Print   Recommend

In the NL, there are a few players out there having great years who will probably not get voted in by the fans, but should be considered via the manager's choices. Also, the Houston Astros fans seemed to have voted the most out of any club this year, so many of their players are near the top in all categories.

The first base position in the NL still holds some of the staples we have all seen in the past, but there are also a handful of players who may have a chance to get their time in. Among those surprises are Cincinnati's Sean Casey, Milwaukee's Lyle Overbay, and Pittsburgh's Craig Wilson. Each of these players hit the 40 RBI plateau and is well over .300 for the season. You should see both Casey and Wilson representing their team, but Overbay may have a difficult time getting the nod with Scott Podsednik being a fan favorite.

The first base starters are a shoe-in. Though, if you ask me, neither deserves to start, but then again, it's about fan favorites, not stats. Albert Pujols and Jeff Bagwell have no competition in the area of fan appreciation. Houston is again over-voting their players, and Pujols is simply the overall fan favorite. Though the voting is close now (6/15), Pujols should have a healthy lead by the time the last ballot rolls in. Batting .309 with 17 HR, Pujols is on his way to another mighty season.

The AL first base situation is different. Nobody is running away with the voting. Usually filled with high votes and players with superstar seasons, it is now filled with a struggling class of ex-greats. There is one surprise here, though some would question his inclusion. Frank Thomas deserves the nod. The "Big Hurt" is having the best offensive year of any AL first basemen, and one of the best in the AL.

The one thing that hurts him here is that he has only played one game so far at first base, though you must remember that the AL has a DH and managers can choose to put Frank in the DH on the sole reason that there are better fielders on the team. It is not his fault. Frank is very close from being voted as a starter, all he needs is more fans to take their time with picking the first base position. So far, the max vote here is about 460,000 votes, too low for this position.

The AL and NL both face the identical situation at second base. Jeff Kent and Alfonso Soriano will start for the NL and AL respectively. There is nobody even remotely close to overcoming those two. The one problem here is figuring out who the bench players are going to be in a sea of average players.

Tony Womack or Luis Castillo would be my consideration for NL backup, though both are having only average years. Juan Uribe should be the backup for the AL. Juan is having a break-out year. After spending three years at Colorado as a subpar player, he is batting about .318 and has 37 runs and 9 HR. Did anybody know he had it in him?

The NL shortstop is a question mark. None are having great years, and the fan voting record has shown this. Adam Everett top the chart at about 625,000 votes, but Edgar Renteria is just a stone's throw away.

The AL voting is just as close. Derek Jeter is leading all AL shortstops in votes, though in my opinion, he doesn't deserve to be on the team, and neither does Nomar Garciaparra, who has shown that he truly is an injury-prone player. Miguel Tejada comes up a close third in voting, but the AL shortstops with the beast years so far are Jose Guillen and Michael Young. One of these two deserves to start, though they probably won't. Michael Young of Texas and Carlos Guillen of Detroit are having the best years at shortstop. I would look for both of them as backups this coming July.

The third base position in both leagues is set. Alex Rodriguez is running away with the votes in the AL, and Scott Rolen is running away with them in the NL. Although it is expected, A-Rod is having another great year, though he did have a rocky start along with basically the entire Yankees team.

Scott Rolen is a surprise; he may very well finish the year with his first .300 season. The backup for the AL looks to be Hank Blalock from Texas. The NL backup for third base is a question mark. Many players are having good years: Adrian Beltre, Aramis Ramirez, and Mike Lowell are the contenders for the backup spot, though Ramirez is edging them both out statistically and by fan votes.

Don't look for any changes in the catcher position this year. Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez need no introduction. Most of the other starters in the league are having good years, too, though the three surprises are the Cubs' Michael Barrett, the Braves' Johnny Estrada, and the Indians' Victor Martinez. These will probably the managers top choices for backups.

The outfield position will be very exciting this year. Why? Because, Ken Griffey, Jr. is back in town. Look for an NL OF set of Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Sammy Sosa. Sosa's votes are down, but with him coming back in a week, this OF trio will be set. It looks like the Homerun Derby is going to a great show this year. If Frank Thomas gets in, a few ex-winners will be back.

The backup outfielders will be difficult to pick. Moises Alou is having a career year offensively and defensively and should probably get the nod. The only others who should get a chance are Lance Berkman, Bobby Abreu, and Miguel Cabrera, all having great years. If the managers want some speed, you may also see Juan Pierre, Dave Roberts, or Scott Podsednik come in late.

Two key-ins for the AL outfield position are Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez. The third position is up for grabs, though Gary Sheffield could take over it if he could play up to his skill level, or even Carlos Beltran could swipe it away if he is traded to a good team. For speed, you might see the managers chose between Ichiro Suzuki, Chone Figgins, or Carl Crawford, each having great years.

So, who are going to be the starting pitchers? You know who! There is no doubt in my mind -- or yours probably -- that Roger Clemens will start for the NL, and Curt Schilling for the AL. They are having the best years by far and fan favorites. The closers will probably be Mariano Rivera (again) for the AL, and Armando Benitez for the NL.

Now, if only baseball will ban the 20 vote allowance for fans...

Have something to say? Visit the message boards and discuss this article. Comments? Agree? Disagree? Send in your feedback about this article.