Every team gets at least one all-star in the mid-summer classic and the two leagues put together the best roster to face off for home field advantage in the World Series. What if each division in MLB had their own all-star team, though? Obviously every player who made the real all-star team for their respective team would make it still right? Not necessarily, so let’s take a look at what the all-star team would look like if we broke it down to just one division, in this case, the NL West.
In the NL West there are very few constants. This division has not had a back to back division winner since 2008-09 when the Dodgers won back to back division titles. One thing that has been constant, though, has been the best catcher in the division. For three of the last four season (Including this season) Buster Posey has been the best catcher in the NL West, and the only season he wasn’t he missed most of the year with an injury. That is why it is a no brainer to have the 2010 Rookie of the Year, 2012 NL MVP and two time World Series Champion catcher as the catcher for the NL West All-Star team.
In recent years the NL West has put out some of the best first basemen in the game in Adrian Gonzalez and Todd Helton, but the trade of Gonzo and the decline of Helton has left a hole in the division at first base. Enter Paul Goldschmidt. It was widely known that Goldschmidt was a budding star with above average power, but this year he is far surpassing everyone’s expectations. He sports a .313 batting average to go along with his 21 home runs and 77 runs batted in. With numbers like that he should easily be starting in the MLB all-star game, but the starters are picked in a popularity contest, and Goldy is not the most popular first baseman in the NL. That is okay, though, because his wrong will be righted as the first baseman of the NL West All-Star team.
Marco Scutaro has had a rollercoaster ride of a career. After spending the better part of eight years in the minor leagues before finally breaking through with the Oakland Athletics and proving he could be a valuable player as he filled in for Mark Ellis, Bobby Crosby and Eric Chavez when each of them went down with injury over his four year stint with the A’s. Each of his four seasons with the A’s he played more than 100 games as a utility guy, and that versatility earned him a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2008 season. Four years later Scutaro had established himself as a starter in the league that could play either middle infield position and locked down the second base job with the Colorado Rockies, where he was ripping the cover off the ball before being traded to the San Francisco Giants at mid-season. All he did with the Giants was help lead them to the World Series and earn himself another nice contract. Enter 2013 where he has hit .316 and been one of the only consistent players on the up and down Giants offense earning himself the NL West All-Star at second base.
Shortstop is a tough decision for this team. Troy Tulowitzki is easily the best player at this position in the league, let alone the NL West, but he spent a good portion of the first half on the disabled list. Meanwhile, Hanley Ramirez has returned from the disabled list after injuring himself in the World Baseball classic to tear the cover off of the ball, but again he has spent most of the first half on the DL. For a moment I thought about putting them together as co-all-stars at the position seeing as they’ve both played a full half combined, but if I did that I would be overlooking a surprising first half by San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera. Cabrera’s stats aren’t as flashy as either Tulo or Rameriz’, but he has been the shining star in the Padres lineup while putting up career numbers. That full first half of success gives him the nod over two of the best in the game at SS as the NL West All-Star shortstop.
Third base in the NL West, well, sucks. For all the fantastic third baseman the AL has the NL West has a serious lack of not only star power, but good play at third base. Last season this pick would have been a lock for Padres star Chase Headley, but after an early injury Headley has struggled and has not been the same player. The other player who quickly comes to mind is the World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval, but he has been very similar to Headley as he has spent time on the disabled list, and struggled mightily afterwards. So who do you pick for a team when none of the regular starters at the position are putting up good numbers? Well, how about the best back up in the division? That’s right folks, the NL West all-star at the third base position goes to Eric Chavez. The Diamondbacks back up third baseman and primary pinch hitter has played in only 46 games and only had 145 at bats, but in those at bats he is hitting .303 with 7 home runs and 29 runs batted in. Projected out over a full season that’s 24 home runs and 95 runs batted in. He may have never made an all-star game, but he is the third baseman on the NL West All-Star team.
Left field is a stone cold lock for Carlos Gonzalez. He hit .302 in the first half, knocked 25 out of the park and drove in 64 runs while scoring 68. Since being dealt to the Rockies for Matt Holliday from the Oakland Athletics CarGo has done nothing but make the A’s regret it. Doubters keep saying that he cannot keep this up anywhere else but Colorado, but he still has to play half of his games outside of Colorado and his numbers continue to be impressive. CarGo is the easiest pick after Posey and is the NL West All-Star left fielder.
Centerfield was another position that was tough to decide. There is no clear cut winner with Matt Kemp battling injuries and struggling when healthy. It also doesn’t help that Angel Pagan, probably the most exciting centerfielder in the NL West, is done for the year after a hamstring injury. Although Gerardo Parra’s numbers do not make him stand out as an all-star, his defense does. His .285 batting average is nothing to laugh at, but what is really impressive is 51 runs scored. Parra may not be a true all-star, but in the NL West, he is the best.
Right field is almost as tough to decide as shortstop was. Michael Cuddyer is hitting .330 and had a 27 game hitting streak this season for the Rockies. Hunter Pence nearly made the all-star team on the final vote for the Giants. The all-star for the NL West, though, has to be the man who probably should have started the season in the majors, Yasiel Puig. I know, a lot of people think that he should not be an all-star because of his lack of time at the major league level, but the guy is hitting .491 with 8 home runs in only eight home runs. It may be a small sample size, but it is enough to win him the NL West All-Star in Right Field.
In what is another slam dunk, the starting pitcher for the NL West All-Star team is Clayton Kershaw. No one can argue with this, because it is debatable that Kershaw is the best pitcher in the National League. If his 1.98 ERA doesn’t do it for you maybe his 139 strikeouts will. This is a slam dunk, to steal a term from another sport, and Kershaw is your starting pitcher for the NL West All-Star team.
The final two spots on the team go to two men who come in to lock down the game for their respected teams. Who could it be, though? The Diamondbacks closers, J.J. Putz and Heath Bell have both struggled to close out games for their teams. L.A. Dodgers closer Brandon League has an ERA of over six and lost his job to Kenley Jansen, who probably should have had the job to begin with. Of course the Rockies closer has an ERA over 3, but it’s his lack of appearances that hurt him here as he’s only pitched in 28 games. The San Diego Padres closer Huston Street has been anything but solid at the back end of their bullpen, and has an ERA of over four. That leaves all-star closer Sergio Romo as a lock to make the team by default, but it is the second relief pitcher that will shock and possibly amaze you. The second relief pitcher to make the team has appeared in 50 games already this season, has an ERA of 2.44 and he has now taken over as the Arizona Diamondbacks closer for the time being, Brad Ziegler. Congrats on making the team Ziegler and Romo, you are the best the NL West has to offer.
So what does the team look like? Take a look here.
Catcher - Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
First Base - Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
Second Base - Marco Scutaro, San Francisco Giants
Shortstop - Everth Cabrera, San Diego Padres
Third Base - Eric Chavez, Arizona Diamondbacks
Left Field - Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
Center Field - Gerardo Parra, Arizona Diamondbacks
Right Field - Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
Starting Pitcher - Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Relief Pitcher - Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants
Relief Pitcher - Brad Ziegler, Arizona Diamondbacks