The BSD National League All-Star Roster

As this blog's resident National League columnist, I hereby present to you the unofficial Official Back Seat Drivers National League All-Star Roster!

I have selected 32 players to fill the 32 roster slots. Following ASG rules, there is at least one player representative from each NL team. The selections have been made without regard to current injuries or fan balloting; i.e. this is my set of picks for the entire roster, as if I got to choose the entire 32-man team.

Let's get to it:

Catcher:
Starter: Yadier Molina, St. Louis. In a weak year for NL catchers, the best of the Molinas is hitting .277, leads his colleagues in fielding percentage, and has thrown out an amazing 45% of runners trying to steal.
Reserve: Brian McCann, Atlanta. Missed some time due to injury, but he's still hitting .309 with 8 HR, and he's the only worthy backup.
Just Missed: None.

First Baseman:
Starter: Albert Pujols, St. Louis. .330-28 HR-74 RBI going into tonight, with 9 SB to boot. Simply, and obviously, the most dominant hitter in the game today.
Reserves: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee; Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego; Todd Helton, Colorado. Fielder's putting up monster power again, and this time with a .300 average. Gonzalez has tapered off in the last month but nevertheless has emerged as a true force; Helton is my last man on the roster, with his .313 average and 53 RBI, helping the surging Rox.
Just Missed: Joey Votto, Cincinnati.

Second Baseman:
Starter: Chase Utley, Philadelphia. Leads all NL 2B in HR and RBI, and hitting .302.
Reserve: Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburgh. He's hitting over .300, and we need a Pirate. Not many good 2B to choose from.
Just Missed: Orlando Hudson, Los Angeles; Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati.

Third Baseman:
Starter: David Wright, NY Mets. Yes, the power is down, but he's hitting .340 and has 20 steals. He's far and away the best at his position in the NL
Reserve: Mark Reynolds, Arizona; Ryan Zimmerman, Washington. Reynolds has put together a nice .275-21 HR-13 SB season. Zimmerman is best known for that 30-game hitting streak, is hitting .301 - and yes, we need a National.
Just Missed: Casey Blake, Los Angeles; Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco.

Shortstop:
Starter: Hanley Ramirez, Florida. .339 average, 12 HR, 11 SB, and widely regarded as the best SS in the league. Easy choice.
Reserve: Miguel Tejada, Houston. The power is gone, but Miggy has put together a solid .325 average and 830 OPS. It's also a weak position...and yes, we need an Astro.
Just Missed: None.

Outfielders:
Starters: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee; Carlos Beltran, NY Mets; Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia. Braun is having another sick season, at .321-16-53 RBI-55 runs. Beltran is hitting .336 and has a terrific 952 OPS. Ibanez leads all NL outfielders with 22 dingers and 59 RBI, and is hitting .312 to boot.
Reserve: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles; Brad Hawpe, Colorado; Juan Pierre, Los Angeles. Kemp could easily start this game, with a .309-10 HR-19 SB season. Hawpe is hitting .327 and is 4th among NL outfielders with 55 RBI. Pierre is totally not sexy - but he only got regular PT when Manny got suspended, and he's responded with a huge .329 average and 21 swipes.
Just Missed: Justin Upton, Arizona.

Starting Pitchers:
Starter: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco. Leads the NL in Ks, third in ERA, and currently the most dominant starter around.
Reserves: Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles; Josh Johnson, Florida; Javier Vazquez, Atlanta; Ted Lilly, Cubs; Johan Santana, NY Mets; Dan Haren, Arizona; Matt Cain, San Francisco; and Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee. Most of these are pretty obvious, except Lilly - who's here because we need a Cub.
Just Missed: None, although a good case could be made for the Reds' Johnny Cueto.

Relief Pitchers: Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles; Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati; Heath Bell, San Diego; Francisco Rodriguez, NY Mets. There are many closers having terrific seasons in the NL, but I can't see more than 4 being selected, and these guys are a cut above.
Just Missed: Trevor Hoffman, Milwaukee; Huston Street, Colorado.