Pittsburg Pirates: A.J. Burnett Gets a Fresh Start

Years of speculation, rumors, and uncertainty finally ended for right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett (North Little Rock, Ark.) on Saturday when the New York Yankees traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two minor league prospects.

Once the trade is made official pending a physical and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig agreeing to the financial terms of the deal, Burnett will escape the scrutiny of the New York media returning to the National League East where he began his promising career with the Florida Marlins.

Burnett debuted in the Show with the Marlins during the 1999 season after being drafted in the eighth round of the 1995 amateur draft by the New York Mets. In 1998 Burnett was involved in a trade that brought Al Leiter to New York sending him to Miami.

A.J. spent seven seasons in Miami on a pitching staff that included the great young arms of Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis, Carl Povano, and Brad Penny. Of the talented group scouts thought that Burnett had the best stuff on the staff when he was pitching well as evident by his no-hitter thrown in 2001 against the San Diego Padres.

Burnett recorded career best numbers during his three years with the Toronto Blue Jays before joining the Yankees in 2009. As a Blue Jay he won 38 games while only losing 26 notching a season best 18 wins in 2008. In 2008 he also led the majors with 231 strikeouts. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

10 Worst All-Star Batting Averages of Hall of Fame Players

There’s an age old debate about how certain MLB position players fair against top notch starting pitching. Who owned who? Some players have made a Hall of Fame career off of beating up on the third, fourth, and fifth guys in a pitching rotation. Even worse, some guys beat up on bullpen pitchers and get called great for doing so. How many times have you heard “so and so” has a great batting average from the seventh inning on? This has been translated into clutch hitting instead of hitting against a relief pitcher that didn’t make the teams starting rotation.

The 82^nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game played on July 12^th showed that not all All-Stars are All-Stars when playing against the best of the best. Here’s a list of great position players that did not fair well when playing against their All-Star contemporaries.

Hank Aaron

Hammerin’ Hank had a career .194 all-star batting average in 67 at-bats. Over the course of 17 years Mr. Aaron was selected to the All-Star Game 25 times. From 1959 to 1962 MLB had two all-star games in each season; funds raised from the second all-star game went towards the player’s pension fund. The former homerun king only had two dingers in those 67 at-bats.

Ozzie Smith

The Wizard of Oz was better known for his glove than his bat, which is a good thing considering his all-star batting average of .148. Ozzie had 15 selections 27 at bats and 4 hits. Let’s hope his all-star fielding average was better. Mr. Smith went to Cooperstown in 2002.

Paul Molitor

Paul Molitor’s 21 year career and career .306 batting average didn’t translate to all-star success. In seven invites to the all-star game, “Molly” had a career .125 batting average in the mid-season classic. The 2004 Hall of Fame inductee only had 1 hit in 8 at bats.

Ryne Sandberg

The career Chicago Cubs second baseman and current AAA manager for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate, Cubs had an all-star career batting average of .115 in 10 all-star selections. Ryno had 3 hits in 26 at bats. Sandberg was admitted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Don Mattingly

Maybe it’s a prerequisite to being a head skipper for the Dodgers? Or maybe the greats just have bad games, either way add Mattingly to the list. Don Mattingly was selected to 6 all-star games and batted .111. An average of .111 for Mattingly translates to 1 hit in 9 at bats. 

Joe Torre

The 1971 NL MVP and NL batting champion (.363) and head skipper of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers wouldn’t be the best person to give all-star batting tips. In 9 all-star selections Torre batted .095, that’s 2 hits in 21 at bats. Ouch!

Eddie Murray

“Steady Eddie” was an 8 time all-star and a 2003 Hall of Fame selection. His 11 plate appearances yielded only 1 hit giving him a .091 all-star batting average. That must be a bitter pill for a player with 3,255 career hits.

It’s a Family Thing

Neither Brett nor Aaron, will ever be in the Hall of Fame, but the Boone name is baseball royalty and neither can give the other one a hard time around the dinner table over their all-star success… because neither one had any. The Boone Brothers combined for 4 all-star appearances (Brett 3), 5 at bats (Brett 4), and zero hits. 

Eddie Matthews

Regarded as one of the best third basemen to ever play the game, this 1978 Hall of Famer has the second worst all-star career in MLB history. In 12 all-star games Matthews had 4 hits in 25 Abs for a .080 average.

Craig Biggio

Mr. Biggio is not in the Hall yet, but the 3,060 career hits he had while playing for the Houston Astros will make him a shoe-in. In 7 all-star selections, 15 ABs, Biggio had one hit giving him a .067 average.

Like reading numbers? Here's some more for you.

 Notable Bad Averages of Other Great Players

Roger Maris .105

Pee Wee Reese .118

Barry Larkin .111

Edgar Martinez .167

Barry Bonds .194

The Best of the Best

Frank Thomas .800

Ken Griffey Jr. .440

Derek Jeter .435

Steve Garvey .393

Will Clark .385

Dave Winfield .361

Johnny Bench .357

Jackie Robinson .333

Babe Ruth .333

Roberto Clemente .323

Wade Boggs .321

Willie Mays .307

Ernie Banks .303

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

Open Letter to Will Leitch of "The Sporting News"

Dear Will Leitch,

Each issue of The Sporting News leaves me completely confused by at least one if not several of your points of view when you write your opinion piece “Will’s World”. Your piece titled “Now. Here. This.” in the June 20, 2011 issue was no different.

You wrote “sports are always played better in the present, here and now.” The small irony is in the same issue Steve Greenberg writes a five page article about the greatest NBA teams of all-time placing the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls team at the top of his list. Greenberg goes as far back to the 1964-1965 Boston Celtics team as his 5^th best NBA team of all-time. Granted that’s Greenberg’s opinion not yours, but the article was a bigger spread in the same publication. Greenberg did not list one NBA team from this past season or any in the last five years to ten years. The only team within the past 15 years listed was the 1995-1996 Bulls team. The breakdown of the teams listed were, 4 from the ‘80’s, 2 from the ‘60’s, 2 from the ‘70’s, and 2 from the 90’s.

For some reason you felt it necessary to write, “Markets become more efficient, not less. There is more money to be made, more competition, more of a talent pool, more everything, right now, this second, than there has been any time in human history.”

Any fan living in a city that supports a small market MLB team would argue that you are completely wrong about efficiency in the market place. Major League Baseball is a buyer’s market. The Pittsburg Pirates are somewhat competitive this season but everyone is waiting for them to fall off. They have not won a NL Pennant since 1979 or a NL East Division Title since 1992. What about the Kansas City Royals? Their last division title was in 1985 when they were in the AL West. What about the Clippers, the Toronto Raptors, the Oakland A’s, the Denver Nuggets (have never made it to a NBA Finals), the New Orleans Hornets, the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, and the Minnesota Timberwolves? The list goes on and on.

A larger talent pool does not mean better competition or a better skill set. Here and now does not translate to a MLB player playing today being able to lay down a bunt. Here and now should not mean kids coming out of high school or with one year of college basketball under their belt can dominate your sport. More money to be made does not mean the athletes are better or the game is better. If anything that has a negative effect on the fans. A player averaging $200,000 each plate appearance better be a .300 hitter or better but few are. A player making $15 million a year should be able to grab 12 rebounds a game or shoot 90% from the free throw line. This is not always the case; actually this is rarely the case. How many rebounding titles did Shaquille O’Neal win?

How did you come up with this?

“If you put Babe Ruth on the field now, he would strike out every time he batted, thanks to the curveballs, the sliders and the fastballs – split finger or 100 mph – all things he never saw anything close to. (He’d be bewildered by all the nonwhite players, too). This, by definition, means sports are “better”.

What?!?! The curveball has always been in use in MLB. To the degree it is used in today’s game is debatable but the pitch was still being thrown. Same with the slider, they called it a “nickel curve” back in the “glory days”. Chief Bender played for 4 different teams between 1903 to1925 and is credited as being a “slider pitcher”. He won 212 regular season games as a “slider pitcher” and threw 3 complete games in the 1911 World Series. He played during the days of Babe Ruth (1914-1935) and Ty Cobb (1905-1928). Ruth was a multiple 20 game winner with the Boston Red Sox before becoming a full-time outfielder with the New York Yankees. Do you think he had never seen or heard of a slider? How big of a false assumption are you trying to make to prove your point?

How can you assume that “he’d be bewildered by all the nonwhite players, too”? That’s not a point of view based on a fact. That’s a point of view based on a lack of thought. The nonwhite players wouldn’t be surrounding him in a boxing ring threatening his life. The nonwhite players would be in their positions on the field, the same as they were when he played. Why would the color of the players taking their positions matter? If you’re trying to elude to the point that the players fielding their positions would be faster, that’s another none issue in a large degree because Ruth is thought of as a home run hitter not an opposite field hitter or a gap hitter. As long as there are not 20 foot tall players in left, center, and right, who cares what the ethnicity of the players are fielding their positions? After all he would strike out each time because he’s never seen a curveball or a slider… wait we’ve debunked that theory.

Something else that you are failing to understand about Babe Ruth, he played during the “dead ball era”, he swung a 2x4 for a bat to slow his swing down, the rules were different then, and he played in huge stadiums. To put this in another perspective, Ruth was hitting monster shot home runs using a wooden bat off a ball that would be similar to hitting a softball. As I mentioned, the rules were different for much of his playing career. Home runs that hit the foul pole were ground rule doubles. Home runs that hooked foul around the foul pole were called foul balls. Who knows how many more home runs he would have had, regardless of the color of the pitcher, had the rules and stadium dimensions been the same then as they are now. He was hitting in stadiums that were fields! They called those “fields” things like the Polo Grounds. Straight away center in Yankee Stadium was 520 ft! Left center was 460 ft. He was also doubling and tripling the total home run output of entire teams. That is something that will never happen again in any sport.

Sports are not always better in the here and now. Some things about sports are better now and some are better in the past. I don’t think fans of baseball during the dead ball era were worried about Babe Ruth being on steroids. Now one has to wonder how a journeyman player can have 30 plus home runs before the All-Star break. Athleticism in basketball is greater while the skills and abilities of NBA players have diminished. Pro football is pro football. NFL players have gotten bigger, stronger, and faster but that increase has been steady and the level of play has remained the same; the same skill set and athleticism is on par per era, per team and player. Was hockey better when the “Great One” was playing for the Edmonton Oilers in the ‘80’s? Who knows? Some points of view are valid and all are opinions… some just better than others. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

Number 3,000!

Jeter Adds another One for the Storybook

Derek Jeter has done it again… and again, and again, and again throughout his career. Jeter made history again Saturday and he did it unlike any other Major League Baseball player has ever done. Entering Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays just 2 hits shy of 3,000, in his second at bat Derek Jeter became just the 28^th player in MLB to collect 3,000 hits for his career, and he did it in style.

On a perfect day in New York and in front of a sell-out crowd, with over 48,000 in attendance, Derek Jeter hit a line-drive home run to left off Ray’s starting pitcher and MLB All-Star, David Price, to cement his place in Yankee and baseball history.

In Jeter’s first at bat he hit a single to left field to place him within one of 3,000. When Jeter came up to bat in the bottom of the third he hit a one-out solo home run off a 3-2 pitch for his 3,000 hit; his third home run of the season and 236 home run of his career. Jeter was greeted by his teammates and the Yankee faithful with cheers and a standing ovation. The bullpen pitchers opened up the gates and rushed out on the field to congratulate their Yankee captain and perhaps one of the greatest Yankee players to ever play the game.

Not that Jeter needs any help adding to his historic baseball legacy but his performance Saturday showed why he should be considered one of the all-time great MLB players. Jeter is just the second player to hit a home run for his 3,000^th career hit, the other being former teammate Wade Boggs (with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999). Jeter’s home run put the Yankees on top 1-0 in the third. In typical Jeter style and class, he lowered his head as he rounded the bases even though he had every right to show his excitement for his achievement, he didn’t want to show up David Price.

“Jeets” led off the 5^th with a double allowing Curtis Granderson to single him home to tie the score 3-3. Two batters later, Robinson Cano would hit a sacrifice fly to put the Yankees ahead 4-3. In the 6^th inning Jeter singled to right and then executed a double steal with Brett Gardner; Jeter’s 8^th on the year. With the score tied 4-4 in the 8^th inning, Jeter singled in Eduardo Nunez, playing third base for the injured Alex Rodriguez, for the winning run.

Possible note to history, Nunez appears to be the short stop of the future for the Yankees once Jeter retires or if Jeter is moved to another position.

Jeter’s stat line for the game was:

5 for 5, 2 Runs, 2 RBIs, and 1 stolen base

He knocked in the initial go ahead run; 1-0

He scored the tying run; 3-3

He collected his 5^th hit of the night by knocking in the winning run; 5-4

He finished a triple shy of the cycle; something Jeter has never done before

He tied a personal best for hits in a game going 5-5

He raised his season average to .270

0 Errors

Skip the Plaque, Start Building the Monument for Jeter

For those of you unfamiliar with Monument Park in Yankee Stadium, Monument Park is the highest honor given to a Yankee player. Only five such monuments have been awarded and all five have been awarded posthumously; Miller Huggins (Manager 1918-1929, 1932), Lou Gehrig (1941), Babe Ruth (1949), Mickey Mantle (1996), and Joe DiMaggio (1999).

Monument Park is a section of Yankee Stadium behind the centerfield wall that serves as a shrine to the franchises’ storied history. The five blue granite monuments stand surrounded by plaques of other Yankees’ greats.

Former Yankee Players with Plaques in Monument Park and the Year Awarded

Thurman Munson 1980

Roger Maris 1984

Elston Howard 1984

Phil Rizzuto 1985

Billy Martin 1986

Whitey Ford 1987

Yogi Berra 1988

Don Mattingly 1997

Reggie Jackson 2002

George Steinbrenner 2010

Just to Clarify

Remarkably Jeter is the only Yankee player to collect 3,000 career hits while playing for the Yankees; Paul Warner (3,152, 16^th on the career hits list), Dave Winfield (3,110, 19^th on the career hits list), Rickey Henderson (3,055, 21^st on the career hits list), and Wade Boggs (3,010, 25^th on career hits list) are the other one-time Yankee players with 3,000 plus career hits.

Jeter is a career .312 hitter with 1,159 RBIs, 1,725 runs, and 331 stolen bases.

Jeter is only the 11^th player to collect all 3,000 hits with one team.

Craig Biggio (3,060) was the last MLB player to collect his 3,000^th hit; 2007. Biggio also collected 5 hits in the same game he got his 3,000th, he went 5-6. 

Jeter has 3,003 hits. He only needs 5 hits to pass Al Kaline (3,007) to move to 26^th place on the all-time career hits list.

If Jeter can collect 54 more hits this season, he can finish 2011 20^th on the career hits list by passing Craig Biggio.

For Jeter to crack the top 10 hits list, he needs 313 more hits. He would then pass Eddie Collins (3,315).

New York Yankees Notes of Interest

Alex Rodriguez has 2,762 career hits and is 50^th on the career hits list.

Babe Ruth had 2,873 career hits and is 40^th on the career hits list.

Lou Gehrig had 2,721 hits in his career. Had he not fallen ill to the motor neuron disease, ALS, Gehrig would’ve been a 3,000 career hitter. He is 57^th on the career hits list.

Gary Sheffield had 2,689 career hits and is 63^rd on the career hits list.

Reggie Jackson had 2,584 career hits and is 81^st on the career hits list.

Mickey Mantle had 2,415 career hits and is 112^th on the career hits list.

Graig Nettles had 2,225 career hits and is 166^th on the career hits list.

Joe DiMaggio had 2,214 career hits and is 169^th on the career hits list.

Don Mattingly had 2,153 career hits and is 188^th on the career hits list.

Yogi Berra had 2,150 career hits and is 190^th on the career hits list.

Haven’t had enough of Jeter and Yankee mania? Try the retired numbers list!

Add #2 to the Retired Yankees Jersey List

Player/Retired Number

Billy Martin, 1 (player and manager)

Derek Jeter, 2*

Babe Ruth, 3

Lou Gehrig, 4

Joe DiMaggio, 5

Mickey Mantle, 7

Yogi Berra, 8

Bill Dickey, 8

Roger Maris, 9

Phil Rizutto, 10

Thurman Munson, 15

Whitey Ford, 16

Don Mattingly, 23

Elston Howard, 32

Jackie Robinso, 42 (All MLB teams have retired Jackie’s number)

Reggie Jackson, 44

Rod Guidry, 49

* Jeter’s number has not been retired to date. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

Moneyball

If you haven’t seen any of this summer’s blockbuster movies yet chances are you haven’t seen the trailer for Moneyball; and you’re missing out. Moneyball is based off the 2003 best selling book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis which chronicles the early failures and success of the Oakland Athletics after team owner Walter Haas Jr. died in 1995.  

After Walter Haas Jr.’s death in 1995 the Oakland A’s were bought and operated by Stephen Schott and Ken Hoffman. Haas Jr. was a team owner known to spend money on the A’s team payroll to get top talent. From the time Haas took over as the owner of the A’s in 1980 until his death, the A’s won five American League West titles and appeared in three consecutive World Series (1988, 1989, and 1990); winning the World Series in 1989 against the San Francisco Giants. Schott and Hoffman were not interested in spending money on the team’s payroll and only allowed the A’s management staff to spend, in the grand scheme of baseball, very little money on the team’s payroll. Thus “moneyball” was invented as a necessity for the A’s to compete in modern baseball.

The term “moneyball” refers to a sabermetric principle applied to baseball and the player’s statistical achievements. The primarily stats used are on-base percentage and slugging percentage with the thought that those stats lead to more runs scored. Then General Manager of the A’s (1983-1997), Sandy Alderson (now General Manager of the New York Mets), developed a cost effective approach to attaining players needed to compete in Major League Baseball based upon a player’s offensive production and financial value of that player on the open market in free agency. Alderson is credited for rebuilding the A’s farm system during the 1980’s and adding players to the team as needed based off the sabermetric system; moneyball = low cost free agent players + calling up minor league talent from one’s farm system, with a hopeful end product of a successful MLB season.

Moneyball places a heavier emphasis on drafting college talent that is thought to be more proven and polished over high school talent that is still raw and unproven. In 1998 Alderson took an executive vice president for baseball operations position in Major League Baseball’s front office, leaving the development of moneyball to his successor, Billy Beane.

The movie focuses on Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, and Peter Brand’s (Jonah Hill) attempts to change the way baseball executives approach filling out a competitive major league team year after year with financial limitations. Moneyball should prove to be an underdog’s dramatic look inside the mathematics and statistics of baseball followed with the success of the Athletics. Moneyball will be released in theatres September 23.

Just to Clarify

Since the A’s last trip to the World Series in 1990 they have made the playoffs four times (2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006), only winning one playoff series in a 2006 ALDS series sweep of the Minnesota Twins. The A’s had the misfortune of playing the New York Yankees, Major League Baseball’s antithesis of moneyball, in two dramatic ALDS series in 2000 and 2001. Who can forget Derek Jeter’s unbelievable relay toss along the first base line to Jorge Posada at home to stop the A’s from scoring?

To put this in “moneyball” terms the $41 million payroll of the A’s went the distance with the $125 million payroll of the Yankees in 2002.

To put another twist on the movie and the moneyball approach, the budget for Moneyball was $47 million, $6 million less than the A’s 2002 total team payroll.

The A’s 2010 opening day team payroll was $51.6 million. The A’s payroll is the third lowest payroll in MLB topping the San Diego Padres ($37.7 million) and Pittsburg Pirates ($34.9 million). The New York Yankees lead MLB with a payroll over $206 million.

Notes of Interest

Billy Beane was a highly recruited baseball, football, and basketball player while in high school at Mount Carmel High in San Diego, California.

Stanford recruited Beane to play baseball and football hoping he would eventually replace, then starting quarterback, John Elway.

Beane was the 23^rd player drafted in the first round of the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Mets. He signed with the Mets for $125,000.00.

The Mets thought so highly of Beane they placed him in Class-A ball while placing their top pick, and the number one overall pick of the 1980 draft, Darryl Strawberry, in Rookie ball.

Beane played for 6 years in MLB as an outfielder for the Mets, Twins, Tigers, and A’s compiling a career .219 average on 66 hits with 29 RBIs.

He was on two teams that won the World Series; 1987 Twins and 1989 A’s. He was not on the post season roster for either team.

The A’s have not finished above .500 since 2006.

Billy Beane was made a 10% owner of the Oakland Athletics in 2005 by new team owner Lew Wolff. (Maybe that’s why the A’s really have not spent any money on the team’s payroll, the team’s payroll is now coming out of Billy’s pocket!)

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

2011 Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game Starting Positions

The 82^nd Annual All-Star Game starting positions were announced on Sunday via a selection show on TBS. MLB fans voted in record numbers casting 32.5 million ballots for their favorite players to fill out the starting rosters.

Fans picked the 17 starting position players for the American League and National League teams. The players voted for 17 position players and 6 pitchers and the managers picked 10 pitchers and 6 reserves each for a total of 66 roster positions. The rosters will be completed with one additional pick for each team. The final two positions can be voted for online at Major League Baseball’s website (see HogManInLA’s Final Voting for All-Star Positions for further information).

The AL starters are not close to the 1985 team that started seven future Hall of Famers (Carlton Fisk, Rickey Henderson, George Brett, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Dave Winfield, and Jim Rice) but talented none the less. The AL roster has 7 AL East starters; 4 New York Yankees will start, leading all teams in position players starting (6 total players selected), 2 Boston Red Sox players (4 total players selected), and 1 Toronto Blue Jays player. Alex Rodriguez is making his 14^th All-Star appearance tying him with Ivan Rodriguez for the most All-Star appearances by an active player.

American League Starters

C Alex Avila (Tigers)

1B Adrian Gonzalez (Red Sox)

2B Robinson Cano (Yankees)

3B Alex Rodriguez (Yankees)

SS Derek Jeter (Yankees)

OF Joes Bautista (Blue Jays)

OF Curtis Granderson (Yankees)

OF Josh Hamilton (Rangers)

DH David Ortiz (Red Sox)

Small market this! The Milwaukee Brewers’ fan base showed up big in 2011. Ryan Braun led all NL position players in voting giving Braun his 4^th consecutive All-Star Game start. The Brewers lead the NL in total starting positions with 3 starters. Prince Fielder gets the start at first with the injury to St. Louis Cardinals’ 1B Albert Pujols. The Phillies’ and Giants’ loaded pitching staffs placed 3 starting pitchers in the NL rotation giving the Phillies and Giants 4 total All-Star selections.

National League Starters

C Brian McCann (Braves)

1B Prince Fielder (Brewers)

2B Rickie Weeks (Brewers)

3B Placido Polanco (Phillies)

SS Jose Reyes (Mets)

OF Ryan Braun (Brewers)

OF Lance Berkman (Cardinals)

OF Matt Kemp (Dodgers)

National League Reserves:

Starting Pitchers

Jair Jurrjens (Braves), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), Matt Cain (Giants), Tim Linececum (Giants), Ryan Vogelsong (Giants), Cliff Lee (Phillies), Roy Halladay (Phillies), and Cole Hamels (Phillies)

Relievers

Jonny Venters (Braves), Brian Wilson (Giants), Tyler Clippard (Nationals), Heath Bell (Padres), Joel Hanrahan (Pirates)

Infield Reserves

Catcher Yadier Molina (Cardinals), 1B Gaby Sanchez (Marlins), 1B Joey Votto (Reds), 2B Brandon Phillips (Reds), SS Starlin Castro (Cubs), SS Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), 3B Chipper Jones (Braves)

Outfielder Reserves

Carlos Beltran (Mets), Jay Bruce (Reds), Matt Holliday (Cardinals), Hunter Pence (Astros), Justin Upton (Diamondbacks)

American League Reserves

Starting Pitchers

Jared Weaver (Angels), Gio Gonzalez (Athletics), Felix Hernandez (Mariners), David Price (Rays), James Shields (Rays), C.J. Wilson (Rangers), Josh Beckett (Red Sox), Justin Verlander (Tigers)

Relievers

Chris Perez (Indians), Brandon League (Mariners), Aaron Crow (Royals), Mariano Rivera (Yankees), Jose Valverde (Tigers)

Infield Reserves

Catcher Russell Martin (Yankees), Matt Wieters (Orioles), 1B Miguel Cabrera (Tigers), 2B Howie Kendrick (Angels), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (Indians), 3B Adrian Beltre

Outfield Reserves

Matt Joyce (Rays), Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox), Michael Cuddyer (Twins), Carlos Quentin (White Sox) and DH Michael Young (Rangers)

Just to Clarify

The 2011 All-Star votes by the fans seemed to be spot on this year. 2010 AL MVP, Josh Hamilton, was having an all-star first half to his season before he broke his arm thus a good pick by the fans. One could argue about Derek Jeter’s selection; .260, 2 home runs, and 20 RBIs. Jeter is making his 12^th All-Star appearance, 7^th straight as a starter, and is a lock for the Hall of Fame. His quest for 3,000 hits before the midway point of the season has been put on hold due to his hamstring injury. Jeter is supposed to be available to play in the All-Star Game.

The NL is loaded at first base. With the injury to Albert Pujols this allows Prince Fielder to start and Joey Votto (the 2010 NL MVP) and Gaby Sanchez to make the team. Absent from the NL squad is strike out king and power hitter Ryan Howard. You have to give the Phillies’ fans credit for not stuffing the ballot box for him.

Jose Reyes started the year off well but not great. Since the first month of the season he has arguably been the best player in baseball. He’s playing like he’s in a contract year… wait he is in a contract year. Amazing to see what these guys can do when the apply themselves everyday.

30-30 or maybe 40-40? Matt Kemp is having the MVP type season all baseball fans and Dodger fans have been wanting from him. The 6’ 3” 220 lbs 5 tool player has been slugging and stealing bases for the lowly Los Angeles Dodgers all season. He’s hitting .327, with 64 RBIs, and 52 runs. He already has 22 home runs and 22 stolen bases, time will tell how well his season ends up. Kemp could be the first player since Alex Rodriguez in 2003 to win the MVP Award playing for a last place team in their division (In 2003 the Rangers were 71-91; in AL West). 

MLB All-Star Game is July 12^th, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

Major League Baseball All-Star Voting – American League

Think there’s not a “steroid-era” hangover for Major League Baseball fans? Take one look at the American League top vote getters and guess again. Toronto Blue Jays Outfielder Jose Bautista, 23 home runs and New York Yankees Curtis Granderson, 21 homeruns, lead all American League players with 4,156,940 and 3,473,227 respectively. 2008 Home Run Derby star Josh Hamilton is third with 2,400,408 votes for outfielders.

The other obvious voter trend is fan voting for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Of the seven positions (fans vote for three outfielders regardless of their natural positions; centerfielder, left fielder, and right fielder) American League positions fans can vote for, six of the seven positions top vote getters are from one of the two teams. Jose Bautista is the only non Yankee or Red Sox player leading a position in fan balloting.

Vote Totals for American League Players

CATCHER
Russell Martin, Yankees: 2,226,797
Alex Avila, Tigers: 1,730,511
Joe Mauer, Twins: 1,341,474
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox: 1,135,617
Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers: 980,697

FIRST BASE
Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox: 3,017,960
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 2,407,665
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 1,771,893
Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 890,468
Paul Konerko, White Sox: 676,194

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees: 3,664,498
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 2,239,172
Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 1,452,880
Orlando Cabrera, Indians: 910,941
Ben Zobrist, Rays: 828,771

THIRD BASE
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 2,876,537
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 2,307,380
Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: 2,025,438
Evan Longoria, Rays: 1,639,405
Brandon Inge, Tigers: 490,734

SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter, Yankees: 2,654,040
Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 2,242,157
Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 1,513,929
Jhonny Peralta, Tigers: 875,371
Marco Scutaro, Red Sox: 813,888

DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz, Red Sox: 3,116,578
Michael Young, Rangers: 1,760,195
Jorge Posada, Yankees: 1,120,830
Victor Martinez, Tigers: 932,711
Johnny Damon, Rays: 864,535

OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 4,156,940
Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 3,473,227
Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 2,400,408
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 2,249,323
Carl Crawford, Red Sox: 1,789,097
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 1,537,101

You can cast your vote for your favorite MLB player until Thursday 8:59 p.m. P.T. at www.mlb.com.

The MLB All-Star Game is July 12^th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa