All-Star Game thoughts

Thank goodness Joey Votto (.314/.422/.589 with 22 home runs) was elected to the National League All-Star team via the Final Vote.  Billy Wagner, Carlos Gonzalez, and Ryan Zimmerman are great players and were all worthy of roster spots, but Votto should have been the NL’s starting first baseman over Albert Pujols, and it would have been a travesty had he not made it in the end.  Votto leads the NL in both On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage and is tied for the lead in home runs; if the season ended today, he’d likely be voted the league’s Most Valuable Player.  It’s too bad, then, that Votto went 0-2 and did not make an impact in the game.  (Each of the other first basemen on the National League side – Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Adrian Gonzalez – went 0-2 as well.)

In case you missed it, the pitchers who looked the most dominant among all the flame-throwing hurlers who took the mound on Tuesday night were not the starters, Ubaldo Jimenez and David Price.  The best of the best were Florida’s Josh Johnson, who looked strong in retiring all six hitters he faced – all of them starters for the American League – and Detroit closer Jose Valverde, who struck out the side in order in the top of the ninth to at least give the AL a chance to make a dramatic comeback.  Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, and Phil Hughes, like Jimenez, each gave up a couple of hits and Jonathan Broxton, who earned the save all showed they are not untouchable. 

How ‘bout that?

How about Paul Konerko?  Konerko’s .297 batting average, 20 home runs, and 63 Runs Batted In put him on pace for his best season since 2006, when the White Sox slugger hit .313 with 35 long balls and drove in 113.  Since then, Konerko hasn’t hit higher than .277 (last year) and his max RBI total is 90 (2007).  Konerko is one of the major reasons the South Siders entered the All-Star break leading the AL Central.

How about Brennan Boesch?  The Tigers rookie, who began the season with Toledo but was promoted to the big leagues after Carlos Guillen wnet on the disabled list in April, has hit .342 with more home runs (12) and RBIs (49) than Jason Heyward (11 and 45).  He did not receive the honor of playing in the Midsummer Classic in his familiar Southern California, but should have been named to the American League squad.

How about the Reds?  Though they have lost four in a row, the Reds lead the NL Central by a half-game over the Cardinals.  Cincinnati has been fortunate to play in what is arguably the weakest division in the majors this year, but has earned its place in the standings with the best offense in the Senior Circuit (.272 average, 423 RBIs, and 437 runs lead the league and its 108 homers are second only to Milwaukee’s 111).  With Edinson Volquez set to return from a rehab assignment and make his season debut tomorrow against the Rockies (with yours truly hoping to attend), the Reds are in a good position to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

Steinbrenner’s Yankee legacy

The All-Star Game was not the only noteworthy event in the baseball world on Tuesday, as Yankees owner George Steinbrenner passed away at the age of 80. During his 37-year tenure as owner, Steinbrenner employed 15 different managers, who combined to lead the Yanks to five World Series titles and 11 pennants. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was building a dynasty that has seen the Bronx Bombers miss the playoffs just once since the 1994 Players Strike. Without a doubt, The Boss will not soon be forgotten.