SAY WHAT!?

Oh yes I just used that line. For those of you unaccustomed to the phrase, you have to tilt your head at a 45 degree and say “say” at .5 octaves higher than normal and the say “what” at 2.5 octaves higher than normal tone. 

Oh right! BASEBALL….again, (this dude is boring me)

Well I have news for you, I…don’t….. care!  Give me the breakdown B

One and one player only in the outfield causes me to go into a rage for this all-star rant. Josh “Mother Flipping” Hamilton! He is now my goto for why fans shouldn’t vote in All-stars. I’m not even going to really go into it, BUT, here are his and 5 other outfielders in the AL who are not starters at the all-star game, all of these men made the game, but Hamilton is a starter. BREAKITONDOWN!

Josh Hamilton       Avg 240 OBP 290 HR 6 RBI 24 Runs 20 Sb 3  GP 32 Vs 

Carl Crawford         Avg 318 OBP 376 HR 8 RBI 38 Runs 56 Sb 41  GP 82

Curtis Granderson Avg 255 OBP 339 HR 18 RBI 43 Runs 51 Sb 15  GP 81

Torii Hunter           Avg 307 OBP 382 HR 17 RBI 65 Runs 56 Sb 13  GP 76 *My Pick

Adam Jones           Avg 305 OBP 361 HR 12 RBI 46 Runs 52 Sb 6  GP 75

Ben Zobrist             Avg 290 OBP 400 HR 16 RBI 46 Runs 43 Sb 8  GP 75

Did you read all that? Good! Do you see what I am seeing. I even had to add one more stat to the lineup, Games Played. Hamilton has got to be the least deserving player in the history of baseball to go to the big game. He bats under 250, I will use a Johnny Mac analogy again. You remember that year when Johnny Mac Played over 100 games? Well if you do you will remember that he hit .251! WHAT?! The old time utility player hits better average than an all-star?! 

Case Closed!

By the way I chose Torii Hunter as my starter from that group but ultimately I would have put Lind out there as he, despite being primarily a DH has the same if not better stats than that group. When it all comes down to it, if he doesn’t make the team, I blame Josh Hamilton AND the voters who shouldn’t exist. 

Jomo Out!

The results are in for the all-star game save 2 players to be selected in the final vote. 

Who would have predicted the end result. Last time we were together I was complaining that Aaron Hill would almost certainly not make the AL sqaud, but he did, and the countering Ian Kinsler did not. I can’t say I understand how Kinsler didn’t make it. He had SO many votes, but apparently Pedroia (2008 My Verybad Player [2008 MVP]) won the starter spot at 2b even though he is having at best a good year (not great.. good) I will stat breakdown the 3 players because, well, I like doing it.

Pedroia  Avg 290 OBP 368 RBI 36 Runs 59 HR 3 Sb 14

Hill         Avg 299 OBP 339 RBI 59 Runs 50 HR 20 Sb 3

Kinsler   Avg 253 OBP 332 RBI 51 Runs 59 HR 19 Sb 16

I look these stats over and I see once again Kinsler and Hill as equals, Hill hits better average but Kinsler steals bases. Pedroia although having a good season, has hit only 3 home runs (Johnny MacDonald has hit 1 this year), and doesn’t bring home as many runners (RBI’s). The other thing is Runs is kind of a dumb statistic as it relies on other people bringing you across the plate, more than anything it is a luck stat that Pedroia is taking advantage of, I am still trying to figure out how he was MVP last year.

So overall I am very happy that Aaron Hill has made the squad, he deserves it. If he keeps up his pace he should be the league MVP. Going by what the last AL MVP did, I would say a 40 home run 90-100 rbi season with a .300 avg should do it, but let us wait and talk about that in 82 games.

Final Vote is on at MLB.com for the final player in each league (AL/NL). Adam Lind is on the ballot and is at this point edging out Ian Kinsler and Carlos Pena.