas Keuchel, Astros; Wade Davis, Royals; Glen Perkins, Twins; Dellin Betances, Yankees; Sonny Gray, Athletics; Felix Hernandez, Mariners; Chris Archer, Rays
Final Vote: Mookie Betts (OF), BOS; J.D. Martinez (OF), DET; Jose Altuve (2B), HOU; Alex Rodriguez (DH), NYY; Russell Martin (C), TOR
NATIONAL LEAGUE
C: Buster Posey, Giants; Derek Norris, Padres
1B: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks; Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
2B: Dee Gordon, Marlins; Joe Panik, Giants
SS: Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals; Brandon Crawford, Giants
3B: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals; Todd Frazier, Reds (starting DH); Kris Bryant, Cubs; Nolan Arenado, Rockies
OF: Bryce Harper, Nationals; Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins (injured); Matt Holliday, Cardinals; A.J. Pollock, Diamondbacks; Joc Pederson, Dodgers; Ryan Braun, Brewers; Ben Revere, Phillies; Nori Aoki, Giants; Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (injury replacement)
P: Shelby Miller, Braves; J.J. Hoover, Reds; Zack Greinke, Dodgers; Matt Harvey, Mets; Gerritt Cole, Pirates; Mark Melancon, Pirates; James Shields, Padres; Madison Bumgarner, Giants; Carlos Martinez, Cardinals; Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals; Michael Wacha, Cardinals; Max Scherzer, Nationals; Drew Storen, Nationals
Final Vote: Nick Markakis (OF), ATL; Anthony Rizzo (1B), CHC; Howie Kendrick (2B), LAD; Starling Marte (OF), PIT; Yunel Escobar (3B), WSH
For starting pitchers, it's obviously way too early to talk about, and there are a lot of factors that go into choosing one. But, given the choice of any pitcher on either roster, I'd go with Dallas Keuchel and Gerritt Cole.
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