(79) takes the field for batting practice prior to a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Who have been the best players in the AL Central this season?
As the MLB season is about to approach the All-Star break with the “first half” of the season ending on Sunday and the All-Star Game taking place on Tuesday, July 15, it is time we look at who an AL Central All-Star team would consist of.
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This is the vision I have for the 2014 AL Central All-Star team, at least. I would put this group of players up against any other division in the AL or the NL.
I picked the normal 1-9 batters (including the designated hitter), along with two starting pitchers and two relievers.
Some of the players I chose are in the actual All-Star game, and others have either had their day in the mid-summer classic or one day will get that opportunity.
As for the actual AL Central standings (before Friday’s games), the Detroit Tigers lead the division at 51-37, followed by the Kansas City Royals (47-44), Cleveland Indians (45-46), Chicago White Sox (44-49) and Minnesota Twins (42-49).
Let’s take a look at this version of an AL Central All-Star team.
(Note: All stats are before games played on Friday, July 11.)
Jul 5, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman
(not pictured) out in the fourth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Infielders
• First Base: Miguel Cabrera (Tigers): He’s one of, if not the best hitter in baseball, but anyone who competes for a Triple Crown each of the past couple seasons (earning the honor in 2012) deserves to be called one of the best in all of baseball.
Cabrera this season is batting .315 with 14 home runs
Cabrera this season is batting .315 with a .376 on-base percentage and .550 slugging percentage. He’s hit 14 home runs this season but has 34 doubles to lead the league. In his 87 games, Cabrera has 73 RBIs, so it will be interesting to see if he can get to the 130-plus RBI mark for a third consecutive season.
• Second Base: Brian Dozier (Twins): Maybe the most underrated player in the AL Central. I like the way Dozier plays the game, and one day he will be an actual All-Star.
In 2014, Dozier has scored 66 runs in 89 games. He is batting just .234 but has 40 RBIs, 14 doubles and 16 home runs. He also has 16 steals and 51 walks, and he will be a big part of the Twins’ future.
• Third Base: Lonnie Chisenhall (Indians): Chisenhall is having a very productive season for the Indians. He’s batting .324 with nine home runs, 20 doubles and one triple. His on-base percentage is .387, and like I said about Dozier, he’s a big part of the Indians’ future and will be a name all fans of the AL Central will come to know on a regular basis as he continues his career.
In just his fourth season, Chisenhall is now taking that next step, as last year in 94 games played he batted. 225, and now through 76 games his average is 99 points higher. It will be fun to watch to see if he can keep up this pace through the second half of the season.
• Shortstop: Alexei Ramirez (White Sox): There is no other shortstop that has played better baseball in the entire AL this season, not just in the Central. Ramirez has played in 93 games thus far, currently batting .283 with a .318 OBP and .403 slugging percentage.
Ramirez has eight home runs this season (already surpassing his total of six all of last season), along with 41 RBIs and 16 walks. Ramirez does have 25 extra base hits, including the eight home runs, 15 doubles and two triples.
Not to forget his play in the field is some of the best glove work in all of baseball.
• Catcher:Salvador Perez (Royals): This was a very tough decision, because I also considered Minnesota’s Kurt Suzuki and Detroit’s Victor Martinez, but I didn’t add Martinez to this All-Star list as a catcher because he’s caught just two games this season.
So between Perez and Suzuki, I picked home run totals over a higher batting average for this spot. Perez is batting .282, but he does have 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.
Perez and Suzuki are the two best catchers in the AL Central, so this was the toughest decision of this team.
Jun 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder
(6) doubles against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Outfielders
• Lorenzo Cain (Royals): Cain is batting .317 this season in 67 games and is maybe the best leadoff hitter in the Central. His OBP is .353, and he has a slugging percentage of .440.
Cain has 80 hits thus far in '14
Cain is in his fifth season in the MLB and is on pace to have his best season yet. Last year, he batted .251 in 115 games, but I believe he’ll continue to keep this pace up as the season progresses, He has 16 doubles, three home runs, three triples and a total of 80 hits … he is perfect for the leadoff role with those type of numbers.
• Alex Gordon (Royals): Do the Royals have the best outfield in the division? Gordon is having a good season with 44 RBIs in 88 games played this year. He’s almost surpassed his doubles numbers from last season (27) with 24 thus far in ’14.
He is 6-of-8 in steal attempts, and his OBP is .348 ,as he’s also forced 35 walks this season. The Royals’ outfield is must-watch for the second half of the season.
• Michael Brantley (Indians): Brantley is batting .327 this season, and he, like the other outfielders mentioned, is having career numbers in many facets of his game.
Brantley’s most impressive stat to me is his 62 RBIs and 111 hits. Of his 111 hits, 22 are doubles, and one is a triple. He also has 14 home runs and a .522 slugging percentage.
The Indians’ all-star is batting 43 points over his career batting average, and the question will be: can he keep that pace up in the second half of the season?
(15) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the ninth inning at Safeco Field. Minnesota defeated Seattle 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Pitchers & Designated Hitter
• Designated Hitter: Jose Abreu (White Sox): He’s probably the second-best first baseman in the division behind Miguel Cabrera, but one day, I believe Abreu will surpass Cabrera for that title.
Jose Abreu is the cornerstone of the White Sox
Abreu has been a breath of fresh air for the White Sox this season, giving them not only hope for the future, but a cornerstone and a face for the franchise with the retirement of Paul Konerko at the conclusion of the season.
This season, Abreu is batting .287 with an MLB-leading 28 home runs and an MLB-leading .629 slugging percentage before Friday’s game at Cleveland. He has played in 79 games, and in those games he has 20 doubles and one triple. Abreu has also collected 71 RBIs in his rookie season thus far.
• Starting Pitcher: Chris Sale (White Sox): Sale is now a three-time All-Star and is arguably one of the top three pitchers in all of baseball. In 95 innings this season (14 starts), Sale is 8-1 with an ERA of 2.08.
He’s pitched two complete games this season and has amassed 102 strikeouts and held the opponent to a .190 batting average. His WHIP is 0.84.
I don’t believe Sale gets the recognition he deserves throughout baseball, and that was shown as he was snubbed twice on the AL All-Star team until he won the fan final vote on Thursday.
• Starting Pitcher: Max Scherzer (Tigers): Scherzer is the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. He has 19 starts this season with a record of 11-3 and an ERA of 3.35.
The ERA number is a bit higher than what is was last season, but he’s still one of the best pitchers in the AL. He has 146 strikeouts in 126.1 innings pitched.
• Relief Pitcher: Greg Holland (Royals): I believe he is the best closer in the AL Central. He has 24 saves this season and 52 strikeouts in 33.2 innings pitched.
Holland’s ERA is 1.87 in the 35 games he’s pitched, and he is on pace to repeat or at least be near the same numbers he had last season (1.12 ERA, 47 saves).
• Relief Pitcher: Glen Perkins (Twins): Perkins has 38 saves this season for an AL Central last-place Minnesota team. Perkins’s ERA is 3.05, but in 38 games pitched, he has just seven walks.
Perkins has 48 strikeouts (77 all of last season) and has pitched 38.1 innings. It is safe to say when Perkins is going for the save, the Twins will win the game.
