The Midseason Review

The baseball season is nearing its halfway point. The Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants just wrapped up their second round of interleague play, but I’m one of those who thinks that interleague games are a bit of an abomination. Bay Area native that I am, I root for both the A’s and Giants, so why do I have to choose between them just yet? Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks are creeping up on the Giants, after having swept an interleague series with a team that is hardly their natural geographic rival, the Detroit Tigers (who have the worst record in the majors).

Midseason also means it’s time for the annual ritual of All-Star Game voting. Figuring out who to vote for is far more interesting than the actual game itself: last year’s game, declared a 7-7 tie in the 11th inning by the much despised commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, when both teams ran out of players, epitomized the all spectacle, no content, nature of that game. So here are my choices, with a smidgen of commentary:

National League:

1st base: Todd Helton, Colorado. I was all set to choose Albert Pujols until I figured out he plays more in the outfield.

2nd base: Jose Vidro, Montreal. Highest batting average among second basemen, plus I like voting for Expos players.

Shortstop: Edgar Rentaria, St. Louis. No stellar performers here, but I’ll take Renteria on account of his on-base percentage and stolen bases.

3rd base: Mike Lowell, Florida. I don’t know a thing about him, but he’s being quite the slugger, with 25 home runs so far.

Catcher: Benito Santiago, S.F. Giants. He’s been a mainstay for the Giants.

Outfield: Barry Bonds (S.F. Giants), Albert Pujols (St. Louis), and Jim Edmonds (Colorado). Bonds continues his remarkable career. Pujols and Edmonds also have very strong numbers.

American League

1st base: Carlos Delgado, Toronto. Very strong on-base percentage, with 26 home runs.

2nd base: Bret Boone, Seattle. Hitting for both average and power, with 22 home runs.

Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra, Boston. His .343 batting average is very strong, much higher than the well-lauded A-Rod’s .296. Miguel Tejada of A’s, last year’s MVP, is struggling at the plate with a .250 batting average.

3rd base: Hank Blalock, Texas. No strong choices here.

Catcher: Jorge Posada, NY Yankees. He fills the token Yankee spot.

Outfield: Milton Bradley (Cleveland), Manny Ramirez (Boston), and Garret Anderson (Anaheim). Best overall OPS (combination on-base and slugging percentage)

Designated Hitter:Edgar Martinez, Seattle. The perennial DH, still quite consistent.