From the Windup: Early All-Star Ballot

From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.

I think we can all agree that it's far too early to start voting upon who the best 2009 players are when it's only the middle of May. That being said, there are certainly some shining stars at this point who deserve some props. Plus, Major League Baseball recently released their All-Star ballots for our voting pleasure -- we vote on who will start the All-Star Game. If that's not important, I don't know what is. Let's take a gander.

American League

Catcher -- Kurt Suzuki, Rod Barajas and Mike Napoli have had really solid seasons to this point. Assuming they keep it up, let's hope one or two of those guys are given spots on the roster instead of old stand-bys like Jorge Posada and Jason Varitek. The vote, though, has to go to Victor Martinez. Martinez has been one of the best offensive players in the league (1.098 OPS) regardless of position.

First Base -- With all due respect to Carlos Pena and Kevin Youkilis (who is injured, which could take him out of contention), this is a two-horse race between AL Central foes. Miguel Cabrera and Justin Morneau both have great cases. Cabrera is hitting .361 with 8 homers and 25 RBI in his second AL season. Morneau checks with in .315/9/28 for his triple crown numbers. I'll go with Cabrera here by a nose, but you can't go wrong.

Second Base -- There is no doubt in my mind Dustin Pedroia is going to get the start at second base for the AL in July. He plays for a vastly popular team who is ridiculously covered by the media, his team is one of the best in baseball, and he's the reining AL MVP. The problem is that two guys have outplayed him to this point -- and both of their teams are also doing quite well. Thus, I'm deciding between Ian Kinsler and Aaron Hill. Kinsler has a .319 average with 9 home runs and 28 RBI, along with 8 steals and 10 doubles. Hill leads the AL with 55 hits and has better triple crown numbers (.346/9/30). I'll go with him.

Shortstop -- Again, I'm pretty confident that Derek Jeter gets the nod, and it wouldn't be horrible. The thing is, to this point in the season, Marco Scutaro and Jason Bartlett have greatly outplayed the Captain. I'd also give a look to rookie sensation Elvis Andrus. Scutaro garners my vote for his .402 on-base percentage -- with the help of a league-leading 31 walks -- and dazzling defense.

Third Base -- Feel free to make a case for anyone but Evan Longoria. You'll just sound ill-informed. Michael Young, Scott Rolen, Mike Lowell and even Brandon Inge (though he's predictably cooling off) all deserve a look, but Longoria is looking like the best player in the league right now if you take both offense and defense into account (and we really should).


Outfield -- First things first, it's a shame Adam Lind and -- to a lesser extent -- Denard Span aren't even on the ballot. Lind would have garnered serious consideration from me for his ability to drive home runs in the middle of the incredibly potent Blue Jays lineup. It's also a shame that we only have three votes here and can't even think about the likes of Vernon Wells, Coco Crisp, Torii Hunter, Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury, Grady Sizemore, Alex Rios or Nelson Cruz. Nope. No room. We're choosing three from this group: Jason Bay, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Johnny Damon and Carl Crawford. I hate that I have to bypass Bay's impressive work, especially in the clutch, but I have to. Damon has been irreplaceable for the Bronx Bombers in the early going, especially in the absence of A-Rod and with Mark Teixeira's slow-start. I'm going with Crawford due the ridiculous stolen base total and stellar-as-always defense. Finally, Adam Jones is just too good to overlook (.370 average, 8 home runs, 26 RBI, solid defense).

National League

Catcher -- It's going to be very interesting to see which of the three undeserving candidates wins this thing. Geovany Soto, Brian McCann and Russell Martin are bound to be the top three in voting, but they've been outplayed by both Molinas, John Baker and Ramon Hernandez (bonus points for handling that incredibe Cincy starting staff). Bengie Molina's power production (8 home runs, 28 RBI) in addition to his solid work with the staff gets him the nod.

First Base -- I learned long ago to not question this reality of life. With all due respect to Ryan Howard fans, Albert Pujols owns this thing. It's too bad, too, because Adrian Gonzalez is a man among boys in San Diego. Joey Votto, Jorge Cantu, Todd Helton and Prince Fielder will also be left fighting for a reserve spot behind Phat Albert.

Second Base -- Chase Utley is going to run away with the voting. That's a fact. Orlando Hudson and Rickie Weeks, however, are much more deserving of our vote to this point. I'll go with Weeks because I'm more a sucker for power and he's shown immense growth this season (.889 OPS, 9 home runs, 24 RBI).

Shortstop -- The lion's share of the voting goes to the trifecta of studly shortstops -- Jimmy Rollins, Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes. It's hard to argue against the latter two this season, so I won't do it. Still, what about Ryan Theriot? He's been a glue-guy for the Cubs through many offensive injuries and he's added the power stroke to his usual consistency and high average. And yes, it's a homer vote. Sue me.

Third Base -- The voting will probably come down to David Wright taking down Chipper Jones, but Ryan Zimmerman definitely deserves to get the nod right now -- and not just because of his impressive 30-game hitting streak. That certainly counts, but he's also hitting .357 with an OPS of 1.016 in addition to his wizardry with the glove. Assuming he keeps this up, it's a shame he won't get the start.

Outfield -- I really, really hope the fans don't vote Manny Ramirez in, but I have a bad feeling he'll be starting the game in left field. What a shame that will be, and, unfortunately, I'm counting on it. Moving on, one of the easiest selections on the ballot to this point is electing Carlos Beltran an NL starter. He's head and shoulders above the rest of the field here. Just like in the AL, there is a large clump of players who deserve a look, but can't make a good enough case for our vote: Jayson Werth, Carlos Lee, Shane Victorino, Kosuke Fukudome, Brad Hawpe, Mike Cameron, Jay Bruce, Hunter Pence, Nate McLouth, Justin Upton and Elijah Dukes. Sorry, guys, and good luck making the roster as a reserve. After Beltran, we're picking two from the group of Ryan Braun, Adam Dunn, Raul Ibanez, Andre Ethier and Alfonso Soriano. Braun is a bit elevated from the group, so he's second. It's really a toss-up after that, but what Dunn has meant to the rest of the Washington lineup really means something -- plus, his numbers are sick (.444 on-base percentage, .310 average, 11 home runs, 28 RBI).

Voting Method

Unlike some others in the writing field, Keith Law, for example, I only consider the current season. I don't have any disrespect toward people who feel the All-Star game should be for stars with career pedigree -- I just feel that it's a seasonal accomplishment. My votes can be constantly changing based upon when I'm placing the votes, because things can change. Rollins could catch fire and be a better choice than anyone else at NL Shortstop by this time next month. This a ballot for May 14, though, and these are for the players who I believe are most deserving to start at this point.

Teams matter if I really am torn between two players who I feel are equally deserving. In that case, the better team will be the tiebreaker. Overall, though, this is an individual accomplishment, and teams with better records obviously tend to have better players anyway.

I'm also a big fan of the "greater good" vote. If there is a two-horse (or more) race where one player will clearly garner more of the public vote, I'll go with the guy who will get less public support. This is where I'd take Kinsler or Hill over Pedroia. Don't mistake this for socialist voting, though, because if someone definitely deserves to go above everyone else (Pujols, Beltran) I'll vote for him no matter what. I just hate seeing someone like Ryan Zimmerman buried in voting results because most people just click on "WRIGHT, DAVID" through habit.

Finally, the point of the voting is for fans to have a voice. The above votes are my voice, and I encourage you to use yours, whether it's here in the comments section or on an actual All-Star ballot.