Starting lineups and reserve rosters for the 2012 All-Star game in Kansas City were announced this afternoon with four Yankees making the team. More players will likely be added over the following days, as injured players and pitchers lined up to start the day before the break are replaced by managers Ron Washington and Tony La Russa.
Lineups as they currently stand:
Reserves and snubs after the jump.
Anytime fans are allowed to decide the outcome there will be a popularity aspect involved in the voting. People like to vote for names they know with little regard for who might actually be most qualified to help their favorite league or team gain the benefit of home field advantage in the playoffs. If the game is going to count, then another voting system should be used, but you probably already knew that. It's a shame that Bud Selig doesn't.
There is always someone who should have made the team that didn't and someone who made it but shouldn't have. The two of the most glaring omissions for the National League are Johnny Cueto of the Cincinnati Reds and Zack Greinke of the Milwaukee Brewers. Greinke is tied with Justin Verlander for highest WAR among starting pitchers in baseball to this point and Cueto's 2.26 ERA is 5th in the NL. Each of them has nine wins, which is good enough to be tied for third in their league. I am far from a strong supporter of determining anything by ERA and Wins, but these two guys were definitely good enough in nearly any category you'd like to point to for inclusion on the All-Star team. Hopefully La Russa will notice this and recognize them once players begin to drop out.
Were two Cubs really deserving? Did we really need that many Rangers? How is Andrew McCutchen not starting and Michael Bourn is left to the Final Vote that he will never win against Chipper Jones and Bryce Harper? At least the flood of Rangers makes a bit of sense with Washington picking his guys, but you have to feel a little bad for the players who were left off because of the absurdity of some fan choices (Pablo Sandoval?) and obvious, but expected favoritism from the managers.
On the American League side, Mike Trout has definitely been good enough to deserve a starting spot, but you have to wonder if his time in the minors to start the year cost him that honor. Our own Derek Jeter had an amazing beginning to the year at shortstop, but hasn't done a whole lot since then to feel like he should still be representing the American League at his position. The same also goes for Curtis Granderson, who should likely be in a reserve role in favor of the guy he was traded for in Austin Jackson. I love the Grandyman, but home runs are really all he is hanging his hat on so far this year. Oakland's Josh Reddick has been a revelation for them since coming over from the Red Sox, but his name is nowhere to be found on the list. Tough snub for a guy who is 5th in WAR among AL outfielders. An even tougher one for Jackson, who is third in that category.
What do you think of the rosters as they stand now? Who was the biggest snub, and does the American League stand any chance against that crop of NL pitching?
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