The day has arrived for the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. Stars will take the field and give home field advantage in the World Series to the winner.
Both lineups have been released and this is what they look like.
In the National League, Tony LaRussa has remained faithful to his unorthodox style of managing.
|
# |
Player |
|
1 |
Carlos Gonzalez DH |
|
2 |
Melky Cabrera CF |
|
3 |
Ryan Braun LF |
|
4 |
Joey Votto1B |
|
5 |
Carlos Beltran RF |
|
6 |
Buster Posey C |
|
7 |
Pablo Sandoval 3B |
|
8 |
Dan Uggla 2B |
|
9 |
Rafael Furcal SS |
Furcal, a player who would usually be at the top of the lineup, bats last. Aside from Uggla, Furcal contributes the least to the batting lineup.
Uggla's 45 runs batted in and .351 on-base percentage lessen the blow of his .221 batting average. Furcal has scored 54 runs, which leads all shortstops in the Major Leagues.
Gonzalez is 8th in the NL with his .389 OBP, which makes him a viable leadoff hitter. Melky has crazy contact this season, validating LaRussa's decision to place him second in the lineup.
Everybody 3-5 could be flip-flopped and still make sense.
Imagine a David Wright in the middle of that lineup instead of Pablo Sandoval? That would have been dangerous.
Nothing against Posey, Sandoval, Uggla or Furcal, but the rest of the lineup is fairly weak in comparison to the American League lineup.
And here is what the AL lineup looks like.
|
1 |
Derek Jeter SS |
|
2 |
Robinson Cano 2B |
|
3 |
Josh Hamilton LF |
|
4 |
Jose Bautista RF |
|
5 |
Prince Fielder 1B |
|
6 |
Adrian Beltre 3B |
|
7 |
David Ortiz DH |
|
8 |
Mike Napoli C |
|
9 |
Curtis Granderson CF |
There is contact and on-base ability in their leadoff spot with Jeter. Cano has contact and power. 3-7 spots on the lineup provide brutal power. Mike Napoli is the biggest hole in the lineup for the American League. Granderson can then turn into a leadoff hitter, providing power and speed from the 9th spot.
Of course, offensive production means nothing when you have Justin Verlander and Matt Cain on the mound.
As much as the game is about who scores, for the first few innings, this pitching matchup could be about which hurler walks off the mound with the most strikeouts.
