2012 MLB All-Star Game Preiew

The 83rd MLB All-Star Game will take place tonight at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.  The winner will receive home field advantage in the World Series, as usual.

HISTORY: Here’s a short history of the winners, the NL has now won two straight all-star games, after the AL won 12 in a row and tied with the NL in 2002 in Miller Park.  The NL has had its own run of dominance, winning the game every season from 1972 to 1982 and it leads the AL in wins all-time int he game with 42 over the AL’s 38 and the game has had two ties.  This is the second time Kauffman Stadium has hosted an All-Star Game.

PITCHERS: AL: Justin Verlander- Verlander was always good, but he stepped his game up to the elite level the past two years and is the best pitcher in the AL right now, he deserves this start and he can shut down any hitters.  Tonight you may see him pump up his fastball early, since he will in all likelihood only pitch two innings.  He’s a great pitcher and should make the most of his start, he can be very impressive
NL: Matt Cain- He’s thrown a perfect game so far and has put up numbers that are great.  I’ve always personally loved the way Cain pitches and I think he should also do good and I think he deserves the start more than RA Dickey, he has similar numbers but has been better longer and should finish the season with impressive and better numbers than Dickey, both Cain and JV should do well and impress

LINE-UPS:
NL

1. DH Crlos Gonzalez- Lefty who can hit, not sure about him doing very well in the game
2. CF Melky Cabrera- Leads MLB in hits, having another great season, could table set
3. LF Ryan Braun- Regained his power, sleeper to do something huge
4. 1B Joey Votto- Best hitter in the NL and has had some amazing feats, watch out for him as always
5. RF Carlos Beltran- Having another MVP season, watch out for him as he played in this park a long time
6. C Buster Posey- Another great hitter, especially for a catcher, but not sure about him
7. 3B Pablo Sandoval- Wright has been better, but a great hitter who can change the outcome of the game
8. 2B Dan Uggla- Power guy, always there to hit a HR
9. SS Rafael Furcal- I like putting a good hitter to do well at the bottom of the line-up

AL

1. SS Derek Jeter- Who else would lead-off?
2. 2B Robinson Cano- Not convinced  he will do good tonight, but great swing
3. LF Josh Hamilton- Great hitter, great season, great Al–Start Game? I say yes
4. RF Jose Bautista- Best chance out of any player for a HR tonight
5. 1B Prince Fielder- Could very easily win back to back ASG MVPs
6. 3B Adrain Beltre- RBI machine right behind a few great hitters
7. DH David Ortiz- He is a great power hitter at the bottom of the line-up
8. C Mike Napoli- Probably won’t do good, but has pop
9. CF Curtis Granderson- I’d hit him ahead of Napoli because he could have a big night

   TOP PINCH HITTERS FOR EACH SQUAD
   AL
   1. Miguel Cabrera
   2. Mike Trout
   3. Paul Konerko
   4. Billy Butler
   5. Adam Jones

NL

1. Chipper Jones (He has magic in his last season, he’s that type of player)
2. Andrew McCutchen
3. Starlin Castro
4. David Wright
5. Bryce Harper

PREDICTION: AL 6 NL 2  MVP: Josh Hamilton
Thanks to MLB.com and BaseballReference.com for some of the info in this post

MY MLB All-Stars For 2012

Don’t forget to cast your 25 votes on ML.com and since voting ends tomorrow, I will put out my picks for who should be in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City

AL

STARTERS: C Joe Mauer 1B Prince Fielder 2B Robinson Cano 3B Miguel Cabrera SS Derek Jeter LF Josh Hamilton CF Adam Jones RF Jose Bautsita DH Adam Dunn

RESERVES: C AJ Pierzynski 1B Paul Konerko 1B Edwin Encarnacion 2B Jason Kipnis SS Elvis Andrus 3B Adrain Beltre OF Mike Trout OF Curtis Granderson OF Mark Trumbo OF Austin Jackson DH David Ortiz

PITCHERS(BOLD=Starter): SP Justin Verlander SP Chris Sale SP Jered Weaver SP Felix Hernandez SP Jake Peavy SP CJ Wilson SP Brandon Morrow SP Brandon McCarthy SP David Price RP Chris Perez RP Fernando Rodney RP Jim Johnson RP Jon Broxton

STARTING LINEUP: SS Derek Jeter C Joe Mauer LF Josh Hamilton 1B Prince Fielder 3B Miguel Cabrera RF Jose Bautista 2B Robinson Cano DH Adam Dunn CF Adam Jones

NL

STARTERS: C Carlos Ruiz 1B Joey Votto 2B Brandon Phillips 3B David Wright SS Starlin Castro LF Ryan Braun CF Melky Cabrera RF Carlos Beltran DH Matt Kemp

RESERVES: C Yadier Molina 1B Adam LaRoche 2B Jose Altuve SS Rafael Furcal 3B David Freese OF Giancarlo Stanton OF Andrew McCutchen OF Carlos Gonzalez OF Michael Bourn OF Andre Ethier OF Jason Kubel

PITCHERS: SP Matt Cain SP James McDonald SP Gio Gonzalez SP RA Dickey SP Stephen Strasburg SP Cole Hamels SP Clayton Kershaw SP Johnny Cueto SP Ryan Vogelsong RP Craig Kimbrel RP Joel Hanrahan RP Huston Street RP Aroldis Chapman

LINEUP: CF Melky Cabrera SS Starlin Castro DH Matt Kemp LF Ryan Braun 1B Joey Votto RF Carlos Beltran 2B Brandon Phillips 3B Dvaid Wright C Carlos Ruiz

Power Ranking the Teams Going Into 2012 By League

AL now Revised

AL

1. Tigers
2. Rangers
3. Yankees
4. Angles
5. Rays
6. Red Sox
7. Blue Jays
8. Royals
9. Twins
10. Indians
11. Orioles
12. White Sox
13. Mariners
14. Athletics

NL

1. Phillies
2. Cardinals
3. Diamondbacks
4. Giants
5. Reds
6. Brewers
7. Marlins
8. Braves
9. Nationals
10. Rockies
11. Dodgers
12. Pirates
13. Mets
14. Cubs
15. Padres
16. Astros

NOTE: If Nats get Prince they move above Braves, Marlins would go above Brewers with Prince and the M’s and O’s would stay the same, as would the Yankees and Rangers.  Rankings may change a little but these are as of right now.

Are The Angels Out Of It?

Yes, they are.  They have a very talented team and I like their mix of veterans like Hunter and Abreu and Young Guns Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout.  I also love their pitching staff and are a very good team but their AL West hopes are done, they are 4.5 games behind the Rangers with only ten games left and they might play a bit better than the Rangers the rest of the way, and it’s not likely they do anyway, they will lose the division because the Rangers are too good for that and the Angels won’t win the Wild Card because the Rays and Red Sox are much better teams.  Expect the Angels to come back very strong next season and they will finish strong and could come within about 2 games of a playoff spot but it would take a real big miracle for them to win at this point.  One thing they need to do for next season is figure out a way to get rid of Wells and get a better catcher possibly but Walden should come back a stronger closer and I like their chances of sticking with the Rangers next year. 
TODAY IN THE PLAYOFFS: The Rays moved to two games back of the Red Sox and just have to continue playing the way they have to force and playoff and possibly win if the Red Sox go 4-6 the rest of the way and the Rays go 7-3, which at this point looks very likely.  The D’Backs are magic number is at 5 and they should win pretty soon and the Brewers should clinch soon with a magic number of four.  My updated predictions for who plays in the DS match-ups
Yankees vs. Rangers
Tigers vs Rays

Phillies vs Diamondbacks
Brewers vs Braves

Looking at The AL MVP Race

THE YANKEE: Curtis Granderson could end up hitting 45 homers this year and if he get his average up he should bea top three vote getter.  He’s the main reason the Yankees are still pacing the Red Sox.  He plays really good defense and is the Yankees best defensive player along with Teixeria and Cano.  He’s just been really good and I think he’s the best Yankee this season and behind Cano is their best hitter right now.  A-Rod and Jeter might be better but not so far this season
THE THREE SOX: Ellsbury is the most valuable and deserving, Gonzalez the best and without Pedroia the Sox would be in trouble.  Ellsbury would get my first vote out of the three and then A-Gone.  Gonzalez is the best first baseman at all this year and at a strong position which means he has a legit chance.  Ellsbury will keep up this performance if anybody doubted.  He has enough power to hit bombs at Fenway and speed to change a game.  I like him and think he’s going to get even better, he’s very special.  Pedroia is the best tablesetter in a awhile and will continue and if the Red Sox win the World Series he is the key. 
THE SLUGGER: Jose Bautista has slowed down but he has a better average than last season and will still hit around 50 homers.  He deserves the award because he’s carried the Blue Jays but him slowing a bit and the team not contending will hurt
THE PITCHER: Justin Verlander has been the most valuable no doubt but the reason he wouldn’t win is because he’s a pitcher.  The Tigers would be worse off without but it’s a myth hat the rest of the staff hasn’t picked up the slack.  It’s just the five starters that haven’t who are Coke, Below, etc.  Anyways Verlander deserves the award as much as anyone and his performance has been amazing

My Ballot (If I Had One)

1. SP Justin Verlander
2. OF Jacoby Ellsbury
3. OF Curtis Granderson
4. 1B Adrian Gonzalez
5. OF Jose Bautista
6. 2B Dustin Pedroia
7. 1B Miguel Cabrera
8. 3B Michael Young
9. 1B Mark Teixeria
10. C Alex Avila

AL Playoff Picture

Playoff Team Ranking

1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. New York Yankees
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Texas Rangers

NOTES:

Yankees

• The team’s rotation will hurt them most, but should power their way to the ALCS
• Team’s offense will come alive
• Will be a good playoff team

Rays

• Great all around, pitching nor offense will let them down
• Young guns Longoria, Upton, Crawford and Rodriguez should really step up
• Will be very hard to beat

Twins

• Best chance to upset is this year
• It’s concerning that Liriano is worst ace out of all the teams and rotation won’t help
• Don’t underestimate the power of Joe Mauer though, his playoff stats will be big, guaranteed

Rangers

• Cliff Lee and CJ Wilson have to have three good starts, which has about a 30% chance of happening, mostly because of Wilson
• Their offense will guide them to at least a win
• Won’t be bad and have a good chance in World Series if they have a cinderella postseason

NL Beats AL 3-1

The National League’s pitching was the key, Johnson and Jimenez did their job and more.  I think Girardi should have pinch hit Alex Rodriguez.  The AL’s biggest hits were John Buck’s double, which I think will help boost his second half and Evan Longoria also had a double which should really jumpstart his second half.  Brian McCann’s 3 RBI triple was the game winning hit, McCann should would hit very well in any clutch situation.  David Price pitched two very good innings, I was impressed by him and he was very deserving, he is only going to get a lot better too.  Jose Valverde striking out the side was big two, but he would do it against any line-up.  Matt Thornton shouldn’t be rattled tons by the hit he gave up.  Phil Hughes got the loss, which shouldn’t hurt him either.  Broxton did okay in the last of the ninth but I was disappointed in his ability this game but it’s no going to matter.  Home field advantage should work well for some teams like the Braves, Padres, Dodgers, or Reds but not having home field will hurt the Tigers, Rays, and Rangers.  The NL just played a better game and it’s pitching could have shut down any line-up.

My Final Votes: Votto, Konerko

• Joey Votto isn’t going to win the MVP, but he’s going to be very valuable and hit tons of homers and RBIs.  The Reds wouldn’t be good without him.  He great all-around and will always be.  Wagner is also very deserving but he just doesn’t have as much value.  Votto is clutch and should be in the discussion with Pujols and Gonzalez.  You can count on him and he will be amazing. 
• NL BIGGEST SNUBS

1. Heath Bell
2. Mat Latos
3. Carlos Gonzalez
4. Jamie Garcia
5. Josh Willingham
6. Miguel Olivo

• Paul Konerko, because his start won’t wear off at all, he should play really good ball all year and not fall into many slumps plus he will be the best in the White Sox offense.  Youkilis just missed, he’s always great but Konerko is just a bit better right now.  Konerko is just a good ballplayer and his totals will climb.
• AL SNUBS

1. Brennan Boesch
2. Jared Weaver
3. Justin Verlander
4. Felix Hernandez
5. Micheal Young
6. Billy Butler

All-Stars

AL:
STARTERS
C: Victor Martinez
1B: Miguel Cabrera
2B:Robinson Cano
3B: Evan Longoria
SS: Derek Jeter
LF: Carl Crawford
CF: Josh Hamilton
RF Magglio Ordonez
DH: Vladimir Guerrero

P: David Price
P: Jared Weaver
P: Phil Huhges
P: Jon Lester
P: Colby Lewis
P: Justin Verlander
P: Clay Bucholz
P: Francisco Liriano
P: Cliff Lee
P: Jose Valverde
P: Rafael Soriano
P: Neftali Feliz
P: Mariano Rivera
BENCH
C; Joe Mauer
1B: Justin Morneau
1B: Paul Konerko
1B: Kevin Youkilis
2B: Dustin Pedroia
3B: Adrian Beltre
3B: Michael Young
SS: Alex Gonzalez
OF: Alex Rios
OF: Vernon Wells
OF: Torii Hunter

NL:
STARTERS
C:Brian McCann
1B: Albert Pujols
2B: Martin Prado
3B: Scott Rolen
SS: Hanley Ramirez
LF: Ryan Braun
CF: Andrew McCutchen
RF: Chris Young

P: Ubaldo Jimenez
P: Josh Johnson
P: Roy Halladay
P: Matt Cain
P: Tim Lincecum
P: Adam Wainwright
P: Chris Carpenter
P: Jamie Garcia
P: Yovani Gallardo
P: Billy Wagner
P: Jonathon Broxton
P: Francisco Rodriguez
P: Brian Wilson
BENCH
C: Rod Barajas
1B: Joey Votto
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
1B: Ryan Howard
1B: Troy Glaus- DH
2B: Brandon Phillips
3B: David Wright
SS: Troy Tulowitzki-Injured   Replacment- SS Jose Reyes
OF: Corey Hart
OF: Carlos Gonzalez
OF: Matt Kemp
OF: Aubrey Huff

Midseason awards

Here are my picks for midseason awards…

AL MVP: C Joe Mauer Runner-up: 1B Justin Morneau
AL CY Young: SP Roy Halladay Runner-up: Zach Grenkie
AL  ROY: SP Brad Bergesen- Just needs to work on a few things to become an ace. Runner-up: SP Rick Porcello
AL Manager of the Year: Ron Washington Runner-up: Jim Leyland
AL Team of the Year: Boston Red Sox Runner-up: Texas Rangers
Refeif Man: Joe Nathan Runner-up: Mariano Rivera
All-AL Roster
C: Joe Mauer
1B: Justin Morneau
2B: Ian Kinsler
SS: Jason Bartlett
3B: Evan Longoria
OF: Torii Hunter
OF: Carl Crawford
OF: Adam Jones
SP: Zach Grenkie
RP: Joe Nathan
NL MVP: 1B Albert Pujols runner-up: 1B Prince Fielder
NL CY Young: SP Dan Haren Runner-up: SP Tim Lincecum
NL ROY: SP Randy Wells Runner-up: OF Andrew McCutchen
NL Manager of the Year: Joe Torre Runner-up Bruce Bochy- This guy made a 500. team into a competiter
NL Team of the year: LA Dodgers Runner-up: San Fransisco Giants
Relief Man: Heath Bell Runner-up: Ryan Franklin
All-NL Team
C: Brian McCann
1B: Albert Pujols
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Hanley Ramirez
3B: David Wright
OF: Carlos Beltran
OF: Raul Ibanez
OF: Brad Hawpe
SP: Dan Haren
RP: Heath Bell