The 2010 All-Star Game will be bigger than any before it, at least Roster-ically speaking. Rosters have been expanded to 34 players, allowing for yet another pitcher just in case we get stuck in one of those embarrassing 7-7 tie (2002) or another 15-inning nailbiter (2009). The fans will continue to vote on the final player, as they have since 2002... except back then they were voting for the 30th member of the squad.
That's all well and good. If the powers that be want to make more people All-Stars, so be it. Pregame introductions will just take a little bit longer. And certain players will be getting more bonuses for being named All-Stars. Which will force owners to pay more to players, which could cause ticket prices to rise. Whatever. Not like that hasn't been the trend for the past decade...
With the ever-expanding roster, the convention of including at least one All-Star from each team won't be enough. I'd say that once the rosters reach 40, they'll have to amend it to include at least two All-Stars per team. But that's all speculation.
Seeing as the current rule still stands, I'd like to take some time and evaluate each roster for the players most likely to be selected by Messrs. Girardi and Manuel to back up the fans' selections. A month-and-a-half into the season's not too early for such an evaluation, right? I mean, it's not too early to vote on the actual All-Star starters, so there you go.
Let's start with the host team, the Anaheim (they're in Anaheim, so that's what we'll call them) Angels, and their division, the AL West.
Offensively for Anaheim, there's only one candidate: 1B Kendry Morales. Bobby Abreu hasn't taught him how to walk yet, a feat he supposedly performed on teammates Chone Figgins (last year) and Erick Aybar (this year). But he's got 7 home runs and a team-high .821 OPS (just edging Torii Hunter's .820). On the mound, Jered Weaver looks like a pretty strong candidate with a 2.66 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 4.70. New closer Fernando Rodney has been deceptively unimpressive (2.87 ERA, 0.91 K/BB) thus far.
Texas has a few batters that would be good fits. Elvis Andrus: defensive whiz of a shortstop, speedster (13 SB), walks as much as he strikes out (21/22) - no sophomore slump for this ROY-runner-up. Vladimir Guerrero has a chance now that every ASG (even when the NL hosts) will now feature a starting DH; fans love a good comeback story featuring a gimpy 35-year-old with bad knees who drives in runs (26). And Nelson Cruz has an OPS over 1.000 (he'll likely be recovered from his hamstring strain by Friday).
C.J. Wilson, in his first season as a full-time starter, has avoided giving up too many runs (1.51 ERA), but that's mostly due to his not having given up a home run yet, as his peripherals aren't great. His successor in the bullpen - phenom Neftali Feliz - has 9 saves and has struck out nearly 10 batters per nine innings.
The Oakland A's's anemic offense doesn't deserve to send anyone to the ASG this year. Their pitching is a different story. Dallas Braden has all but earned his spot with a WHIP under 1.000 and a perfect game under his belt. Their next most consistent starter, Brett Anderson, might have landed a spot (2.35 ERA) had he not been placed on the DL after just 4 starts. And closer Andrew Bailey hasn't allowed a run yet (fingers crossed, knock on wood) over 11+ innings and 6 saves.
I don't know how much they usually reward defense in the ASG, but Mariners CF Franklin Gutierrez (who's mostly known for his glovework) is also getting on base at close to a .400 clip this year. Ichiro has stolen 9 bases, but hits only singles (.326 avg, .388 slg). Doug Fister's such a surprise/no-name that I wouldn't be surprised if he was passed up this year (despite his league-leading 0.881 WHIP). If Cliff Lee continues to pitch well (he's made only 2 starts this year due to injury) his name recognition could propel him above his more-deserving teammate.
There's my prognosis. I'd be surprised if the West is represented by anyone not among this group. Anyone want to take bets?
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