How the MLB All-Star Teams Should Look

The Major League Baseball all-star teams were announced this past weekend, and the rosters have been surrounded by more controversey than any year I can remember. One analyst after another has been ripping apart the choices made by not just the fans, but also the players and managers. With that in mind, I decided to fix the all-star rosters myself. The basic criteria that I'm using is that I won't mess with players elected by the fans, there still must be at least one player from every team, and the roster spots should be a reward for the best on-field performance to this point in the season. So, without further ado. . . . .
The National League All-Star Team:
Starters - C Yadier Molina (the fans got this one so wrong), 1B Albert Pujols, 2B Martin Prado (replacing Utley), 3B David Wright, SS Hanley Ramirez, OF Ryan Braun, OF Jason Heyward (might not play), and OF Andre Ethier.
Reserves -
C Miguel Olivo - Olivo has outplayed actual selection Brian McCann across the board. He has fewer AB's, but more homers, RBI's, and a better average, plus he's throwing out more than 50% of base stealers. Enough said. If the fans had voted one of these two in instead of Molina, both would and should be there.
1B Joey Votto - The guy has been outstanding. Leads the NL in homers and OPS, and is top 5 in batting average and RBI's. Ryan Howard has had a fantastic season himself, but based solely on performance, the edge goes to Votto.
1B Adrian Gonzalez - They got this one right. The Dads are the best team in the NL so far, and Gonzalez carries their offense.
2B Brandon Phillips - Not a whole lot of competition for this spot. Phillips superb D and plethora of stolen bags give him the advantage over Danny Uggla.
SS Rafael Furcal - Jose Reyes was selected to replace Troy Tulowitzki on the roster, but he has only been playing like Jose Reyes for about a month. Furcal is having his best offensive season yet, and he hasn't been too bad of late either with a .500 avg, 15 runs, and 10 RBI's in his last 10 games into today.
3B Scott Rolen - No complaints here. Rolen has been absolutely resurgent in Cincy, and he belongs on the team.
3B Ryan Zimmerman - The Nationals' third sacker has been very solid this season and should be on the roster to replace the biggest shocker of an all-star I can ever remember in Omar Infante. I get that he can play anywhere on the field, but he isn't even an everyday player for Atlanta, enough said.
OF Michael Bourn - What can I say, the Astros need an all-star and Bourn has finally learned how to get on base and leads the NL in steals.
OF Marlon Byrd - The Cubs need an all-star as well, and Byrd has been one of the few bright spots.
OF Corey Hart - Having a breakout season, near the top of the league in homers, RBI's and slugging, plus he's hitting for a solid average and has cut down on his strikeouts.
OF Chris Young - He's the best Diamondback to this point in the season, and the vast improvements he's made at the plate plus stellar outfield defense warrant him being here.
OF Josh Willingham - This second National supplants underperforming Matt Holliday, who was on the team for name recognition only. Holliday hasn't been nearly the hitter he was in the 2nd half last season, and Willingham has quietly been very successful in Washington.
Pitchers -
SP Roy Halladay - Can't argue here. Already 7 complete games while the best full team not in Philly has thrown 8.
SP Ubaldo Jimenez - No way to keep him off the team with his crazy first half, despite recent slide.
SP Tim Hudson - Flat out the best pitcher on a very good Braves staff. No argument with Huddy on the team.
SP Adam Wainwright - He's been one of the best in the league as usual, and his spot on the all-star squad is a foregone conclusion when you pitch like he has.
SP Josh Johnson - He leads the majors in ERA and has been flat out dominant. I think it's safe to say he's fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery from a few years ago.
SP Yovanni Gallardo - He has carried the Brewers pitching staff thus far, and he's hit more homers than Omar Infante, so he's got that going for him. I can't find a reason he shouldn't be here.
SP Jaime Garcia - Garcia is in my mind the most glaring omission from the all-star rosters. He should be there instead of teammate Chris Carpenter. If people looked at numbers instead of names, they'd see that Garcia has been the best Cardinal hurler all season, and his ERA is second only to Johnson in the majors. Huge mistake that he was left off the team.
SP Mat Latos - The Padres have had the best team ERA in baseball, and not one of their pitchers made the team? That's gotta be a joke. Latos gets my nod to replace Tim Lincecum, whose numbers just don't add up to the rest of this list of starters. Latos has had 5 starts of 7 or more innings with no runs allowed. That's just ridiculous.
RP Evan Meek - The lone Pirate all-star, but he belongs. He has been absolutely lights out. It's nice to see middle relievers get some love this year.
RP Arthur Rhodes - Same as Meek, has been phenomenal in a lefty setup role and has every right to be here over an average closer.
RP Heath Bell - The guy leads the NL in saves and has the best ERA of any closer near the top of that list. How he isn't on the team is a mystery to me, and he should be there over Matt Capps.
RP Jon Broxton - He's been as electric as advertised, and about as dominant a closer as there is in the National League. No complaints here.
RP Brian Wilson - Wilson beats out tough competition from K-Rod, Marmol, and Billy Wagner for the last closer spot because he has been effective in a variety of roles. He's had a handful of 5-out saves and been used in tie games to give San Fran their best chance to win, and his numbers have been solid as well.
Note: If Heyward doesn't play he should be replaced with Matt Kemp or Colby Rasmus

The American League All-Star Team:
Starters - C Joe Mauer, 1B Justin Morneau, 2B Robinson Cano, 3B Evan Longoria, SS Derek Jeter, OF Carl Crawford, OF Ichiro Suzuki, OF Josh Hamilton, DH Vladimir Guerrero
Reserves -
C John Buck - Injury replacement for Victor Martinez, and there really isn't much to choose from at catcher. Buck's power numbers get him the nod.
1B Miguel Cabrera - No complaints here. Cabrera has been the AL version of Albert Pujols. He's a machine who just keeps hitting and driving in runs. Probably should have been voted to start, but Morneau does lead the league in hitting.
2B Howie Kendrick - Kinsler was picked to replace the injured Dustin Pedroia, but Kendrick has been the better player to this point in the season, and with the game being played in Anaheim, A second Angel on the roster wouldn't have hurt.
SS Elvis Andrus - Really not much else to choose from in the AL shortstop pool, and Andrus has been solid despite his zero home runs.
3B Adrian Beltre - He's hitting over .330 and on pace to drive in over 100 runs. For a guy the Red Sox brought in to improve their defense, he sure has provided plenty of firepower with the bat, and is a deserving choice.
1B/3B Kevin Youkilis - He simply has been better thus far than Alex Rodriguez. Girardi is the all-star manager and it's easy to see how A-Rod gets picked, but Youk is the more deserving candidate.
Utility Man Ty Wigginton - An easy selection to argue against, but the Orioles needed a player on this team and Wigginton is the only Oriole who has exceeded his expectations. Markakis, Luke Scott, Adam Jones, and Matt Wieters have all underperformed.
OF Torii Hunter - Can't argue with this pick. Hunter continues to be one of the most consistent, underappreciated players in the game.
OF Vernon Wells -Having a huge comeback year now that he is healed from a wrist injury that hampered him last season. People were beginning to doubt that this Vernon was still in there, but he has silenced those critics this season.
OF Brennan Boesch - Boesch started hitting when he got to the bigs at the start of May, and he hasn't stopped since. Jose Bautista may lead the league in homers, but that .230 average he's carrying is a killer. Boesch, meanwhile, with a month less of playing time has cracked 12 homers and driven in 44 runs while hitting a robust .340 and providing consistent lineup protection for AL MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera.
DH Paul Konerko - Konerko has 20 homers and close to a .300 average. He absolutely deserves this spot over Big Papi.
Pitchers -
SP David Price - Price has been the most exciting AL pitcher to watch in the first half, running up his strikeout and win totals while keeping his ERA near the best in the AL. He deserves to start for the American League team.
SP Jon Lester - Another dynamite season for Lester who has quietly become the best pitcher in the AL East. Price has been slightly better this season, but there is no pitcher I would rather have than Lester for one start in this division.
SP Cliff Lee - Lee has been unreal of late, and is clearly recovered from a strained oblique that sidelined him to open the year. His numbers are impossible to argue against.
SP Andy Pettitte - Pettitte was selected as an injury replacement for Clay Buchholz, but should have been on the team anyway. He's having one of his best seasons at a very advanced age.
SP Fausto Carmona - He is the one Cleveland Indian on this roster, and he has been the best player on that team. His 7-7 record is not his fault, and he is the most deserving Cleveland player.
SP Jered Weaver - Another Angel snub with the game in Anaheim. He leads the AL in strikeouts and is tied for the league lead in quality starts, and his numbers are much better than those of CC Sabathia. Weaver completely belongs on this team.
SP Felix Hernandez - The player who should have been the injury replacement for Buchholz, King Felix is the pitcher tied with Weaver in quality starts, and has an ERA about a run better than Phil Hughes, who is on the team.
SP Trevor Cahill - Cahill is the only A on the roster, and he is clearly the best pitcher in Oakland. Only Andrew Bailey could have supplanted him from this spot.
RP Matt Thornton - This is another middle reliever getting the respect he deserves. Thornton is a power lefty with filthy stuff, a silly number of strikeouts, and great peripheral numbers. He is the best setup man in the American League.
RP Mariano Rivera - He belongs here. He's getting old, but that cutter is still magic. He has a 1.11 ERA and just one blown save all year. Still the best closer in the game.
RP Rafael Soriano - He has been lights out at the back of the Rays bullpen, and his numbers are much better than those of young phenom Neftali Feliz. Feliz has the strikeout numbers, but Soriano's ERA is about half of what Neftali's is.
RP Joakim Soria - I have to put a Royal on the team, and Soria has been his usual consistent ninth inning force for Kansas City. DeJesus and Billy Butler have been solid, but Soria has been spectacular as always.
RP Jose Valverde - My final all-star selection, and a very deserving one. Valverde's ERA is an even 1.00, and that doesn't even tell the whole story of how good he's been for the Tigers. He has stabilized the back end of a bullpen that seems to have a different closer every year, and the standings reflect that.

Well, those are my all-star teams. Feel free to fix any selections you disagree with, but I think you'll agree that my picks are more correct than what MLB actually came up with. I mean, come on, OMAR INFANTE! REALLY!