After seeing this article yesterday updating the latest National League All-Star vote totals, we thought it would be wise to offer our loyal MLJ readers our substantive and always* flawless analysis.

The No-Doubt Club:

1B Lance Berkman, 2B Chase Utley, 3B Chipper Jones,

The fans got these right. Albert Pujols is the only one who has a legitimate case. He’s the best defensive first baseman in the league, and his defensive value probably makes him worth a little bit more than Berkman, but missing three weeks with an injured calf will effectively kill any chance Pujols had to start the game. When you consider his defense at second base, Utley has been the best player in baseball, and he should be the 3rd Philly in a row to win the MVP. And unlike Rollins and Howard, Utley will actually deserve it!

The No Way In Hell Club:

OF Ken Griffey, Jr., SS Miguel Tejada

Reds fans don’t even want Griffey playing OF every day in Great American Ballpark, let alone representing the National League in the All-Star Game. A pretty strong case can be made for Griffey being the worst everday player in the all of MLB. He has a 100 OPS+, which is perfectly average for an MLB player. However, it’s terrible for an offensive position like right field. Also, Griffey could easily be the worst defensive outfielder in the game. Add it all up, and you have a player who is replacement level (if I’m being generious). Look, I love Junior. He’s one of the best of all-time, but his time in the sun is long gone. Let’s give Nate McLouth (who?) and his .301/.392/.574/152 OPS+ Junior’s spot in the line-up and let him play center field; the kid deserves it. As for SS, it’s so obviously Hanley Ramirez that I would be doing you a disservice if I wasted your time stating why he should be starting. You’re MLJ readers; you** know why he’s deserving.

The Drunk Chicago Fans Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Vote Club:

OF Alfonso Soriano, OF Kosuke Fukudome, C Geovany Soto

Way to go, Chicago. As of today’s voting, you were able to get three of your players into undeserving spots in the starting line-up. Granted, the country of Japan may also have something to do with Fukudome’s vote total, but that doesn’t help my argument. I’d rather blame it all on those pesky Chicagoans. First, Alfonso Soriano: His 123 OPS+ is solid if not spectacular, but a .330 OBP for a guy who gets pissy if he doesn’t get to bad leadoff just doesn’t cut the mustard. He’s out. Next, Fukudome: I don’t care how great his defense is in right field. A 113 OPS+ and no power from a corner outfield spot leaves a lot to be desired. Out. Finally, Geovany Soto. This is hard from an emotional standpoint. He’s obviously not the best catcher in the National League, but he’s been an amazing player for my fantasy team. Luckily for our 12 readers, we saber nerds were raised by computers from a young age to be emotionless bastards. He’s out, too.

Who deserves the final three spots? Catcher is easy. Brian McCann has been a monster this year (.301/.384/.573/151 OPS+). He’s hitting like an elite 1B while playing the toughest position on the field. The last two outfield spots get a little trickier. The usual suspects like Carlos Beltran and the aforementioned Ken Griffey, Jr. are both having subpar years. Josh Hamilton would be a great choice if the Reds hadn’t traded him (Have I mentioned the Reds management sucks lately?) to the American League. Also, I like to actually have a left fielder play left field and a right fielder play right field, which further compounds the problem. None of that 3 center fielders in one outfield BS for MLJ. The right fielder has to be Ryan Ludwick. He has been torching the baseball this year to the tune of .318/.388/.667/172 OPS+. The man started out on fire and has never let up. Left field is easily the toughest position to fill in the entire lineup. But rather than bore you with even more flawless analysis, I think I’ll just be a homer and pick Adam Dunn and his National League leading 56 walks. Maybe that wasn’t so tough after all.

The Lineup:

Hanley SS

Dunn LF

Utley 2B

Chipper 3B

Berkman 1B

McCann C

Ludwick RF

McLouth CF

I’ve always wanted to see Dunn hit second; look into that, Dusty.

*Except for Hef, Gonzo, Roman, Spence, Stigs, Clown, and Nomo

**Unless you are TBL commenter RumealRobinson

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