Now that the starters for the upcoming all-star game have been announced, let’s go through the various positions and see if the fans got it right.

Catcher – Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Mauer is the only real choice here. Not only is he one of the most popular players in the league but he’s still the best overall catcher as well, even though he’s had a relative down year. With declining power numbers, Mauer is still hitting .300 and the power numbers should come around eventually this season.

First Base – Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
A.L. first base is definitely one of the most difficult positions to choose this year. The better choice is probably Miguel Cabrera, who is having the best season in his illustrious career; as of June 7, Cabrera was leading the A.L. in hitting (.343) and RBIs (73) and was tied for the lead in home runs (21). Morneau is still a good choice, however, considering he’s the leader of a division-leading team and is actually having a better statistical year than when he won the MVP.

Second Base – Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
The biggest no-brainer of them all. Dustin Pedroia is having another nice season but Robinson Cano appears to be launching himself into superstardom. His .337 average, 16 bombs and 55 RBIs put him in the MVP discussion, though it seems that too many A.L. mashers are having career years for him to actually take down the award.

Shortstop – Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
As long as he’s the shortstop and captain of a very good Yankees team, he will be tough to usurp. He also doesn’t have a whole lot Cialis Professional of competition, which is why his .278 average, eight long balls and 40 RBIs is easily enough for him to grab his 11th all-star selection.

Third Base – Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
Longoria is now the face of the Rays franchise and he’s putting up the numbers to back it up. With an average near .300 and good power numbers, he’s a solid choice as the A.L. starter at third base, though the more deserving is probably Adrian Beltre of the Red Sox. Though most assumed Beltre was on the downside of his career, he’s putting up the type of numbers that could get him a couple MVP votes.

Outfield (3) – Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners; Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers; Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
Ichiro just continues to put up numbers in Seattle for the unfortunate Mariners. Hitting a ho-hum .326 and stealing 22 bases so far has been enough for him to garnish his 10th all-star selection. Carl Crawford is also having another typical year, batting .319 and swiping 29 bases while playing top-tier left field. Crawford and Longoria make for a very formidable lineup and certainly sell plenty of MLB tickets as well.

The most impressive in the group, though, is certainly Josh Hamilton. Though Cabrera, Cano and Morneau have been the names tossed around for A.L. MVP in the first half, Hamilton has emerged as the possible frontrunner. Through 80 games, Hamilton is hitting .342 with 21 homers and 62 RBIs for the division-leading Texas Rangers. Thanks to Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero and pitchers like C.J. Wilson, the Rangers continue to be one of the surprises of the season.

DH – Vlad Guerrero, Texas Rangers
What in the world is going on in Texas? After struggling with injury the last couple of seasons in L.A. with the Angels, Vlad has been nothing short of spectacular this season. Vlad is one of the top RBI guys in the entire league with 72 and has mashed 19 home runs to boot. At age 35, we think Vlad also hasn’t lost his ability to spray the ball around the field and he’s hitting a fairly absurd .330 while only striking out 30 times. The only .300 hitter with less strikeouts this year is Joe Mauer, who has a fraction of the run production of Bad Vlad.

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