2011 AL All-Star Game Ballot

Major League Baseball’s 2011 All-Star Game is on July 12. Now that it is only a couple weeks away, The Dugout Doctors would like to present their NL ballot. Go vote now!

Click here for my NL ballot!

Note: All stats are updated as of 6/23/2011.

CATCHER

Alex Avila – Detroit Tigers
(.300/.373/.532, 27 R, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 3 SB)

Many are wondering whether Alex Avila can keep it up, but any catcher that is hitting around .300 with decent power deserves props. It’s been a rough year for catchers with Joe Mauer and Buster Posey (in the NL of course) mostly sidelined. Carlos Santana is heating up, but expectations were higher. Avila shines in a lackluster field.

FIRST BASE

Adrian Gonzalez – Boston Red Sox
(.350/.403/.603, 55 R, 15 HR, 68 RBI, 1 SB)

While Gonzalez will likely win this vote with relative ease, a real case should be made for Miguel Cabrera. Both of these guys are premiere talents who are mashing the ball this year. But both players will make the ASG so I suppose who gets the fan vote is merely a triviality. Gonzalez gets my vote because he rebounded so well from a brief slow start.

SECOND BASE

Robinson Cano – New York Yankees
(.295/.341/.520, 44 R, 14 HR, 47 RBI, 6 SB)

For those that want to make this strictly about Cano or Pedroia, I don’t feel that’s entirely fair. Zobrist, Kendrick and Kinsler are all having great years so far. But Cano gets my vote because I value a big bat at his position. The only gripe I have about Cano is his glove, but this is the All-Star Game, not fielding practice.

THIRD BASE

Alex Rodriguez – New York Yankees
(.292/.374/.506, 47 R, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 4 SB)

Depending on the day, the better player can be either Youkilis or Rodriguez. A-Rod hits for better power, but Youk gets on-base more. A-Rod’s the better fielder, but Youk’s has him beat in a few sabermetrics categories. So why A-Rod? He’s the superstar. Fans pay to see guys like him.

SHORTSTOP

Asdrubal Cabrera – Cleveland Indians
(.296/.346/.498, 48 R, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 12 SB)

I don’t know how anybody can vote against Cabrera without being a homer. What he’s done for Cleveland, it can’t be measured, he’s the real deal this year. Whether it’s a sexy web gem (he’s not that great defensively though) or hitting a blast into the cheap seats, he’s exceeded everyone’s expectations.

LEFT FIELD

Brett Gardner – New York Yankees
(.293/.371/.444, 35 R, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 14 SB)

Outfielders aren’t selected in this manner, but it feels more genuine to me. The competition is very thin at left field and while Alex Gordon has played great, I just really like Gardner’s game. He’s one of the best defensive outfielders, can hit for contact and is the consummate leadoff hitter.

CENTER FIELD

Curtis Granderson – New York Yankees
(.280/.356/.593, 62 R, 21 HR, 54 RBI, 10 SB)

Granderson is putting up a MVP-type season and while everyone knew he could be good, he seems to get better every year. He’s putting up Bautista-esque numbers while playing center field. Ellsbury is having a great year himself, but outside of hitting for a better average and more steals, the comparison isn’t all that close between he and Grand.

RIGHT FIELD

Jose Bautista – Toronto Blue Jays
(.325/.470/.645, 55 R, 21 HR, 46 RBI, 5 SB)

Bautista has cooled off in recent weeks, but he was hitting out of his mind. There was no way he could keep it up. He could put up half his production thus far in the second half and still have a great year on paper. But I am concerned his average will drop down to where it was last season (.260).

DESIGNATED HITTER

David Ortiz – Boston Red Sox
(.317/.395/.592, 47 R, 17 HR, 48 RBI, 1 SB)

Giving credit where credit is due, Ortiz keeps plugging along like the basher that is. No one is even in Ortiz’s league right now as evidenced by him doubling the homer total of any other DH. He’s also sporting a career-low strikeout rate (12.7 percent), and this just might be his best season in years.

Follow Matt on Twitter and Facebook for all his baseball and Fantasy sports updates!