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June 1st All Stars

So, it is two months into the season and I am pretty disgusted with the All-Star voting (as usual through the first count) so I figured I would make my All-Star selections public through the first two months of the season.

National League - Visitor
C - Rod Barajas, NYM (Where did that power come from; Ivan Rodriguez was my choice prior to the injury, leadership and a .340 batting average speak volumes)
1B - Albert Pujols, STL (Rival to Miguel Cabrera)
2B - Martin Prado, ATL (Hitting .330 and found a home in the leadoff position on the hottest team in baseball, one is fueling the other there. Lots of other solid choices, Utley, Brandon Phillips, Kelly Johnson in that order)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (Great batting average this season with same power numbers and leading the surprise Nationals. Jorge Cantu was a close second)
SS - Hanley Ramirez, FLA (Pure talent, having another great season, not even close here)
LF - Ryan Braun, MIL (Easy choice)
CF - Andrew McCutchen, PIT (Dynamic player that will be noticed)
RF - Andre Eithier, LAD (Easily one of the top five players this year, even with his injury)
DH (Not possible to vote in the NL, just for fun) - Jason Heyward, ATL (This was the meaning of instant impact, now baseball people are asking, "Who will be the next Jason Heyward?" The best offensive rookie I have seen since Ryan Braun coupled with clutch hitting, speed and defense)
Ace - Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (No-Hitter, Sub-1.00 ERA, 10-1 record, not even a perfect game by Roy Halladay will change my mind here)

American League - Home
C - Kurt Suzuki, OAK (Struggling position because of injuries and slow starts. Mauer will get my July vote likely)
1B - Miguel Cabrera, DET (Arguably the best production this season)
2B - Robinson Cano, NYY (Not even close)
3B - Evan Longoria, TB (Best player on the best team gives the edge over A-Rod and Adrian Beltre's .340 batting average)
SS - Alex Gonzalez, TOR (Where did all that power come from?)
LF - Alex Rios, CWS (Has found his power stroke again)
CF - Vernon Wells, TOR (See Alex Rios)
RF - Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (Keep on keeping on)
DH - David Ortiz, BOS (Vlad Guerrero is a very close second)
Ace - Jon Lester, BOS (Watch out AL, he has been a traditional slow starter and this season he came out of the gate on fire. Not as easy of a call as the NL, but I like Lester over Sabathia or Ricky Romero)

The NL has not won an All-Star game in more than a decade. Based on how their stars are hitting this spring things are looking up. The AL is deep in talent that has underperformed this season or has been hit by injuries. Remember, this is based on the 2010 season statistics, not overall talent.

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