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2006 All Star Picks: Hitters!
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2006 All Star Picks: The Hitters
by Tony Aubry, BaseballEvolution.com
July 1, 2006


Tony Aubry

Since Keith and Richard have gotten into a little dispute over all-star picks, I decided to pick my own team. Richard uses: BA, OBP, SLG, AVG. w/ RISP, HR, and RBI. I’m more of a “stat geek” and will be taking a different approach. For batters, I will compare: OBP, SLG, OPS, HR, RBI, R, and WARP3. (Wins above average replacement player)      For defense, I’ll compare FRAA (Fielding runs above average)

 

 

AL Catchers

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

CERA

CS%

Posada

.400

.474

.874

10

30

42

7.0

4

4.21

27

Mauer

.458

.538

.996

5

43

37

10.0

4

4.25

42

Martinez

.364

.462

.826

10

39

50

4.8

-8

5.00

15

Hernandez

.351

.524

.875

15

32

59

7.3

3

5.26

53

 

 

Mauer does deserve to start the game, but it wasn’t as obvious as I thought. Mauer has the highest WARP by a healthy margin. His OPS is EXCELLENT considering he’s a catcher. Mauer also leads the pack in runs scored. Ramon Hernandez is having an excellent year, and he’s doing it quietly. He has the most HR and RBI. He also has a superb CS%

 

Starter- Mauer

 

 

 

NL Catchers

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

CERA

CS%

Martin

.363

.444

.807

4

23

33

5.0

7

3.86

31

McCann

.416

.512

.928

5

22

23

5.9

3

4.66

36

Barrett

.370

.508

.878

8

26

30

2.8

-11

4.56

20

Estrada

.326

.458

.784

6

25

41

3.7

0

4.32

30

 

This is really tough. It really comes down to either Martin or McCann. McCann’s OBP, SLG, and OPS really blows Martin’s out of the water. However, Martin has produced more runs and is a little bit better defensively. I’m going to give to McCann because of his higher WARP3.

 

Starter- McCann

 

 

 

AL First Baseman

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

Thome

.413

.603

1.019

24

60

63

6.8

Giambi

.428

.620

1.048

23

49

62

6.1

Hafner

.453

.620

1.073

21

60

62

8.8

Ortiz

.375

.542

.920

22

52

69

5.5




 

 

 

 

As you can tell, I left Konerko off the list. Why? Because both Thome and Konerko play for the same team, and Thome has been better. Thome is a DH, but Konerko has been mediocre at best in the field anyway.  Hafner easily wins the starting role. He leads in 5 out of 7 categories.  The second string choice is much tougher. It comes down to either Giambi or Thome. Giambi leads in the first 3 categories, but Thome leads the last three. Thome’s WARP3 is a tiny bit better than Giambi’s. 

 

Starter- Hafner

 

NL First Basemen

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

Garciaparra

.424

.590

1.014

10

46

47

6.0

-3

Howard

.350

.618

.968

27

42

68

4.5

-8

Berkman

.414

.562

.976

22

41

70

8.4

5

Pujols

.436

.712

1.148

26

55

67

10

10

           

 

This really isn’t close. Not only has Pujols been terrific in the batters box; he’s also played an exceptionally well first base. I must say, two things surprised me while I made this chart. A) How well Nomar has played. B) I thought Howard was playing much better than what these numbers show. Garciparra has a pretty impressive OPS. However, he hasn’t produced as much runs as you want out of your first baseman. He also has played a weak first base.  Berkman, on the other hand, has played well all around. He leads the majors in RBI and has a nice OPS to go along with those RBI. He has also played well at first.

 

Starter- Pujols

 

AL Second Basemen

 

                              

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

Cano

.353

.439

.792

4

34

27

7.0

10

Loretta

.365

.407

.772

2

37

32

8.1

1

Iguchi

.349

.430

.779

8

55

37

4.1

-3

Roberts

.383

.415

.798

1

36

30

4.6

-4

 

This is probably the closet race of all the AL positions. Every player leads in at least one category.  To be honest, you could make a case for any of these players, and there wouldn’t be an argument. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I’m going to take Cano. Hometown bias? Maybe, but I’ll give my reasons. He leads in SLG and is 2nd in OPS. He has the most FRAA, and the second highest WARP3. He has the least RBI and R, but he has the second lowest amount of At Bats.

 

Starter- Cano

 

 

NL Second Basemen

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

Uggla

.365

.530

.895

13

49

43

8.9

9

Utley

.362

.503

.865

15

63

45

8.6

-7

Phillips

.356

.456

.812

7

36

44

4.5

-4

Carroll

.402

.441

843

3

39

13

6.4

12

 

 

This comes down to Uggla and Utley. Uggla is surprising everyone and is probably going to have a career year. He has a robust OPS and leads all the candidates in SLG. He also edges Utley in WARP3. Utley, however, has the most HR, R, and RBI, but his defense hurts him here.

 

Starter-Uggla

 

 

AL Third Basemen

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

A-Rod

.390

.496

.886

15

56

55

5.8

-6

Lowell

.362

.507

.869

9

39

40

7.6

8

Crede

.335

.519

.854

14

44

54

7.0

11

Blalock

.359

.450

.809

11

46

54

3.5

-9

 

Another close race. To me, it comes down to Crede and A-Rod. Crede has played a much better third base, but has he been better offensively? No. A-Rod, on a down year, still produces more runs than Crede. A-Rod leads by a healthy margin in OPS. Crede’s inability to take a walk really hurts him here.

 

Starter- A-Rod

 

 

NL Third Basemen

 

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

Rolen

.409

.568

.977

10

49

50

9.4

12

Cabrera

.442

.573

1.015

12

57

52

9.8

0

Wright

.394

.587

.981

18

50

64

7.3

-9

Sanchez

.397

.527

.924

5

45

41

7.5

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a perfect world, all of these players would make the team. Unforutantley, we don’t live in a perfect world. Sanchez is having a great year. If you asked average fans who Sanchez is, they probably wouldn’t know. However, as good of a year as he’s having, it’s not good enough to start. Most people are going to pick Wright because A) he plays in New York, B) He has the most HR, and C) He has the most RBI. However, he has played a poor third base and has the lowest WARP3 out of the contenders. My starter is going to be Cabrera. He has the highest WARP3 and OPS. He has also produced the most runs.

 

Starter- Cabrera

 

 

AL Shortstop

 

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

Jeter

.424

.458

.882

5

51

46

7.9

-2

Young

.369

.448

.817

5

45

50

9.3

14

Tejada

.370

.519

.889

15

57

57

8.4

1

Cabrera

.364

.436

.800

5

54

44

6.2

-3

 

Despite Cabrera reaching base in 57 games, he still has a low OBP. His inability to walk and field his position hurts him here.  Young also has a mediocre OBP, which hurts his OPS. However, he has fielded his position very well, but not well enough to start, in my opinion. I’m going to give the spot to Tejada. He has produced the most runs, and has the highest OPS to go along with his steady play in the field.

 

Starter- Tejada

 

 

NL Shortstop

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

Renteria

.380

.439

.819

8

44

30

6.5

3

Vizquel

.388

.403

.791

3

47

24

6.1

2

Reyes

.351

.479

.830

8

67

36

7.7

2

Hall

.323

.567

.890

15

46

39

5.5

-2

 

 

Very close. I’m going to take Reyes. He leads the pack in runs by a wide margin. He also has the second most RBI, while having the highest WARP3.

 

Starter- Reyes

 

 

 

AL Outfielders

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

Sizemore

.381

.552

.933

16

65

39

9.7

1

Ramirez

.435

.597

1.032

20

47

53

7.3

-7

Ichiro

.404

.440

.844

4

61

27

7.1

-3

Wells

.383

.607

.990

20

45

62

7.0

-10

Dye

.396

.615

1.011

20

45

55

7.7

2

Swisher

.387

.587

.974

19

58

49

7.2

1

Ibanez

.357

.535

.892

17

51

63

6.8

0

Rios

.383

.585

.968

15

46

53

7.5

2

Ordonez

.364

.521

.885

15

43

57

5.0

-5

 

Surprisingly, none of these outfielders have played an exceptionally good outfield. Jermaine Dye has the most fielding runs above average out of the pack, and he only has 2. A lot of these outfielders are having very good years with the stick, and I’m going to have to nit-pick to only choose 3. My first pick is going to be Sizemore. He has the highest WARP3 by a pretty good margin. He leads the pack with runs scored, and has produced the second most runs. The first guy I’m going to knock off is Ichiro. I know he’s not a power hitter, but 27 RBI just isn’t going to cut it. He also owns the lowest OPS. Next guy that is going to get cut is Ordonez. He has the second lowest OPS, the lowest WARP3, and has -5 fielding runs. Sorry, Mags. The next player that is going start will be Man-Ram. He has a gaudy OPS and is tied with the most HR. He also has the highest OBP and third highest SLG. This is where it REALLY gets hard. The third spot is really up in the air. My choice is going to be Dye. He has the second highest OPS, and WARP3, while having the highest SLG and FRAA.

 

Starting 3- Manny, Dye, Sizemore

 

 

NL Outfielders

 

 

 

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR

R

RBI

WARP3

FRAA

Abreu

.446

.475

.921

8

52

53

6.7

-4

Bay

.401

.549

.950

20

49

57

8.2

4

A. Jones

.350

.517

.867

18

47

65

6.6

1

Beltran

.403

.625

1.028

22

58

62

10.0

8

Lee

.347

.583

.930

25

52

64

5.0

-11

Soriano

.336

.542

.878

24

56

61

6.1

-2

Hawpe

.392

.553

.945

14

33

45

6.6

5

Holliday

.396

.614

1.010

15

56

54

6.7

-4

 

 

Carlos Beltran is having an absolute MONSTER year. He leads the pack in OPS and is fifth in the majors. He has the highest WARP3 in the majors and is tops in FRAA for NL center fielders. The only player that has a higher SLG is Pujols. He definitely gets the start. The next two choices aren’t as obvious as the first one. It’s really a tight race.  My next starter will be Holliday. He has the second highest OPS, and SLG. He has also produced 95 runs. The last starter is going to be Bay. He has a very high WARP3 and has played a good LF. He also has the third highest OPS.

 

Three Starters- Beltran, Holliday, Bay

 

 

 

N.L                              Bench                                       A.L                              Bench

C- McCann                  C- Martin                                 C-Mauer                      C- Hernandez

1B- Pujols                    1B- Berkman                           1B- Pronk                    1B- Thome

2B- Uggla                    2B- Utley                                 2B- Cano                     2B- Iguchi

3B- Cabrera                 3B- Wright                               3B- A-Rod                  3B- Crede

SS- Reyes                    1B- Howard                             SS- Tejada                   SS- Young

OF-Beltran                   OF- Abreu                               OF- Sizemore              OF- Ibanez

OF- Bay                      OF- Soriano                             OF- Dye                      OF- Swisher

OF- Holliday                UTL- Sanchez                          OF- Man-Ram             UTL- Jeter

 

Stay tuned as I pick my pitchers on Tuesday.

 




Disagree with something? Got something to add? Wanna bring up something totally new? Tony Aubry lives in Queens, New York, and can be reached at tony@baseballevolution.com.


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