2011 NL 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 AL ballot!

Note: All stats are updated as of 6/22/2011.

CATCHER

Brian McCann – Atlanta Braves
(.301/.379/.510, 24 R, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 2 SB)

McCann has been a model of consistency since 2006. This would make for McCann’s sixth straight All-Star appearance. Considering he leads all NL catchers in home runs, RBIs, total bases, a number of other sabermetrics categories and he plays almost everyday, he’s the obvious choice here.

FIRST BASE

Prince Fielder – Milwaukee Brewers
(.303/.425/.609, 45 R, 20 HR, 63 RBI, 0 SB)

Fielder is tied for the lead or leads the NL in home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage to name a few and hasn’t even taken a day off. This would only be his third All-Star Game but there is a stiff competition at his position between he, Pujols, Votto and Howard. Plus, his numbers put him in the NL MVP conversation, so he has my vote.

SECOND BASE

Rickie Weeks – Milwaukee Brewers
(.287/.357/.502, 51 R, 14 HR, 32 RBI, 7 SB)

Hitting ahead of Fielder and Braun has inflated Weeks’ numbers but there’s no reason to diminish what he’s done this year in comparison to the other guys at second base. Phillips currently leads the vote, which I can understand. But Weeks gets the slight nod over Walker in my book.

THIRD BASE

Ryan Roberts – Arizona Diamondbacks
(.262/.348/.472, 39 R, 10 HR, 30 RBI, 9 SB)

You know what’s a travesty? Roberts isn’t even on the ballot. Not at third, not at second, nothing. That’s unacceptable. While Polanco is playing great and Headley is having a solid year, Roberts is contributing across the board and plays multiple positions. So I vote for Roberts in spirit and when I voted online, I selected Polanco.

SHORTSTOP

Jose Reyes – New York Mets
(.336/.380/.508, 54 R, 3 HR, 29 RBI, 26 SB)

This is more or less a toss-up between Tulowitzki and Reyes. But Reyes is having one hell of a year. The guy has a dozen triples. He’s getting on base, scoring runs and stealing bases. What puts him over the top for me is Reyes’ OPS (.888) beats out Tulo’s (.841). If Tulowitzki was hitting a little better, it’d be a different story.

LEFT FIELD

Ryan Braun – Milwaukee Brewers
(.310/.395/.557, 54 R, 15 HR, 51 RBI, 16 SB)

There’s no good reason to not like Braun. If there is, I bet it has to do with an emotion-based opinion of him and nothing to do with his game. He does it all and is in the prime of his career. Nobody is even playing close to his level right now in the NL at left field. Braun’s WAR is 3.4, the next closest player is Martin Prado with 1.7.

CENTER FIELD

Matt Kemp – Los Angeles Dodgers
(.321/.411/.608, 47 R, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 20 SB)

This would be Kemp’s first ASG and it’s well-deserved. While he leaves a lot to be desired as a fielder, he’s mashing the ball. His closest competition is of course Andrew McCutchen, but head-to-head, the numbers are completely in Kemp’s favor. He’s on pace for a 40/40 season as well, in case you needed another reason to be convinced of his performance.

RIGHT FIELD

Justin Upton – Arizona Diamondbacks
(.305/.386/.530, 42 R, 12 HR, 39 RBI, 13 SB)

Although Berkman has better numbers, Upton’s 3.3 WAR puts him in. Berkman has also cooled off significantly since his hot April. And after a noticeable decline in his stats last season, Upton definitely deserves the honor of being fan voted into the ASG, especially in front of his home crowd.

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

June 22, 2011 – Matt De Lima 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 AL ballot! Note: All stats are updated as of 6/22/2011. CATCHER Brian [...]