My 2022 MLB All Star Ballot (Phase 1: Starters)
All Star voting is now upon us with the season just about halfway through. Today, I will stop and give discuss my personal All Star ballot.
(All stats are as of June 24)
Glossary:
All batted ball data comes from baseballsavant.com
AL Starters
First Base: Ty France
For the first base position, I was in between three players, but my final decision was really a no brainer. As of June 22, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads AL First Basemen in All Star votes, thanks to all those Blue Jays fans up in Canada. Naturally, I was inclined to pick Guerrero Jr, and I was also thinking about Luis Arraez who leads the league in batting average, but unfortunately, Ty France exists. Both Arraez and France lead Guerrero in wRC+ (165 and 160 respectively). so for me, Guerrero was out of the question for the starting spot. In the end, I decided upon Ty France who is slashing .316/.390/.476. France is among the overall American League leaders in several key offensive categories, including batting average (6th, .314), on-base percentage (8th, .391), OPS (11th, .868), RBI (7th, 44), hits (2nd, 83),wRC+ (8th, 158) and fWAR (T-10th, 2.2). And although the batted ball data between Arraez, France, and Vladdy are relatively close, France’s numbers are simply superior and he gets my vote.
Second Base: Jose Altuve
This was probably one of the easier decisions I made throughout this ballot. I considered Gleyber Torres who is having one of the best seasons of his career thus far, but ultimately, Altuve is simply the best second baseman in the AL on this ballot. He leads the AL second baseman in wRC+, is 6th in fWAR, 8th in xWOBA, 1st in wOBA, and is slashing .273/.346/.517, and 13 HRs, tied for first in the AL. Although his numbers are nothing spectacular, it is obvious to me that he is the best second baseman in the AL for this ballot.
Third Base: Jose Ramirez
This selection was quite difficult for me. Rafael Devers and Ramirez are both so good, but ultimately, I went for Ramirez. Devers has been hitting the ball very well this season, his batted ball profile is among the best in the league at a 92 percentile or higher in most hard hit ball categories. However, Ramirez’s numbers are too good to ignore. He leads all third baseman across both leagues and fourth overall in wRC+, and third overall in WAR and is slashing .301/.391/..623. Devers does lead Ramirez in fWAR by 0.1, but I think that Ramirez does edge him out just slightly. I think that these two are interchangeable though so whoever does get the start deserves it just as much as the other.
Shortstop: Tim Anderson
That’s right, I voted for the player that I said was due for some regression. But hey, clearly I was wrong and now he’s got my vote. Somehow, Bo Bichette is leading all AL Shorstops in votes, but I did not even consider him. I was in between Anderson and Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox, and settled for Anderson who holds the highest wRC+ (159), batting average (.358), fourth lowest strikeout percentage (10.9%), and is in the 99th percentile in expected batting average. He is slashing .354/.392/.489.
Catcher: Alejandro Kirk
I really wanted to vote for Jose Trevino, but Kirk is too good. I’ve had the opportunity to watch Trevino this season, and his catcher framing is elite with a 53.7% strike rate which is among the best in the league (which is greatly beneficial to me, having Gerrit Cole on my fantasy team). However, Kirk’s offense is undeniably better, slashing a .307/.395/.487. He leads all catchers in wRC+ (150), batting average (.307), fWAR (2.5), and is in the 90th percentile or higher in xWOBA, xBA, xSLG, K%, Whiff%, and catcher framing. Big Boy Kirk is one of the best offensive and defensive catchers right now and as good as Trevino is, I think he’ll have to settle for that backup catcher position in LA.
Outfielders: Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Taylor Ward
Aaron Judge is a no brainer decision. MVP frontrunner, home run leader, and best fWAR (4.0) and wRC+ (188) among outfielders. Judge’s batted ball data is also so good, he’s easily the best hitter in the league at the moment. I’ve watched just about every Yankees game this season and Judge has consistently been barreling balls nearly every at bat, it might even be enough to say that he’s been a tad unlucky this season, which given his current numbers (.304/.379/.658), is ridiculous to say. And even as I type this, Judge has just walked off a game against the Astros. Mike Trout is very close behind with a 187 wRC+ and a 187 fWAR, slashing .284/.385/.640, so not much of a thought there. Taylor Ward was a bit of a tougher decision, as I was between him, Byron Buxton, and Kyle Tucker, but I settled on Ward. I’ve seen him play in many games this season and I’ve seen his brilliant plate discipline and his unwillingness to chase outside the zone. Pair that with his 3rd best 180 wRC+, a 2.5 WAR, and a .310/.409/.569 slash line, and Ward has got my vote.
Designated Hitter: Yordan Alvarez
Almost as easy as the Aaron Judge pick. Leads the entire MLB in wRC+, second in home runs, third among outfielders in fWAR (3.4) and a .317/.406/.665 slash line.
NL Starters
First Base: Paul Goldschmidt
Pete Alonso has been amazing this season, but Goldschmidt has just simply been on another level. He is second in the entire league in wRC+ with 191 and is slashing .339/.418/.623. He is the NL Frontrunner for MVP. Enough said.
Second Base: Jeff McNeil
This one was difficult. Chisholm was the other player I was considering, but obviously, I went for McNeil. McNeil’s batted ball data is not very good, just in the 26th and 27th percentile in average exit velo and hard hit % respectively, he doesn’t walk very often, and has the fourth highest BABIP among second basemen. Typically, I tend to view these numbers as signs of an eventual regression, but this is Jeff McNeil, who has consistently had this trend of batted ball data and still has been a hitter around the .300 batting average range. McNeil is second among second basemen in fWAR (2.5), and third in wRC+ (146) while slashing .327/.386/.456.
Third Base: Manny Machado
Machado leads the MLB in fWAR (4.3), second in bWAR (4.0), 3rd among third basemen in wRC+ (163), leads third basemen in OBP (.400) and is slashing .328/.400/.545. He has also been a spectacular defender, ranking in the 99th percentile in outs above average and 3 DRS. I also met Manny Machado once in an elevator in a Toronto hotel where he was staying during an away series, so extra points there.
Shortstop: Tommy Edman
Believe it or not, Edman is the leader among all position players in bWAR (4.1), and seventh in fWAR (3.4) while slashing .275/.351/.413. He is one of the best defensive players in the league, and pairing that with his breakout offensive season, and it is no surprise that he is among the best of the best this season. Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson both sport better slash lines and wRC+, but don’t come close to Edman’s production on defense. I also wanted to give my vote to someone new, as opposed to Trea Turner who is already easily first in All Star voting at shortstop.
Catcher: Willson Contreras
There aren’t really many options at catcher in the NL here apart form Contreras and Tyler Stephenson, but Contreras’s numbers still make the decision easy nonetheless. His 2.3 WAR and 145 wRC+ leads all qualified catchers apart from Alejandro Kirk and he is in the 88th percentile in average exit velo, 94 in hard hit %, and 93 in xWOBA. While he may not be as good defensively as many other catchers, his offense (.264/.379/.495) warrants enough for an All Star vote.
Outfielders: Mookie Betts, Joc Pederson, Ronald Acuna Jr.
I really considered Brandon Nimmo here but his BB% has been lower than usual and I think that Joc Pederson, Mookie and Acuna are better. Being a Giants fan, there was no way I was going through an entire All Star ballot without a single Giants player. He has come up huge in so many big moments this season for the Giants and has been a relatively bright spot to a rather weak and inconsistent lineup with a 154 wRC+, and a .271/.348/.571. Mookie Betts has been the best hitter on a stacked Dodgers lineup, leading all NL outfielders in fWAR (3.3) with a 147 wRC+, and a .273/.349/.535. Acuna was my fringe pick, he hasn’t played too much this season, but he’s still been just about the same ol’Acuna. A 128 wRC+, and a .275/.367/.456 is above average, but maybe not quite what Acuna has been able to produce the last two seasons (157 and 158 in 2020 and 2021). Even so, his batted ball profile on baseballsavant is almost just as good as his previous two years, 88 percentile in average exit velo, 89 in hard hit %, 97 in barrel %, and 94 in xwOBA. He will get back on track and is probably the best option for the third outfielder.
Designated Hitter: Bryce Harper
Harper getting hurt is the only reason he’s here in the DH slot rather than being my third outfielder choice. A .325/.390/.612 slash line is very very solid and his 170 wRC+ makes him an easy choice over William Contreras, the other player I was considering.
