All-Stars: NL Player Ballot

Without further ado: Here are the players chosen by the players to appear on the National League's All-Star squad:

NL Player Ballot: BATTERS

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POS	Name	swp	swp/g	Team	WAR
C	Brian McCann	768	11.5	ATL	2.5
1B	Adrian Gonzalez	1,099	14.3	SD	3.6
2B	Martin Prado	1,060	13.6	ATL	2.2
SS	Troy Tulowitzki*	917	14.8	COL	2.5
	Jose Reyes	1,036	14.2	NYM	1.0
3B	Scott Rolen	1,046	14.7	STL	2.5
OF	Corey Hart	1,094	15.6	MIL	2.5
OF	Matt Holliday	1,036	13.6	STL	2.6
OF	Marlon Byrd	940	12.2	CHC	1.7

McCann is a good pick, as he leads NL catchers in both OPS and WAR. Prado will start in place of the injured Chase Utley - which actually works out in terms of the numbers, as Prado's OPS is 25 points higher than Utley's (the two are tied in terms of WAR). The shortstop choice vindicates me once again: Tulowitzki received the most votes at the position (who's incidentally worth half a win more than starter Hanley Ramirez), but he'll be replaced because of injury.

Rolen and Ryan Zimmerman (another FINAL VOTE candidate) are neck and neck in terms of performance, but Rolen gets the edge in voting because he has shown somewhat of a career resurgence (see also the presence of Corey Hart and Marlon Byrd, the latter of which seems to be getting some retroactive credit for his great 2009 in Texas).

If Jason Heyward isn't able to play because of injury, his replacement in the lineup will likely come from this group. Byrd seems the most apt choice, roster-wise, because of his ability to play center field (the other two starters are corner guys Ryan Braun and Andre Ethier). But He's currently being beaten in the balloting by two superior (offensive) players. We'll see what happens.

The most notable snub here is NL OPS leader Joey Votto, but he's all but assured a spot through the FINAL VOTE proceedings. But plenty of experts have already written about snubs, so I'll leave the subject (at least until later).

NL Player Ballot: PITCHERS

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POS	Name	swp	swp/g	Team	WAR
SP	Ubaldo Jimenez	1,561	97.6	COL	4.2
	Roy Halladay	1,371	80.6	PHI	4.2
	Josh Johnson	1,396	87.3	FLA	4.5
	Tim Lincecum	1,086	67.9	SF	2.2
	Adam Wainwright	1,427	83.9	STL	3.7
RP	Matt Capps	845	23.5	WAS	0.2
	Brian Wilson	1,015	32.7	SF	1.7
	Jonathan Broxton	962	28.3	LAD	1.5

If the NL has ever had a chance of overcoming its 12-year winless streak, it has to be this year because of the unbelievable selection of pitchers. Even after falling back to earth somewhat, Ubaldo Jimenez is still having an unreal (read: unsustainable?) year. Not only has Halladay thrown a perfect game (like Dallas Braden) but he has also managed to win a game since then (unlike Dallas Braden). Josh Johnson might be the best pitcher in the league (he is according to ERA and WAR). Lincecum is scary, even if he's not performing up to his career standards. And Wainwright is his characteristic awesome self.

The relievers constitute a group of unexpected success stories (Capps) and absolute badasses (MMA enthusiast Brian Wilson & 6'4" 300 lb. Jonathan Broxton). Not bad for one-inning guys in a format where every pitcher is essentially a one-inning guy.

Next post will round out the All-Star teams (Manager's Picks), which will hopefully provide adequate preparation for all you fans seeking a more complete picture of the 2010 Midsummer Classic.