As this blog’s resident American League columnist, I hereby present to you the unofficial Official Back Seat Drivers American League All-Star Roster! Hitman did a bang-up job on the NL All-Star Roster, which can be found here.
Following Hitman’s lead, I have selected 32 players to fill the 32 roster slots. Per All-Star Game rules, there is at least one player representative from each AL 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.
Catcher:
Starter: Joe Mauer, Twins. Although he doesn’t yet have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title, Joe Mauer is leading the majors with a ridiculous .383 average at the plate this year. He’s also leading all major league catchers with a 1.117 OPS. There isn’t a catcher in the game within a mile of his skill-set.
Reserve: Victor Martinez, Indians. V-Mart is no longer exclusively a catcher, having played an equal number of games behind the plate (38) and at first base (39). He’s hitting the ball again, with a sterling batting line of .313/.392/.522, along with 14 homers and 57 RBI.
Just Missed: None.
First Baseman:
Starter: Justin Morneau, Twins. The other half of Minnesota’s M&M boys, check out Morneau’s ranking among AL first basemen batting leaders: 19 HR (tied for 3rd), 64 RBI (1st), and .313 AVG (4th). He’s the most complete player at the position thus far.
Reserve: Mark Teixeira, Yankees; Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox; Russell Branyan, Mariners. Teixeira has the second-most HR and RBI at the position, Youkilis is leading all AL first basemen with a 1.031 OPS, and Branyan is having a career year with 19 homers, a .303 average, and higher OPS (1.006) than Miguel Cabrera (.954). He has been Seattle’s best player and can’t be excluded in good conscience.
Just Missed: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers.
Second Baseman:
Starter: Ian Kinsler, Rangers. Although the second base position has gotten deeper over the years, Kinsler is the class of the position in the American League. He’s tied for the league lead for homers at the position (19) with Aaron Hill and also leads in the steals department (16).
Reserve: Aaron Hill, Blue Jays. Kinsler may get the starting nod but Hill is having a breakout season with his superb .305/.344/.510 batting line and 19 HR.
Just Missed: Robinson Cano, Yankees.
Third Baseman:
Starter: Evan Longoria, Rays. Simply put, Longoria is the best all-around player at his position right now. He’s killing the ball to the tune of .301/.381/.566 with 16 HR and 63 RBI while playing top notch defense (+13.4 UZR/150).
Reserve: Brandon Inge, Tigers. Inge leads all AL third basemen with 18 homers and is hitting a respectable .275. He has the second-highest OPS at the position and has been just as good in the field as Longoria (+13.3 UZR/150).
Just Missed: Michael Young, Rangers.
Shortstop:
Starter: Derek Jeter, Yankees. The old man takes a licking and keeps on ticking. He’s posting another good season in a Hall-of-Fame career, leading all qualified players at the position with a .307 batting average and tied for the positional lead with 17 stolen bases.
Reserve: Alexei Ramirez, White Sox; Jason Bartlett, Rays. After a horrifically slow start and several benchings, Ramirez has quietly begun to hit consistently for the White Sox. He leads all AL shortstops in homers (10) and is second to Jeter in steals (11). Bartlett missed time due to injury but has a .366 AVG, 7 HR, 36 RBI and 17 SB in just 58 games.
Just Missed: Marco Scutaro, Blue Jays.
Outfielders:
Starters: Jason Bay, Red Sox; Carl Crawford, Rays; Torii Hunter, Angels. A somewhat unglamorous starting outfield, to be sure, but statistically the most complete offensive group in the AL. Bay leads all outfielders with 69 RBI and is tied with Nelson Cruz for the league lead with 19 HR. Hunter is having a renaissance season with 17 HR, 12 SB and a .303 AVG and makes the team as the only member of the Angels everyday lineup. Crawford leads the majors with 40 steals and has the second-highest batting average at the position, hitting .321.
Reserve: Ben Zobrist, Rays; Nelson Cruz, Rangers; Adam Jones, Orioles. Again, an unglamorous corps of outfielders in reserve, but all have played their way into the Midsummer Classic. Zobrist went from backup shortstop/super-sub to sixth in the AL among OF with 16 HR and a .290 AVG, Cruz has a share of the HR lead among OF with 19 HR and has contributed 12 steals, and Adam Jones is the only Oriole on the AL ASG roster, hitting a robust .305 with 12 HR and 50 RBI.
Just Missed: Juan Rivera, Angels; Johnny Damon, Yankees; Adam Lind, Blue Jays; Jermaine Dye, White Sox.
Starting Pitchers:
Starter: Zack Greinke, Royals. Unlike years past, where a member of the Royals only made it as a token participant, Greinke has pitched his way onto the roster as the major league leader in innings pitched (115.1), wins (10), ERA (1.95) and second in the AL in strikeouts (114). He’s been the best pitcher in the league thus far, hands down.
Reserves: Cliff Lee, Indians; Justin Verlander, Tigers; CC Sabathia, Yankees; Felix Hernandez, Mariners; Roy Halladay, Blue Jays; Josh Beckett, Red Sox; Kevin Millwood, Rangers; and Jered Weaver, Angels. All of these guys make it on merit, appearing on the AL leaderboard for wins, strikeouts, ERA and innings.
Just Missed: Mark Buehrle, White Sox, Jon Lester, Red Sox
Relief Pitchers: Joe Nathan, Twins; Mariano Rivera, Yankees; Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox; and Andrew Bailey, A’s. The first three names are self-explanatory. Andrew Bailey might be the lone no-name but he has had an outstanding season as a converted middle reliever and makes the team as the sole member of the Oakland A’s.
Just Missed: Brian Fuentes, Angels; Frank Francisco, Rangers; Bobby Jenks, White Sox.
Following Hitman’s lead, I have selected 32 players to fill the 32 roster slots. Per All-Star Game rules, there is at least one player representative from each AL 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.
Catcher:
Starter: Joe Mauer, Twins. Although he doesn’t yet have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title, Joe Mauer is leading the majors with a ridiculous .383 average at the plate this year. He’s also leading all major league catchers with a 1.117 OPS. There isn’t a catcher in the game within a mile of his skill-set.
Reserve: Victor Martinez, Indians. V-Mart is no longer exclusively a catcher, having played an equal number of games behind the plate (38) and at first base (39). He’s hitting the ball again, with a sterling batting line of .313/.392/.522, along with 14 homers and 57 RBI.
Just Missed: None.
First Baseman:
Starter: Justin Morneau, Twins. The other half of Minnesota’s M&M boys, check out Morneau’s ranking among AL first basemen batting leaders: 19 HR (tied for 3rd), 64 RBI (1st), and .313 AVG (4th). He’s the most complete player at the position thus far.
Reserve: Mark Teixeira, Yankees; Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox; Russell Branyan, Mariners. Teixeira has the second-most HR and RBI at the position, Youkilis is leading all AL first basemen with a 1.031 OPS, and Branyan is having a career year with 19 homers, a .303 average, and higher OPS (1.006) than Miguel Cabrera (.954). He has been Seattle’s best player and can’t be excluded in good conscience.
Just Missed: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers.
Second Baseman:
Starter: Ian Kinsler, Rangers. Although the second base position has gotten deeper over the years, Kinsler is the class of the position in the American League. He’s tied for the league lead for homers at the position (19) with Aaron Hill and also leads in the steals department (16).
Reserve: Aaron Hill, Blue Jays. Kinsler may get the starting nod but Hill is having a breakout season with his superb .305/.344/.510 batting line and 19 HR.
Just Missed: Robinson Cano, Yankees.
Third Baseman:
Starter: Evan Longoria, Rays. Simply put, Longoria is the best all-around player at his position right now. He’s killing the ball to the tune of .301/.381/.566 with 16 HR and 63 RBI while playing top notch defense (+13.4 UZR/150).
Reserve: Brandon Inge, Tigers. Inge leads all AL third basemen with 18 homers and is hitting a respectable .275. He has the second-highest OPS at the position and has been just as good in the field as Longoria (+13.3 UZR/150).
Just Missed: Michael Young, Rangers.
Shortstop:
Starter: Derek Jeter, Yankees. The old man takes a licking and keeps on ticking. He’s posting another good season in a Hall-of-Fame career, leading all qualified players at the position with a .307 batting average and tied for the positional lead with 17 stolen bases.
Reserve: Alexei Ramirez, White Sox; Jason Bartlett, Rays. After a horrifically slow start and several benchings, Ramirez has quietly begun to hit consistently for the White Sox. He leads all AL shortstops in homers (10) and is second to Jeter in steals (11). Bartlett missed time due to injury but has a .366 AVG, 7 HR, 36 RBI and 17 SB in just 58 games.
Just Missed: Marco Scutaro, Blue Jays.
Outfielders:
Starters: Jason Bay, Red Sox; Carl Crawford, Rays; Torii Hunter, Angels. A somewhat unglamorous starting outfield, to be sure, but statistically the most complete offensive group in the AL. Bay leads all outfielders with 69 RBI and is tied with Nelson Cruz for the league lead with 19 HR. Hunter is having a renaissance season with 17 HR, 12 SB and a .303 AVG and makes the team as the only member of the Angels everyday lineup. Crawford leads the majors with 40 steals and has the second-highest batting average at the position, hitting .321.
Reserve: Ben Zobrist, Rays; Nelson Cruz, Rangers; Adam Jones, Orioles. Again, an unglamorous corps of outfielders in reserve, but all have played their way into the Midsummer Classic. Zobrist went from backup shortstop/super-sub to sixth in the AL among OF with 16 HR and a .290 AVG, Cruz has a share of the HR lead among OF with 19 HR and has contributed 12 steals, and Adam Jones is the only Oriole on the AL ASG roster, hitting a robust .305 with 12 HR and 50 RBI.
Just Missed: Juan Rivera, Angels; Johnny Damon, Yankees; Adam Lind, Blue Jays; Jermaine Dye, White Sox.
Starting Pitchers:
Starter: Zack Greinke, Royals. Unlike years past, where a member of the Royals only made it as a token participant, Greinke has pitched his way onto the roster as the major league leader in innings pitched (115.1), wins (10), ERA (1.95) and second in the AL in strikeouts (114). He’s been the best pitcher in the league thus far, hands down.
Reserves: Cliff Lee, Indians; Justin Verlander, Tigers; CC Sabathia, Yankees; Felix Hernandez, Mariners; Roy Halladay, Blue Jays; Josh Beckett, Red Sox; Kevin Millwood, Rangers; and Jered Weaver, Angels. All of these guys make it on merit, appearing on the AL leaderboard for wins, strikeouts, ERA and innings.
Just Missed: Mark Buehrle, White Sox, Jon Lester, Red Sox
Relief Pitchers: Joe Nathan, Twins; Mariano Rivera, Yankees; Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox; and Andrew Bailey, A’s. The first three names are self-explanatory. Andrew Bailey might be the lone no-name but he has had an outstanding season as a converted middle reliever and makes the team as the sole member of the Oakland A’s.
Just Missed: Brian Fuentes, Angels; Frank Francisco, Rangers; Bobby Jenks, White Sox.
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