American League 2018 All-Star Ballot

Phil Gurnee ♦ July 5, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

Nothing like waiting until the last minute to cast your ballot but maybe that is what I’ll do every year.  With a little help from Fangraphs here is what my ballot looks like.

American League:

1st Base – wow, the options are very limited. Matt Olson has the highest wRC+ at a very average of 115. With no other options speaking to me, Matt Olson it is.

2nd Base  – Jose Altuve is still the best 2nd baseman in the AL, but I want to give a shout out to Whit Merrifield and Jed Lowrie.

Shortstop – Francisco Lindor is a slam dunk with his MVP type season.

3rd Base – I’m expecting this to be Jose Ramirez and it is. The Indians have two top five candidates for the MVP playing SS/3rd for them.

Catcher – No need to fear about Tampa Bay not having a valid All-Star representative as Wilson Ramos wins this vote hands down.

Outfield: Mike Trout is a no-brainer. Mookie Betts is a no-brainer. Who do we partner with these two MVP caliber players? For me, it comes down to Aaron Judge and surprisingly Eddie Rosario.  Aaron Judge gets the vote.

Designated Hitter:  JD Martinez. Thank goodness the Diamondbacks did not re-sign this slugger.

Every position but 1st base has a clear leader and bonafide all-star. Strangely enough, the AL 1st baseman are a mediocre lot.  The highest wRC+ in the AL for 1st baseman is 116, Max Muncy has a wRC+ of 183. Just saying.