Flame's World AL All-Star Starters

Ok, so lets start to break down the AL-Allstars. The AL is a much tougher decision to decide, because there is a lot more depth at each position. The AL is just a much stronger league and it shows with all of the potential all-stars. So lets begin:

Catcher - Joe Mauer - .390 AVG, 14 HR, 45 RBI, 1 SB, 1.133 OPS - This was actually a tough decision for catcher in the AL. But Mauer has been just off the charts this year and even missed a month. He has already set a career high in HR's and is flirting with hitting .400. He is also an out of this world defender. The other candidate is Victor Martinez.
First Base - Justin Morneau - .320 AVG, 20 HR, 67 RBI, .991 OPS - Morneau has been really strong the last month. This guy is having another MVP caliber year and will be one of the top hitters all year in baseball. Other candidates include Mark Texeira, Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Pena.

Second Base - Ian Kinsler - .256 AVG, 19 HR, 51 RBI, 16 SB, .833 OPS - Second base is really strong in the AL. I went with Kinsler and not Hill, because they have an identical OBP and Kinsler has more power and more speed. Aaron Hill is having a brilliant year, but I think Kinsler is the more complete ball player this year. Other candidates are Aaron Hill, Chone Figgins and Robinson Cano.

Third Base - Evan Longoria - .293 AVG, 16 HR, 63 RBI, 2 SB, .925 OPS - This young phenom has had a great first half of the year. He got off to an incredible start and has cooled off a bit due to injuries, but still is the premier third basemen in the AL. He is a pure hitter and a fantastic fielder as well. Other third basemen could have been, Kevin Youkilis and Brandon Inge.

Short Stop - Derek Jeter - .310 AVG, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 17 SB, .829 OPS - Jason Bartlett has been incredible this year for the Rays, but Jeter has held together a very fragile team in New York and his play has been just incredible. He has been great in more ways then one for the Yankees. I am just having a hard time leaving the Captain off of this list. The other candidate would be Jarson Bartlett.

Outfield - Carl Crawford - .318 AVG, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 40 SB, .833 OPS - Crawford has been such a dynamic player this year for the Rays. If he gets on base, its almost a sure thing he will steal the base. And he has been getting on base at a very high rate as well. He is having a major resurgence this year and definitely deserves a place on the all-star team.

Outfield - Tori Hunter - .303 AVG, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 13 SB, .942 OPS - Tori Hunter is quietly having a MVP season. He has carried the Angels back to first place all season. With Vlad hurt and struggling, Hunter has taken on all of the offensive burden this year. And his defense has been MVP caliber as well. This selection was a no brainer

Outfield -Adam Lind - .309 AVG, 17 HR, 55 RBI, 1 SB, .933 OPS - There are many, many qualified OF's in the AL this year. I went with Lind, becaue he has had a major impact this year in the AL. His power numbers are are really high among OF's and he certainly deserves this. His OPS is also much higher than Jason Bay's as well. Other OF's that could be included are Jason Bay, Johnny Damon, Nelson Cruz, Shin Soo Choo, Ichiro Suzuki, Jacoby Ellsbury and Adam Jones.

Starting Pitcher - Zach Greinke - 10-4, 2.00 ERA, 120 Ks, 19 BB - The AL has many amazing pitchers this year, but Greinke has truly been amazing. He currently leads the MLB in ERA and wins. He has a stellar K/BB ratio 6 and deserves this spot for the AL all-stars. Other candidates include Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Felix Hernandez, Jered Weaver and Kevin Millwood.