Here’s a shocker: Albert Pujols was BDD’s choice for Player of the Month in June! It was nice of the 2008 NL MVP to take a month off in May (he only hit .341/.477/.682 in May with eight homers) so the BDD writing team could honor someone else. Unfortunately for the rest of Major League Baseball (especially the pitchers), Prince Albert didn’t make the same decision in June.

Pujols posted a .320/.427/.856 batting line and slammed 14 homers in 29 games. Albert knocked in 35 and scored 19 times. He ended the month reaching safely in 12 straight games and added seven multi-hit games to his resume. On June 21st, Pujols went 4-for-5 with two home runs (one being a grand slam) and six RBI in a Cardinals 12-5 win over the Kansas City Royals.

The only other player receiving first-place votes in June was San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval. “Big Panda” hit .394/.459/.745 with eight homers and 20 RBI in 27 games. Sandoval reached base safely in 25 straight games and posted 11 multi-hit games.

Previous Player of the Month Winners

April: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Pujols hit .337 and eight homers in April including two grand slams

May: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Mauer returned from injury to hit .414 with 11 homers, 32 RBI and 27 runs scored

Like Zack Greinke in April, San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum dominated BDD’s Pitcher of the Month voting in June and was the writer’s overwhelming choice receiving nine of 11 first-place votes for his impressive June performance.

Lincecum made six starts in June and all six were quality starts. The Giants went 4-2 in Lincecum’s starts and Lincecum posted a 3-1 record with a complete game shutout wins over the Oakland Athletics on June 12th and the St. Louis Cardinals on June 29th. Lincecum also tossed a second complete game win against the Athletics on June 23rd.

In all, Lincecum struck out 48 in 48-2/3 innings and posted a 1.48 ERA and a WHIP of 0.88. Opposing batters hit just .202 against the 2008 Cy Young Award winner and the Giant ace average over eight innings per start.

Also receiving first place votes were Felix Hernandez and Jon Lester. King Felix was 3-0 with a 0.94 ERA in five starts and was highlighted by a complete game shutout win over the San Diego Padres. Lester went 3-1 in five starts with a 1.85 ERA. He flirted with a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on June 6th and finished out the game with a complete game no-hitter.

Previous Pitcher of the Month Winners

April: Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
Greinke was 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA and 0.89 WHIP

May: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
Verlander was 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 0.895 WHIP

..According to Roger Clemens’ lawyer he was not one of the 100+ players that tested positive for PED’s in 2003. He told the NY Times that Clemens obtained the results from the testing company and gave them to congress before his testimony in 2008. He said he’s reveling the results now, because other names have been brought forward. [AP]

..Texas Rangers team president Nolan Ryan says that there wont be any restrictions on spending towards the trade deadline if needed. You see, MLB loaned millions of dollars to team owner Tom Hicks who seems to be in some financial trouble. According to the report, it’s less than $15M. [AP]

“There haven’t been any restrictions put on us,” Ryan said. “I just think as we get closer to the trade deadline, we’ll see what we might be able to be put together. If we think it is in our best interest, then obviously we’ll take it to Tom.”

..The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Indians have designated veteran pitcher Matt Herges for assignment. This will free up a space on the roster for pitcher Winston Abreu whom they acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays. [Plain Dealer]

..According to a Yahoo! Sports report, the Padres intend to extend manager Bud Blacks contract. No date for the extension has been announced - just that it’s going to happen soon. [Yahoo! Sports]

..According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times injured pitcher Erik Bedard threw a 54 pitch simulated game yesterday at Fenway and will make his return to the the rotation on Tuesday when the Mariners take on the Orioles. [Seattle Times]

..The Minnesota Twins have placed starting pitcher Kevin Slowey on the 15 day disabled list with a strained wrist following his start against the Tigers yesterday. The Indians have called up Anthony Swarzak to take Slowey’s spot in the rotation. [CBS]

..According to CBS Sports, Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will head to Florida to start a spring training like strengthening program, he’s been on the DL since June 21st. [CBS]

“We’re going to really strengthen his shoulder and work on his whole body,” Boston manager Terry Francona said before Friday’s game against Seattle.

“He’s worked hard while we were gone [on a nine-game road trip] without a baseball,” said Francona, who wasn’t sure how long Matsuzaka will be in Florida. He said there is no timetable for his return to the Red Sox.

..It looks like outdoor baseball will return to the Twin Cities, when the Twins kick off the 2010 season at Target Field against the Boston Red Sox on April 12th. They open their season on the road against the Angels.[CBS]

Happy Holiday, all!

 Starting Pitchers:

- Randy Wolf at San Diego

- Gavin Floyd at KC

- Brad Penny home vs Seattle (top to Mr. Penny - just walk Branyan) could be okay,with Seattle’s badness countering Penny’s mediocrity.

- Aaron Cook and Vin Mazzaro are also viable options if you need pitching stats.

Batters:

Catchers - Varitek (vs Olson), Pierzynsky (vs Hochevar), maybe Laird (vs Liriano), though that’s hardly a great play.

First Base - Lyle Overbay (Wang at NY, a GREAT play!), Kendry Morales (1b/of),  Nick Johnson, Martin Prado

Second Base - Martin Prado, Skip Schumaker (2b/of), Ian Stewart (2b/3b)

Third Base - Martin Prado, Ian Stewart, Scott Rolen, Jerry Hairston, Gordon Beckham (getting very hot)

Shortstop -  Jerry Hairston, Gordon Beckham

Outfield - McCutchen, Kendry Morales, Cody Ross, Rowand, Podsednik

Draft gurus such as Mel Kiper and Todd McShay of ESPN seemingly each get to write about nine versions of mock drafts before the actual NFL draft takes place.  They take nine shots at it and they’re still never really close.  But I’ll just take one good shot at a mock All-Star draft and declare that I’ll be close.   Below are the players that I think will be selected for the 2009 MLB All-Star game to take place on July 14th in St. Louis. The official selections will be announced this Sunday on TBS at 1 p.m., so we’ll see then if I can outdo the likes of Kiper and McShay. 
Each team will consist of 32 players (19 hitters, 13 pitchers), and then the managers will select five additional players for a fan Final Vote for the 33rd player.  Statistics here are as of Thursday night’s games:

American League

Catcher (3)
Projected Starter: Joe Mauer, MIN (.392 BA, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 1.133 OPS)
Reserves: Victor Martinez, CLE (.313 BA, 14 HR, 57 RBI, .916 OPS), Mike Napoli, LAA (.295 BA, 10 HR, 29 RBI, .887 OPS)
Snubbed: Jorge Posada, NYY (.267 BA, 10 HR, 33 RBI, .854 OPS), Jason Varitek, BOS (.234 BA, 11 HR, 32 RBI, .809 OPS), A.J. Pierzynski, CHW (.293 BA, 8 HR, 24 RBI, .765 OPS), Miguel Olivo, KC (.258 BA, 12 HR, 32 RBI, .796 OPS)
Mauer had a clear lead heading into the final two days of online voting and he’ll get a well-deserved start.  Martinez splits his time at catcher and first base with Cleveland, but qualifies at catcher, which is valuable for AL manager Joe Maddon in his selection process. Napoli gets a slight edge in the next tier of catchers, even over Posada, as we will see that the Angels need a second representative based on their first place AL West record.

First Base (3)
Projected Starter: Kevin Youkilis, BOS (.314 BA, 14 HR, 47 RBI, 1.032 OPS)
Reserves: Justin Morneau, MIN (.309 BA, 19 HR, 64 RBI, .963 OPS), Miguel Cabrera, DET (.331 BA, 16 HR, 47 RBI, .951 OPS)
Snubbed: Mark Teixeira, NYY (.274 BA, 20 HR, 60 RBI, .940 OPS), Russell Branyan, SEA (.297 BA, 20 HR, 42 RBI, .997 OPS), Carlos Pena, TB (.238 BA, 23 HR, 55 RBI, .914 OPS)
Youkilis and Teixeira were locked in a very tight battle for votes for the starter spot.  We won’t know the outcome of that race until Sunday, but according to MLB.com, Youkilis was ahead with two days remaining in voting.  I’m going to predict that the loser of that battle will be sent to vie for the 33rd final man vote, as Morneau’s and Cabrera’s numbers are better than theirs.  Branyan and Pena should be candidates for that final vote as well.

Second Base (2)
Projected Starter: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.263 BA, 19 HR, 51 RBI, 16 SB, .852 OPS)
Reserve: Aaron Hill, TOR (.301 BA, 19 HR, 56 RBI, .845 OPS)
Snubbed: Robinson Cano, NYY (.307 BA, 12 HR, 42 RBI,.829 OPS), Dustin Pedroia, BOS (.291 BA, 89 H, 14 SB, .758 OPS)
Kinsler and Pedroia were involved in another extremely close race for the starter spot.  If Pedroia edges Kinsler, Maddon will have to carry three second basemen, as he can’t deny Hill and Kinsler their deserving bids.  Pedroia would then squeeze out Jermaine Dye (see OF section below). But let’s assume here that the fans voted Kinsler in and overcame Red Sox Nation’s votes. 

Shortstop (2)
Projected Starter: Derek Jeter, NYY (.307 BA, 9 HR, 32 RBI, 17 SB, .828 OPS)
Reserve: Jason Bartlett, TB (.362 BA, 7 HR, 36 RBI, 17 SB, .960 OPS)
Snubbed: Marco Scutaro, TOR (.279 BA, 6 HR, 33 RBI, 58 R, .794 OPS), Alexei Ramirez (.272 BA, 10 HR, 39 RBI, 12 SB, .728 OPS)
Jeter leads the vote by a wide margin and will start. Bartlett’s the most deserving reserve and Maddon will be glad to select his boy over Scutaro and Ramirez, who are having fine seasons themselves.
 

Third Base (2)
Projected Starter: Evan Longoria, TB (.297 BA, 16 HR, 63 RBI, .935 OPS)
Reserve: Brandon Inge, DET (.275 BA, 18 HR, 52 RBI, .888 OPS)
Snubbed: Alex Rodriguez, NYY (.239 BA, 13 HR, 41 RBI, .916 OPS), Chone Figgins, LAA (.312 BA, 24 SB, 56 R, .796 OPS), Scott Rolen, TOR (.333 BA, 6 HR, 30 RBI, .888 OPS), Michael Young, TEX (.315 BA, 10 HR, 30 RBI, .866 OPS)
Longoria is also a lock to start.  Inge gets a shocking nod here over A-Rod, who missed time due to injury and has struggled to get going. Figgins, Rolen and Young are also deserving, but if Inge can edge A-Rod, he’ll do the same to this trio.

Outfield (7)
Projected Starters: Jason Bay, BOS (.262 BA, 19 HR, 69 RBI, .906 OPS), Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (.368 BA, 112 H, 16 SB, .893 OPS), Josh Hamilton, TEX* (.240 BA, 6 HR, 24 RBI, .746 OPS)
Reserves: Torii Hunter, LAA (.305 BA, 17 HR, 59 RBI, .959 OPS), Carl Crawford, TB (.320 BA, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 40 SB, .838 OPS), Adam Jones, BAL (.305 BA, 12 HR, 44 RBI, .868 OPS), Jermaine Dye, CHW (.294 BA, 18 HR, 48 RBI, .946 OPS),
Snubbed: Ben Zobrist, TB (.297 BA, 16 HR, 46 RBI, 1.051 OPS), Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS (.304 BA, 91 H, 26 RBI, 33 SB, .757 OPS), Johnny Damon, NYY (.292 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI, .910 OPS), Adam Lind, TOR (.315 BA, 16 HR, 53 RBI, .946 OPS), Luke Scott, BAL (.297 BA, 15 HR, 40 RBI, .949 OPS)

Bay and Ichiro have enough votes to be considered locks.  Hamilton, despite being injured and with non-All-Star-type numbers (yes, I believe I just properly used three hyphens), was in third place just ahead of Hunter. Hunter was charging, but I’ll project that fans can’t do enough to overcome the difference and I’ll put Hamilton in the third spot.  Hamilton has been hurt, but he is expected to try to come back this week. If Hamilton decides to sit out, Maddon would likely name Zobrist as Hamilton’s injury replacement.  Or (stick with me here) if Pedroia gets voted in at 2B, that would squeeze out Dye’s spot, and Maddon would name Dye as Hamilton’s replacement.  Dye gets the slight edge here over Zobrist, as we will see that the White Sox only have one representative (Mark Buehrle, see pitchers below) while Tampa Bay has four. Only three games separate the White Sox and Rays, so my thought is that Maddon gives the nod to the veteran Dye to be fair. That is, unless fans made it easy for Maddon and kept Hamilton off the roster. In that case, both Dye and Zobrist are in and this all becomes moot.
On a less confusing note, Adam Jones edges Luke Scott here for the Orioles’ spot on the roster, as Scott spends his time mostly at DH, and Jones gets credit for his work in center field.

Pitchers (13)
Starter: Zack Grienke, KC (10-3, 115.1 IP, 114K, 1.95 ERA, 1.02 WHIP)
Reserves: Felix Hernandez, SEA (8-3, 109.2 IP, 107 K, 2.54 ERA, 1.17 WHIP)
Roy Halladay, TOR (8-3, 109.2 IP, 95 K, 2.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP)
Justin Verlander, DET (8-4, 109.1 IP, 130 K, 3.54 ERA, 1.20 WHIP)
Edwin Jackson, DET (6-4, 108.1 IP, 84 K, 2.49 ERA, 1.04 WHIP)
Josh Beckett, BOS (9-3, 105.1 IP, 99 K, 3.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP)
Mark Buehrle, CHW (8-2, 107.2 IP, 62 K, 3.09 ERA, 1.12 WHIP)
Jonathan Papelbon, BOS (20 SV, 35 IP, 34K, 1.80 ERA, 1.34 WHIP)
Joe Nathan, MIN (21 SV, 31.1 IP, 39 K, 1.44 ERA, 0.77 WHIP)
Mariano Rivera, NYY (20 SV, 32.2 IP, 40K, 2.76 ERA, 0.95 WHIP)
David Aardsma, SEA (16 SV, 6 Holds, 36.1 IP, 46 K, 1.49 ERA, 1.18 WHIP)
Andrew Bailey, OAK (8 SV, 2 Holds, 47.1 IP, 57 K, 2.09 ERA, 1.01 WHIP)
J.P Howell, TB (6 SV, 4 Holds, 38.2 IP, 46 K, 1.63 ERA, 1.09 WHIP)
Snubbed: Jered Weaver, LAA (8-3, 107.1 IP, 86 K, 3.10 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), George Sherrill, BAL, (17 SV, 32.1 IP, 31 K, 2.51 ERA, 1.14 WHIP), Kevin Millwood, TEX (119 IP, 74 K, 2.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP), Dallas Braden, OAK (6-7, 106.1 IP, 67 K, 3.13 ERA, 1.26 WHIP), Brian Fuentes, LAA (22 SV, 27 IP, 30 K, 3.62 ERA, 1.24 WHIP)  Bobby Jenks, CHW (19 SV, 28.2 IP, 28 K, 3.14 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) , Frank Francisco, TEX (12 SV, 23.2 IP, 26 K, 2.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP)

Grienke’s been the best pitcher in the AL thus far this season and he should be the starter.  Hernandez and Halladay are also locks to be selected.  Verlander and Jackson have been a formidable 1-2 punch for Detroit and they should be in as well. Buehrle is the White Sox’s representative, and Beckett edges out other deserving starters such as Weaver and Millwood.
Papelbon, Nathan and Rivera should each get the call late in the All-Star game as the AL’s top three closers. Bailey edged out Braden as Oakland’s rookie pitching representative, because of the need for a reliever over a starter. Maddon’s new closer J.P. Howell edges out more well-known closers like Sherrill, Jenks, Fuentes, and Francisco, with a stellar strikeout ratio and better numbers in more innings pitched.

I’ll predict that the 33rd Final Man Vote will be between the following five players:
1) Zobrist
2) Teixeira
3) Pena
4) A-Rod
5) Branyan

Here’s a breakdown of my All-Star selections by AL team:
Boston = Youkilis, Bay, Beckett, Papelbon
New York = Rivera, Jeter
Tampa Bay = Longoria, Bartlett, Howell, Crawford
Toronto = Halladay, Hill
Baltimore = Jones
Detroit = Verlander, Jackson, Cabrera, Inge
Chicago = Buehrle, Dye
Minnesota = Mauer, Morneau, Nathan
Kansas City = Grienke
Cleveland = Martinez
LA Angels = Napoli, Hunter
Texas = Kinsler, Hamilton
Seattle = Ichiro, Felix, Aardsma
Oakland = Bailey

National League

Catcher (3)
Projected Starter: Brian McCann, ATL (.305 BA, 8 HR, 33 RBI, .893 OPS)
Reserves: Yadier Molina, STL (.279 BA, 5 HR, 25 RBI, .730 OPS), Geovany Soto, CHC (.238 BA, 8 HR, 26 RBI, .751 OPS)
Snubbed: Chris Ianetta, COL (.229 BA, 10 HR, 27 RBI, .844 OPS)
Molina and McCann are in a voting battle and while Molina was in the lead with two days left, McCann allegedly got a lot more votes in before the deadline.  So I’ll go with McCann. No matter really, because Molina should get the first backup backstop slot with credit for his stellar defense. Soto edges out Ianetta for the third slot, in part because the Cubs will suprisingly need a representative.

First Base (3)
Projected Starter: Albert Pujols, STL (.335 BA, 30 HR, 77 RBI, 1.200 OPS)
Reserves: Prince Fielder, MIL (.309 BA, 21 HR, 75 RBI, 1.042 OPS), Adrian Gonzalez, SD (.265 BA, 24 HR, 48 RBI,  .919 OPS)
Snubbed: Lance Berkman, HOU (.265 BA, 17 HR, 48 RBI, .919 OPS), Ryan Howard, PHI (.256 BA, 20 HR, 60 RBI, .859 OPS), Todd Helton, COL (.312 BA, 9 HR, 53 RBI, .895 OPS), Joey Votto, CIN (.366 BA, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 1.068 OPS)
I have no idea what the fans are doing here. Pujols absolutely sucks, but he gets the top spot?? Fielder and Gonzalez should earn the reserve slots, and we’ll see these snubs in the NL’s 33rd man vote as well.

Second Base (2)
Projected Starter: Chase Utley, PHI (.300 BA, 17 HR, 52 RBI, .982 OPS)
Reserve: Freddy Sanchez, PIT (.316 BA, 96 H, 33 RBI, .832 OPS)
Snubbed: Brandon Phillips, CIN (.268 BA, 11 HR, 52 RBI, .799 OPS), Orlando Hudson, LAD (.294 BA, 92 H, 41 RBI, .787 OPS)
Utley’s a lock to start having earned more than enough votes. Sanchez earns the reserve slot as Pittsburgh’s representative, edging out Phillips and O-Dog despite their decent showings.

Shortstop (2)
Projected Starter: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.348 BA, 13 HR, 58 RBI, 12 SB, .985 OPS)
Reserve: Miguel Tejada, HOU (.333 BA, 6 HR, 42 RBI, .837 OPS)
Snubbed: Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.249 BA, 12 HR, 31 RBI, 11 SB, .803 OPS), Cristian Guzman, WAS (.318 BA, 88 H, .764 OPS)
Hanley leads the vote but is in a battle with Jimmy Rollins, who grades out as one of the worst shortstops in terms of first half numbers. If Rollins somehow edges Hanley, that throws a wrench into this system and squeezes out Mark Reynolds  at 3B (see below), because Tejada deserves a spot and is Houston’s lone representative.

Third Base (3)
Projected Starter: David Wright, NYM (.338 BA, 5 HR, 42 RBI, .913 OPS)
Reserves: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.331 BA, 11 HR, 40 RBI, .937 OPS), Mark Reynolds, ARZ (.270 BA, 22 HR, 57 RBI, .916 OPS)
Snubbed: Chipper Jones, ATL (.295 BA, 9 HR, 36 RBI, .891 OPS), Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.296 BA, 13 HR, 44 RBI, .858 OPS), Casey Blake, LAD (.286 BA, 11 HR, 48 RBI, .848 OPS)
You can put Wright down in ink because he’s got enough votes.  Then Sandoval and Reynolds are both deserving. But if Rollins is voted in by the fans, one of them are out, and I’d say its Reynolds because the Diamondbacks are in last place while the Giants are the wild card leaders.
 
Outfield (6)
Projected Starters: Raul Ibanez, PHI (.312 BA, 22 HR, 59 RBI, 1.027 OPS), Ryan Braun, MIL (.328 BA, 16 HR, 58 RBI, .980 OPS), Carlos Beltran, NYM* (.336 BA, 8 HR, 40 RBI, .952 OPS)
Reserves: Adam Dunn, WAS (.260 BA, 20 HR, 56 RBI, .924 OPS), Brad Hawpe, COL (.333 BA, 13 HR, 56 RBI, 1.008 OPS), Matt Kemp, LAD (.302 BA, 10 HR, 41 RBI, 19 SB, .838 OPS)
Snubbed: Justin Upton, ARZ (.309 BA, 14 HR, 45 RBI, .945 OPS), Hunter Pence, HOU (.306 BA, 10 HR, 33 RBI, .872 OPS), Jayson Werth, PHI (.264 BA, 15 HR, 43 RBI, .845 OPS), Carlos Lee, HOU (.302 BA, 12 HR, 47 RBI, .832 OPS), Juan Pierre, LAD (.322 BA, 22 SB, 79 H, .791 OPS)

Beltran and Alfonso Soriano (.230 BA, 14 HR, 32 RBI, .718 OPS) are involved in a battle for the third OF slot. Whoever gets voted in will start (if healthy); whoever loses that vote I believe would be out of the game entirely.  Ibanez and Braun are locks to start. Dunn’s in as the Nats’ representative. And Hawpe and Kemp are deserving over the rest of the snubs. Upton’s arguably more deserving than Kemp, but again, with Arizona in last and LA in first, NL manager Charlie Manuel should go with Kemp. But if Beltran is voted in, he might require an injury replacement, and I think Upton would get the nod there.

Pitchers (13)
Starter: Tim Lincecum, SF (8-2, 114 IP, 132 K, 2.37 ERA, 1.07 WHIP)
Reserves: Dan Haren, ARZ (7-5, 114 IP, 132 K, 2.19 ERA, 0.81 WHIP)
Chad Billingsley, LAD (9-4, 112.1 IP, 110 K, 3.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP)
Matt Cain, SF (9-2, 108.2 IP, 88 K, 2.48 ERA, 1.23 WHIP)
Johnny Cueto, CIN (8-4, 103.2 IP, 78 K, 2.69 ERA, 1.12 WHIP)
Josh Johnson, FLA (7-1, 114.1 IP, 97 K, 2.76 ERA, 1.13 WHIP)
Yovani Gallardo, MIL (8-5, 104.2 IP, 114 K, 2.75 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)
Ryan Franklin, STL (19 SV, 31 IP, 22 K, 0.87 ERA, 0.77 WHIP)
Francisco Rodriguez, NYM (21 SV, 39.2 IP, 40 K, 1.59 ERA, 1.18 WHIP)
Trevor Hoffman, MIL (18 SV, 23.1 IP, 19 K, 1.93 ERA, 0.94 WHIP)
Heath Bell, SD (22 SV, 33.2 IP, 36 K, 1.34 ERA, 1.01 WHIP)
Rafael Soriano, ATL (7 SV, 6 Holds, 37.2 IP, 49 K, 1.19 ERA, 0.88 WHIP)
Jonathan Broxton, LAD (19 SV, 37.2 IP, 62 K, 2.15 ERA, 0.77 WHIP)
Snubbed: Javier Vazquez, ATL (5-7, 112 IP, 130 K, 3.05 ERA, 1.07 WHIP), Jair Jurrjens, ATL (6-6, 102.1 IP, 74 K, 2.73 ERA, 1.24 WHIP), Francisco Cordero, CIN (19 SV, 34 IP, 29 K, 1.72 ERA, 1.18 WHIP), Huston Street, COL, (19 SV, 34 IP, 39 K, 2.91 ERA, 1.12 WHIP), Johan Santana, NYM (9-6, 102.1 IP, 104 K, 3.34 ERA, 1.26 WHIP), Ted Lilly, CHC (7-6, 104.2 IP, 88 K, 3.35 ERA, 1.13 WHIP)  Adam Wainwright, STL (8-5, 114 IP, 101 K, 3.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) , Wandy Rodriguez, HOU (7-6, 114 IP, 101 K, 3.32 ERA, 1.33 WHIP), Chris Carpenter, STL (5-3, 70.2 IP, 53 K, 2.42 ERA, 0.82 WHIP)

Compared to the AL, the NL has a much larger selection of pitching All-Stars. Lincecum should get the start over Haren because of his number of wins and (you know the drill) because the D’Backs are in last place while the Giants lead the wild card.  Billingsley and Cain are not far behind.  Cueto is the Reds’ representative. Johnson and Gallardo are also deserving and edge out the snubs, led by Vazquez, who loses out due to his unfortunate sub-.500 won-loss record.  Also surprising is that Santana couldn’t get it going enough to earn a spot in this crowded group of starters.
The NL relief crop is also outstanding, and the six selected here, Franklin, K-Rod, Bell, Broxton, Soriano, and Hoffman, are a cut above the rest. Cordero is edged out, but he’d arguably be the first reliever selected in the AL. That’s how strong the NL relievers are this year.  This could also be the reason that the NL finally breaks the spell and earns its first All-Star game victory in twelve years. Side note: Manuel could potentially select Cordero and Vazquez over Cueto and Soriano – this keeps the Reds’ requirement and keeps the starters and relievers even. But I think Cueto and Soriano are more deserving. 

33rd Man Vote:
1) Berkman
2) Howard
3) Helton
4) Upton
5) Pierre

Here’s a breakdown by NL Team:
Philadelphia = Utley, Ibanez
Florida = Ramirez, Johnson
New York = Beltran, Wright, Rodriguez
Atlanta = Soriano, McCann
Washington = Dunn
Milwaukee = Fielder, Hoffman, Gallardo, Braun
St. Louis = Pujols, Franklin, Molina
Cincinnati = Cueto
Chicago = Soto
Houston = Tejada
Pittsburgh = Sanchez
Los Angeles = Billingsley, Broxton, Kemp
San Francisco = Lincecum, Cain, Sandoval
Colorado = Hawpe
San Diego = Gonzalez, Bell
Arizona = Haren, Reynolds

How’s that, Kiper and McShay?

Jimmy Rollins has a .575 OPS. CHONE projected him to put up a .794 OPS. To give you an idea as to just how far Rollins has fallon off the face of the planet, CHONE’s tenth-percentile projection (the most pessimistic) had him at .706. Rollins’ current OPS would have been somewhere around the second or third percentile, presumably — that’s how bad it’s been.

Why he’s been running this bad is a mystery. None of the plate discipline metrics found at FanGraphs and Baseball Reference are out of the ordinary, contrary to what you may think. His plate discipline stats match up with those in seasons past. The biggest change has been the lack of line drives and the abundance of fly balls: line drives are 6.5% below his career average and fly balls are 5% above.

There’s nothing fishy in the distribution of pitches he’s seen — everything’s within about a percentage point of his career averages. As we can see with the following charts from his recent o-for-28 streak, he’s been swinging at pitches around the strike zone; an obvious red flag would have been waved if he had been diving way out of the zone.

The lack of line drives, then, would seem to be mechanical. Check the following chart: he’s had fastballs right down the middle and all he’s done is hit them for fly balls; not line drives or home runs.

Unlike teammate Ryan Howard, Rollins’ offense has never been feared enough for opposing teams to employ a shift, so Jimmy hasn’t been bitten by a deflated BABIP in that regard. However, it is still abnormally low at .218. When you look at his BABIP on batted ball types, he’s been well below average on grounders and line drives.

Blaming his abnormally low BABIP on mere bad luck is too simplistic. It is more likely a combination of bad luck as well as hitting balls more weakly. The batted ball profiles don’t show you the various shades of power with which players make contact. Suffice it to say that there’s a vast difference in the success rate in ground balls depending on the type of contact made. Overall, Rollins has been making weaker contact, but there’s no data to flesh that out.

Lastly, despite still having a good idea of the strike zone, Rollins’ walk rate is down more than 4% from last season and 2% from his career average. This isn’t due to a poor approach at the plate, nor is it due to fewer opportunities: Rollins has had 59 plate appearances in which he has had three balls in the count, approximately 18% of his at-bats. Last season, he had 120 three-ball counts in 625 plate appearances, approximately 19% of his at-bats.

The likely explanation for that is pitchers are less willing to pitch around Rollins because, well, he’s making weak contact. He’s an easy out.

Diagnosing Rollins is a tricky issue, and everyone has a different prescription. The way he’s completely tanked is nigh on a statistical improbability, but here we are in June and the 2007 National League MVP has a .575 OPS.  The likely explanation isn’t mental (approach) or physical (injury); it’s mechanical (swing). Something many of us Phillies fans have loathed about Rollins since he’s been in the Majors is his blatant uppercut swing — it seems like he’s always trying to hit home runs rather than making solid contact via line drives, or at least putting the ball on the ground where his speed can be utilized.

There’s no doubt that both Rollins and the Phillies’ coaching staff have put in long hours trying to right the ship, and there’s also no doubt that there’s lots more work yet to come. Fixing Rollins, who usually gets the most plate appearances of any other hitter on the team since he bats lead-off, would go a long way towards fixing the Phillies’ offensive inconsistency. Of course, Rollins can neither start nor relieve, so he is but one of the problems facing the Phillies heading into the second half of the season.

There are at least a couple of ways to pick an All-Star ballot. Some people like to see the stars, and will put A-Rod in their lineup even if he’s missed half the season, or Chipper even if his year-to-date statistics are nosed out by a couple of lesser luminaries.

I go by performance. Who’s put up the numbers in the first half? Here’s my 2009 non-pitcher ballot, with explanations where I felt they were needed. I put two players at each position, plus some extras to get the roster up to 20. (Thirteen pitchers will also be selected by each squad.)

Only the Cubs have no representatives on my National League squad. Cleveland, Kansas City, and Oakland get the sombrero in the American League.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Catcher

Brian McCann, Atlanta

Yadier Molina, St. Louis (13 steals against, 11 caught)

Chris Ianetta, Colorado (.844 OPS is league’s second best)

First Base

Albert Pujols, St. Louis

Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego (Equivalent offensive numbers to Fielder, plays in Petco)

Prince Fielder, Milwaukee

Second Base

Chase Utley, Philadelphia

Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburgh (One error while leading league in total chances)

Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati

Third Base

David Wright, New York (Has had to carry team over last six weeks)

Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco (Has played in two-thirds as many games at 3B as Wright, with roughly same number of chances per game and one-third the errors [4-12])

Shortstop

Hanley Ramirez, Florida

Miguel Tejada, Houston

(Apologies to Troy Tulowitzki, third in shortstop OPS while making but 4 errors and leading league in total chances)

Left Field

Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia

Ryan Braun, Milwaukee

Adam Dunn, Washington

Center Field

Carlos Beltran, New York

Matt Kemp, Los Angeles (Ahead of Mike Cameron and Shane Victorino in OPS and EqA; I’d make Cameron my replacement for Beltran, edging Victorino on defense)

Right Field

Brad Hawpe, Colorado

Justin Upton, Arizona

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Catcher

Joe Mauer, Minnesota

Mike Napoli, Los Angeles

(Apologies to Miguel Olivo of Kansas City, 2nd in AL catchers in slugging)

First Base

Kevin Youkilis, Boston

Justin Morneau, Minnesota

Russell Branyan, Seattle (leads AL 1Bs in slugging, in a pitcher’s park, nosing out Teixeira and Cabrera)

Second Base

Aaron Hill, Toronto

Ian Kinsler, Texas (.664 OPS in road games)

(Apologies to Ben Zobrist, Tampa’s replacement for Akinori Iwamura, with an astonishing 1.051 OPS)

Third Base

Evan Longoria, Tampa

Brandon Inge, Detroit

Shortstop

Jason Bartlett, Tampa

Derek Jeter, New York

Marco Scutaro, Toronto (cooled off lately, but 2 Es while leading league in chances)

Left Field

Jason Bay, Boston

Juan Rivera, Los Angeles (ahead of Johnny Damon, who plays in a bandbox and is dreadful in the field)

Center Field

Torii Hunter, Los Angeles

Adam Jones, Baltimore

Right Field

Jermaine Dye, Chicago

Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle

Designated Hitter

Adam Lind, Toronto

Luke Scott, Baltimore

Season Moves:

- A couple good SP are returning from injuries today in Scott Kazmir and Ervin Santana.   If they are available, probably best to enter a claim on them after the day’s games begin, before it’s clear how they will pitch, without using a roster spot today on them.

- Hiroki Kuroda is still available in 20% of leagues.  He’s at San Diego, as if you needed another reason.

Starting Pitchers:

- Kuroda, as noted.

- Chris Volstad at home against Morton and the Pirates should be a good play, if Garrett Jones comes back to reality.

- Predicting knuckleballers is almost as frustrating as trying to hit them, but if you’re ever going to play Tim Wakefield, home against the Mariners is a good time.  He has 10 wins, and despite going against Felix today, he has a reasonable chance for #11 as the M’s are just that inept at hitting RHP.

- We’ll safely skip the other SP, though Kenshin Kawakami is having a reasonably good season, and looks like a good bet to pick up a “W” today, even if the Nats hit him around some.

Batters:

- of Michael Cuddyer.  At home (great split).  Against a LHP (good split).  Against someone named “Luke French” (who sounds like he should be selling condiments).  Must play.

- The multipositional Martin Prado has more OBP and SLG against LHP in his career, though his batting average is higher vsR.  He’s a safe play against lesser SP while he has the full-time role.  Detwiler qualifies as “lesser”.

- 1b/of Kendry Morales against David Hernandez is a good matchup.

- The majority of leagues still show DH Travis Hafner on the wire.  While Oakland’s defense and bullpen are good, and Cahill has good “stuff”, we like him and his 8 HR at home against a non-elite RHP.  Besides, he’s starting to look like a guy to grab and hold.

- c John Baker against Charlie Morton.

- 1b Nick Johnson against Kawakami.

- 2b Kaz Matsui could be good for a SB against AAAA pitcher Sadowski.

- 2b/OF Skip Schumaker shouldn’t have trouble getting on base against Homer Baily.  The only concern is that he might walk, but the Cards have been driving him in a lot (44 runs in 273 AB)

- We’ll play the “hot hand” with of Ryan Church, since he’s also had a career-long ability to hit RHP, and Rodrigo Lopez is no great shakes. And it’s in Philly, which helps his power.

- c Yadier Molina @ Homer Bailey is a reasonable matchup.

- Might as well load up on French’s, with ss/2b/3b Brendan Harris, if you need an infielder.

- If ss Yunel Escobar is in the lineup (he’s missed a few with nagging injuries lately), any games against Detwiler have to be considered good.

- If Yunel isn’t playing (or isn’t available) and Harris is gone, SS is pretty light, with ss Edgar Renteria and ss Cristian Guzman being “okay” options today.

- Some other good options: Billy Butler (vs LHP), Lyle Overbay (vs RHP in New Yankee Bandbox), Andruw Jones (home vsLHP Kazmir).

I’m going to deviate for a moment from my series on the Pitch Count Warriors, to go on a semi-related rant.

When I began the series, there were three pitchers that fit my criteria (throwing more than 130 pitches in a game.)  I began with Ian Snell and moved to Edwin Jackson.  All that was left was to profile a Roy Halladay start on June 2 and my work would be complete.

Then Royals manager Trey Hillman decided to leave Gil Meche in a game in mid June to throw 132 pitches in an attempt to notch a shutout against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I’m saving the gory details for the fourth entry in my series, but suffice it to say that Meche struggled in his next two starts immediately following his long outing.  He lasted just 3.1 innings on June 21 and went 5 innings on June 26, allowing 14 hits, 13 runs and four home runs.

Although Meche and team officials insisted the extended outing had nothing to do with his struggles, the Royals began to worry.  His velocity was down in the June 26 start (his average fastball at that point was 93 mph and he was having trouble breaking 90 mph) and as I stated in the previous graph - the opposition was having no trouble putting the bat on the ball.

Word began to filter out of the Royals camp that Meche was suffering from a “dead arm.”  On Sunday, his Wednesday start was uncertain.  He was skipping his usual throwing session that would have come on Sunday (two days following his previous start) and instead would have a bullpen session on Monday.  The purpose of the session wasn’t to get some regular work.  It was to test his arm to see if he was fit enough to make his next start.

On Monday, Meche gave his session a “thumbs up!” and declared himself ready for Wednesday.

In his start against the Twins, Meche struggled with his control (or the home plate umpire struggled with his strike zone.)  Either way, Meche was racking up pitches in a day game in Kansas City.  By the fifth inning, he had walked four and struck out four while throwing 99 pitches.  (Of course, the Royals atrocious defense figures into this story.  A ground ball went hit directly at second baseman Alberto Callaspo went right between his legs.  And right fielder Willie Bloomquist dropped a fly ball in the fifth.  That will elevate a pitch count.)

So the Royals received 99 pitches from a starter who’s start was in jeopardy just two days ago because of a “dead arm.”  Of course, you’d like your starter to go deeper into the game, but 99 pitches is 99 pitches - especially when there are concerns about your health.  Everyone figured Meche’s day was over.

Everyone except Trey Hillman.

For some reason, SABR Trey (so named for his bizarre proclivity to play the percentages, and play them incorrectly) allowed Meche to return to the mound for the start of the sixth inning.  Why?  Meche had already thrown a bunch of pitches and hadn’t been all that effective to begin with.  The game was at a perfect point where Hillman could go to his bullpen.  Instead, he stuck with his starter and two pitches in, Meche served up a double.

Then, with the runner on second, Meche went on a fastball binge.  The next 19 pitches of the inning were fastballs.  When was the last time a starter, with a four pitch repertoire, threw 19 fastballs in a row?  If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is.

Oh, did I mention that after the double to start the inning, the Twins did Meche a huge favor by hacking away?  The next two hitters saw a total of four pitches and both made outs.  It looked like Meche (and Hillman) could dodge a bullet but then Meche faltered, walking the fourth hitter of the inning to bring Joe Mauer to the plate.  Maybe now this would be a good time to go to the bullpen.  Meche was at 113 pitches, there were two runners on and the best hitter in the AL was standing at the plate.  (And he was probably thinking fastball!)  The manager emerges from the dugout… and returns without making the move to the bullpen.

Mauer punishes a predictable fastball and lines a single to center, pushing the score to 3-0.

Meche retires Justin Morneau on a deep fly ball to end the inning and finally left the game after throwing 121 pitches.

So the Royals second-best starter, coming off a “dead arm” was left in the game to post his second highest pitch count total of the season.  Meche says he “felt great,” but we’ll see how great he feels later this week and when he makes his next start.  Meche is exactly halfway through a five-year, $55 million deal and is actually a huge reason the Royals have improved their win total over the previous two seasons.  He’s a key guy on this team.  I can’t get over Hillman and his case of managerial malpractice.

It’s a trend that is slowly unfolding in Kansas City.  Royals starters have thrown more than 115 pitches in a start on 11 occasions, the second highest total among teams.  Certainly, part of the reason for this is SABR Trey doesn’t trust his bullpen.  Last year, with Leo Nunez, Ramon Ramirez and Joakim Soria, Hillman found himself with a quality pen.  This year with Nunez and Ramirez gone, the Royals bullpen ERA is 4.35, which is the third worst total in the league.

The Royals are a long, long way from being relevant.  Boneheaded moves from their manager like this will only serve to push them even further away.

If there is one organization that “gets it” when it comes to their fans, it’s the Baltimore Orioles. Time and again, the Orioles deliver with unique promotions that add value to the fan experience.

Recently, the Orioles launched a new marketing campaign called “I Live At 2110 Eutaw Street”. The initial promotion scheduled for July 12th’s game with the Blue Jays renamed a section of bleacher seats in the Eutaw Street area “2110 Eutaw Street”. The name change — derived from the combination of the numbers of Nick Markakis (#21) and Adam Jones (#10) — along with a few other add-ons for the fans led to booming sales in that bleacher section.

The July 12th promotion was so successful, the Orioles added three more “I Live at 2110 Eutaw Street” days to the calender: August 15th vs. the Angels, August 30th vs. the Indians and September 5th vs. the Rangers.

How did the promotion lead to surging sales in a section of seating that usually did not sell out for previous games? Here’s what the fans who “live at Eutaw Street” get for $21:

• A bleacher seat in the “2110 Eutaw Street” section
• An “I Live at 2110 Eutaw Street” T-shirt
• Markakis and Jones will throw balls into the section between innings
• 105.7 The Fan’s Anita Marks will be in the “2110 Eutaw Street” section
• If either Markakis or Jones hit a home run during the game, a signed bat from the game will be awarded to a lucky fan from the “I Live at 2110 Eutaw Street” section

Maybe the Orioles aren’t in contention in the standings but score another win for the O’s Marketing Team for a great promotion that captures the excitement surrounding two young stars and gives the fans a truly unique promotion. Now, if only the Orioles would have sent me an e-mail reminding me about my free ticket for my birthday in June. Oh well!

For more details on the “I Live at 2110 Eutaw Street” promotion, check out the Orioles team website.