Pitcher List’s 2018 American League All-Star Votes

The staff was discussing last week how All-Star Voting is effectively a popularity contest; if a player’s team has a lot of fans or very passionate fans, he could end up starting the All-Star game over someone more qualified. So we decided to vote for the game ourselves. Who are the most deserving players for the All-Star game? Effectively, if statistics ruled the day and the best players started, who would they be? Here are the staff picks

CATCHER

Wilson Ramos (Tampa Bay Rays)- 7 votes

Gary Sanchez (New York Yankees)- 4 votes

Yan Gomes (Cleveland Indians)- 1 vote

Max Stassi (Houston Astros)- 1 vote

Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals)- 1 vote

FIRST BASE

Jose Abreu (Chicago White Sox)- 10 votes

Matt Olson (Oakland Athletics)- 2 votes

Mitch Moreland (Boston Red Sox)- 2 votes

SECOND BASE

Jose Altuve (Houston Astros)- 11 votes

Gleyber Torres (New York Yankees)- 3 votes

THIRD BASE

Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Indians)- 14 votes

SHORTSTOP

Manny Machado (Baltimore Orioles)- 6 votes

Francisco Lindor (Cleveland Indians)- 4 votes

Andrelton Simmons (Los Angeles Angels)- 3 votes

Jean Segura (Seattle Mariners)- 1 vote

OUTFIELD (3)

Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)- 14 votes

Mookie Betts (Boston Red Sox)- 14 votes

Andrew Benintendi (Boston Red Sox)- 7 votes

Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)- 5 votes

Eddie Rosario (Minnesota Twins)- 1 vote

Nicholas Castellanos (Detroit Tigers)- 1 vote

DESIGNATED HITTER

J.D. Martinez (Boston Red Sox)- 14 votes

STARTING PITCHER (5)

Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox)- 14 votes

Luis Severino (New York Yankees)- 14 votes

Justin Verlander (Houston Astros)- 14 votes

Corey Kluber (Cleveland Indians)- 11 votes

Gerrit Cole (Houston Astros)- 8 votes

Trevor Bauer (Cleveland Indians)- 7 votes

James Paxton (Seattle Mariners)- 2 votes

RELIEF PITCHER (5)

Aroldis Chapman (New York Yankees)- 14 votes

Edwin Diaz (Seattle Mariners)- 14 votes

Blake Treinen (Oakland Athletics)- 13 votes

Craig Kimbrel (Boston Red Sox)- 9 votes

Joe Jimenez (Detroit Tigers)- 6 votes

Chad Green (New York Yankees)- 6 votes

Hector Rondon (Houston Astros)- 5 votes

Dellin Betances (New York Yankees)- 3 votes

You can see the full voting below:

	Nick Pollack	Ben Palmer	Dave Cherman	Andy Patton	Michael Augustine	Adam Garland	Alex Fast
C	Gary Sanchez	Wilson Ramos"}”>Wilson Ramos	Gary Sanchez	Salvador Perez"}”>Salvador Perez	Wilson Ramos"}”>Wilson Ramos	Wilson Ramos"}”>Wilson Ramos	Wilson Ramos"}”>Wilson Ramos
1B	Jose Abreu	Jose Abreu	Matt Olson"}”>Matt Olson	Matt Olson"}”>Matt Olson	Jose Abreu	Jose Abreu	Jose Abreu
2B	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve	Gleyber Torres"}”>Gleyber Torres	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve
SS	Manny Machado"}”>Manny Machado	Manny Machado"}”>Manny Machado	Francisco Lindor"}”>Francisco Lindor	Jean Segura"}”>Jean Segura	Andrelton Simmons"}”>Andrelton Simmons	Francisco Lindor"}”>Francisco Lindor	Andrelton Simmons"}”>Andrelton Simmons
3B	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez
OF	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout
OF	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts
OF	Aaron Judge"}”>Aaron Judge	Eddie Rosario"}”>Eddie Rosario	Aaron Judge"}”>Aaron Judge	Nicholas Castellanos	Andrew Benintendi"}”>Andrew Benintendi	Andrew Benintendi"}”>Andrew Benintendi	Andrew Benintendi"}”>Andrew Benintendi
DH	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez
SP	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale
SP	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Justin Verlander"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino
SP	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Luis Severino"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander
SP	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Gerrit Cole"}”>Gerrit Cole	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Gerrit Cole"}”>Gerrit Cole	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Gerrit Cole"}”>Gerrit Cole	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber
SP	Trevor Bauer"}”>Trevor Bauer	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Trevor Bauer"}”>Trevor Bauer	Trevor Bauer"}”>Trevor Bauer	James Paxton"}”>James Paxton	James Paxton"}”>James Paxton	Trevor Bauer"}”>Trevor Bauer
RP	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz
RP	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman
RP	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel	Chad Green"}”>Chad Green	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel	Chad Green"}”>Chad Green
RP	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Jose Jimenez	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen
RP	Hector Rondon	Chad Green"}”>Chad Green	Joe Jimenez	Joe Jimenez	Hector Rondon	Hector Rondon	Joe Jimenez

 

	Austin Perodeau	Rick Graham	Austin Bristow II	Jonathan Metzelaar	Jeff Davis	Grayson Blazek	Andrew Gould
C	Max Stassi "}”>Max Stassi	Gary Sanchez	Yan Gomes"}”>Yan Gomes	Wilson Ramos"}”>Wilson Ramos	Gary Sanchez	Wilson Ramos"}”>Wilson Ramos	Wilson Ramos"}”>Wilson Ramos
1B	Mitch Moreland"}”>Mitch Moreland	Jose Abreu	Jose Abreu	Jose Abreu	Jose Abreu	Jose Abreu	Mitch Moreland"}”>Mitch Moreland
2B	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve	Jose Altuve "}”>Jose Altuve	Gleyber Torres"}”>Gleyber Torres	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve	Gleyber Torres"}”>Gleyber Torres	Jose Altuve"}”>Jose Altuve
SS	Manny Machado"}”>Manny Machado	Francisco Lindor"}”>Francisco Lindor	Andrelton Simmons "}”>Andrelton Simmons	Manny Machado"}”>Manny Machado	Manny Machado"}”>Manny Machado	Manny Machado"}”>Manny Machado	Francisco Lindor"}”>Francisco Lindor
3B	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez	Jose Ramirez
OF	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout "}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout	Mike Trout"}”>Mike Trout
OF	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts	Mookie Betts"}”>Mookie Betts
OF	Andrew Benintendi "}”>Andrew Benintendi	Andrew Benintendi"}”>Andrew Benintendi	Andrew Benintendi "}”>Andrew Benintendi	Andrew Benintendi"}”>Andrew Benintendi	Aaron Judge"}”>Aaron Judge	Aaron Judge"}”>Aaron Judge	Aaron Judge"}”>Aaron Judge
DH	J.D Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez "}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez	JD Martinez	J.D. Martinez"}”>J.D. Martinez
SP	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale	Chris Sale"}”>Chris Sale
SP	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino "}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino	Luis Severino"}”>Luis Severino
SP	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander "}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander	Justin Verlander"}”>Justin Verlander
SP	Gerrit Cole"}”>Gerrit Cole	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber	Corey Kluber"}”>Corey Kluber
SP	Trevor Bauer"}”>Trevor Bauer	Gerrit Cole"}”>Gerrit Cole	Gerrit Cole"}”>Gerrit Cole	Gerrit Cole"}”>Gerrit Cole	Gerrit Cole"}”>Gerrit Cole	Trevor Bauer"}”>Trevor Bauer	Trevor Bauer"}”>Trevor Bauer
RP	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz	Edwin Diaz"}”>Edwin Diaz
RP	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman	Aroldis Chapman"}”>Aroldis Chapman
RP	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel	Chad Green"}”>Chad Green	Chad Green"}”>Chad Green	Chad Green"}”>Chad Green	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel
RP	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen	Craig Kimbrel"}”>Craig Kimbrel	Blake Treinen"}”>Blake Treinen
RP	Dellin Betances"}”>Dellin Betances	Joe Jimenez	Dellin Betances "}”>Dellin Betances	Dellin Betances"}”>Dellin Betances	Joe Jimenez	Hector Rondon	Hector Rondon

You’ll notice a few players received only one vote, others were unanimous. Let’s hear from some of the staff about their picks.

Max Stassi– “Max Stassi on a per plate appearance basis is the best catcher in the American league so far this season. He currently leads all AL catchers in wRC+, SLG%, ISO, and wOBA. He is also 3rd in OBP, and neck-and-neck in fWAR with the likes of Gary Sanchez despite 120 fewer plate appearances. Stassi may not get the votes from my fellow writers because of the lack of at-bats, but he deserves recognition for how he has produced when in the Astros lineup”- Austin Perodeau

There’s some debate on who the American League shortstop should be. Here’s the staff defending each choice:

Manny Machado– “My dude Machado is top-five among ALL shortstops in AVG (4th), OPS (1st), wRC+ (1st), and ISO (2nd). He leads all shortstops with 19 homers. He’s already accumulated more fWAR this year (2.7) than he had all of last year (2.5). And from a sentimental perspective, it’d be great to see him play his last All-Star game in an Orioles uniform so close to the Baltimore fans.”- Jonathan Metzelaar

Francisco Lindor– “Simmons’ calling card is his defense. But he hasn’t been all that much better defensively than Lindor. Lindor has 10 DRS to Simmons’ 8. Simmons leads in UZR 6.5 to 5.9, and they’re tied in dWAR at 1.4. Meanwhile, Machado is last among qualified SS’s in DRS (-16), UZR/150 (-14.6), and Defensive Rating (-2.9). Yikes. Regardless of what Machado has done with the bat, that’s unspeakably bad defense and I can’t reward it with an All-Star game nod. Lindor is 2nd among AL SS’s in OPS and wOBA, 1st in both bWAR and fWAR (4th among all position players in baseball in both), 1st in R+RBI, 3rd in SLG%, 3rd in ISO, and 2nd in Hard Hit%. The only AL SS’s better than him in any of those stats are Machado and Eduardo Escobar, who is probably the second worst defensive SS in the game. As far as Segura goes, he’s having a great season, but there’s not one thing besides batting average that he’s doing better than Lindor- and Lindor even beats him in OBP”- Dave Cherman

Andrelton Simmons– “Andrelton Simmons’s All-Star Game resumé begins with his defense, where he had been acknowledged as the most valuable defensive player in all of baseball for the past few years. As fantasy baseball analysts, we often don’t regard defensive prowess as highly as we ought to; it is half the game after all. This year, in particular, Simmons has stood out with his bat as well. In a year when strikeouts are more common than hits, Simba has only been sat down on strikes 11 times in 238 at-bats. His 4.1 K% is phenomenal when compared to the 22.4% league average rate. Elite defense paired with elite contact skills is an all-star in my book, and Simmons has my vote.”- Austin Bristow II

Jean Segura– “Sure the .372 BABIP is a little misleading, but it’s hard to ignore Segura’s .334 batting average, good for third in all of baseball. Lindor, Machado, and Segura all deserve to be All-Stars, but Segura has been the life-blood of this jumpstart Mariners team. He is striking out at just a 14.2% clip, and his 14 steals are second only to Tim Anderson among AL shortstops. He’s also playing some of the best defense of his career. Segura has done enough to earn a vote from me, even amongst a stacked group of shortstops in the AL.” – Andy Patton

 

Nicholas Castellanos– “Castellanos continues to remain a sabermetrics darling. He’s sporting a staggering 48.3% hard-hit rate, sixth in all of baseball. His 28.5% line drive rate leads the American League and puts him fifth in all of baseball. Although his nine home runs on the year is a bit disappointing, xHR has him pegged for 12 on the year. I have no doubt a power surge is coming for the right fielder, which should place him firmly among the elite class of American League outfielders. Castellanos is a bona fide star on the offensive side of the ball. His defense leaves, a lot, I mean a lot, to be desired, but he deserves to make his first All-Star game as the undisputed leader of this somewhat surprising Tigers squad.” – Andy Patton

We also had a near tie for the last pitcher spot. Here are two staff veterans sharing the rationale behind their choices:

Trevor Bauer– “I had a tough time deciding between Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, and in the end in came down to consistency. Bauer’s 2.44 ERA is actually elevated over his 2.25 FIP due to a .302 BABIP and 75.0% LOB rate, numbers that display how he’s deserved the constant success through the year and isn’t a product of an incredible eight start run. Meanwhile, Cole’s fantastic 2.58 ERA is on the back on his brilliant opening to 2018, while still forunate with a .237 BABIP and 84% LOB mark. There is a big separation in HRs allowed – Bauer’s 5.4% HR/FB and Cole’s 13.1% HR/FB create their distinctions – though I’d argue for All-Star voting, showcasing HR suppression should be rewarded. Both are stud pitchers and there is no wrong answer here, and Cole’s recent downward trend with Bauer continued high performance makes me more inclined to reward him with a vote.”- Nick Pollack

Gerrit Cole– “Cole and Bauer are extremely close, and if you wanted to argue Bauer over Cole, I’d have a hard time telling you you’re totally wrong, but I ended up going with Cole simply because he’s just been a little bit better this year. The ERAs are comparable (Bauer at 2.44 and Cole at 2.59), but Cole has the better K/9 at a gaudy 12.34, and a killer WHIP at 0.89—also better than Bauer’s. Still, like I said, the two are absurdly close for me.”- Ben Palmer

Who do you agree with? Who do you not agree with? We’d love to hear your thoughts.