MY ALL STAR BALLOT

So hey it is June 24th and as fans we have our first round ballots being counted up. I am not one to stuff the ballot box and just try to vote once every few days. Trying to be objective and not voting for my exact favorite players but try to vote for the best seasons so far.

First base:

Picking Freddie Freeman in the National League is practically a given at this point. My favorite first baseman is Bryce Harper but he is not having the year that Freeman, Alonso or Naylor are having. I love all three of these first baseman and will give my vote to my Dodgers first baseman cause he is my least favorite out of the three and I am always critical of him. Yes he plays on my Dodgers but I do not like him much since he been in the majors.

In the American League, my choice is easy. Jonathan Aranda is having the best season of any first baseman in the American League. It is not even close. He has an 897 ops , there are only two players at first base with a higher one and they are both in the National League, Freeman and Alonso. Aranda is the glue of the offense for Tampa right now and is integral to them staying competitive in AL East.

second base:

This position I do not have anything much to write about other than Brice Turang is the best all around second baseman in MLB in my opinion and he gets my vote. For the American League , I flipped a coin between Castro and Torres. Both are having nice seasons and contributing to their teams. Yes I know Ketel Marte is out there but he has been hurt and everyone else is going to vote for him. Turang it is!

third base:

Machado and Ramirez are light years ahead of the rest. Might be the easiest position for me to pick. Both are gold glove types, both hit and play hard. Yes I love Jordan Westburg but I can not write him in and yes Muncy since he started wearing glasses is playing much better. For me, Ramirez and Machado are slam dunks.

Shortstop:

I deeply want to vote for Gunnar Henderson cause he is one of my favorite young players but Jacob Wilson deserves the vote. He got up to the majors and has just hit and hit. His work ethic is good and he might be a guy who gets 200 hits in a season a few times in his career. The National League was hard to decide, so I flipped a coin between Lindor and Turner. I love Mookie Betts but he is not deserving of my vote.

Catcher:

Cal Raleigh is already having a memorable year for the ages. He seems like he might challenge Judge for the MVP this season. He is simply the best right now. Will Smith in the National League is an easy pick for me also. Realmuto is batting .248, I will pass. Hunter Goodman is breaking out and might the Rockies one All Star.

Outfield:

The outfield always will give you the best choices cause you get to pick three each. In the AL, you have to pick Judge unless you are just mad. I picked Riley and Baez cause Riley seems to me to be a very good all around player. He seems to have a bit of leadership ability in him as well. I picked Baez cause contrary to popular opinion , he was never dogging it out there for Detroit except that one moment when he did not run a ground ball out. He was always playing hurt. He is healthy, embraced a new position and said I will play anywhere to win again. He has my vote. Probably the Comeback Player of the Year so far this season. The NL was bit tough for me, Pages has been solid for the Dodgers and consistent. He gets my vote cause of the consistency. I voted for PCA cause well, he looks like an MVP candidate in the National League. With him and Kyle Tucker, the Cubs are rocking and rolling to a division title. I picked Tatis as my third NL outfielder cause of his presence and how he changes the lineup when in it for the Padres. He is the team’s heart and soul. I do feel Nimmo and Wood might make the All Star team once reserves are picked. I really wanted to pick someone other than Tatis but could not ignore the overall presence he brings to the table.

Designated Hitter:

O’Hearn is an easy pick. Having a career year for a lackluster team and he has always played hard. I do hope he makes it. I voted for Ohtani for obvious reasons. He is the best or second best player in all of MLB. I wanted to vote for Yelich but I can not vote for him when he is batting .256. Ben Rice has Yankees fans excited but batting .241 is an easy pass.

So there is my ballot and hope you vote as well. Going to try a weekly review of what is going in baseball. Been working on ideas for articles on other things. If you know me at all, good news is the Mom Picks are coming back for July.