My 2019 AL All-Star Starters

I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of the 2019 MLB All-Star game voting system. Apparently, changes have been implemented that affect how this year's electees will be determined, but I'm not certain as to what specific adjustments were made.

 Regardless, I've already cast a couple of ballots with the 9 players whom I believe deserve to take the field next month in Cleveland. Although I try not to let my bias interfere with the players that I select, I can't help but vote for a few Red Sox players.

However, it seems that problems arise each and every year when it comes to All-Star voting. Last year, Gary Sanchez was hitting around .190, yet he led AL catchers in votes up until a week or so before the polls closed.

Because the All-Stars are determined by the fans, the voting system, no matter how many times it has been modified, inherently favors big market teams over small market franchises. Why else would Brett Gardner even be in the conversation for an All-Star game appearance in 2019?

Recently, Rays OF Tommy Pham spoke out in opposition of the fan voting, citing similar reasons as the one above. 

The Tampa Bay Rays are currently in 1st place, yet some of their most talented and deserving players (Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe) are being outshined and, thus, aren't receiving the votes that they deserve.

The fan voting has never worked perfectly, and it likely never will. With that being said, there's usually 1 major AS snub each year, so everything seems to work out when all is said and done.

It's evident that many of the fans who vote for the All-Stars don't take into account who actually deserves this recognition. Therefore, for the 2nd consecutive MLB season, I decided to list and explain my own AL and NL All-Star starters.

Catcher; Gary Sanchez

As much as I wanted to vote for Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, I simply cannot ignore Gary Sanchez's substantial improvement from 2018 to the present day. After hitting just .186 last year and missing a ton of time due to injury, Sanchez seems destined for his 2nd career All-Star selection in 2019.

His .266 batting average through 200 at-bats in 2019 may not be magnificent, but it highlights how much he's improved from year to year. Moreover, he's re-established himself as one of Baseball's best sluggers, for he's already hit 21 home runs and driven in 49. 

When healthy and at his best, Sanchez is a home run machine and one of the best sluggers in Baseball. Even though he's a Yankee, I'll have no problem with Sanchez making the All-Star team so long as he retains his current stats and, if possible, slightly raises his batting average.

1st Base; Carlos Santana

Like Gary Sanchez, Carlos Santana had a rocky season in 2019, to put it kindly. He was forced to play 1st base full-time when he signed a 3-year $60 million dollar deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. As a result, he hit just .229 last year, a career low for the 33-year old.

After struggling to find his groove all season in Philadelphia, Santana returned to the Indians in a 3-team trade, and he's been sensational ever since. He's stepped up his game in the wake of Jose Ramirez's significant offensive struggles, and his .289/14/43 hit line should be enough for Santana to be elected to his 1st ever All-Star game.

2nd Base; Brandon Lowe

Here's a player that shocked virtually everyone in Baseball, both fans, and players. Tampa Bays Rays 2nd baseman Brandon Lowe seemingly came out of nowhere, and, all of a sudden, he's the front-runner for the American League's starting 2nd base spot.

In his rookie season, Lowe's putting up better numbers than phenoms like Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Eloy Jimenez. Through nearly 250 at-bats, he's hitting a respectable .280, and he also has 15 homers, the same number of doubles, and 44 RBI.

Thus far, I'm very impressed with what I've seen from the 24-year old rookie. It's nice to see players surprise us and achieve unexpected greatness, and I'd love to see him be rewarded with an ASG selection.

Shortstop; Xander Bogaerts

Simply put, Xander Bogaerts is playing at a higher level than every other American League shortstop. Unfortunately, he's not getting the recognition that he deserves, for he ranked 6th among AL shortstops as of 3 days ago.

This gets back to how unfair the fan voting system truly is, even for successful, big market teams like the Boston Red Sox. After signing a contract extension towards the very beginning of the 2019 season, Boagerts has shown consistency and has blossomed into an RBI machine for the Red Sox.

His 49 RBI leads the entire team, and his .300 batting average is something we haven't from the X-man since 2015. If he keeps these numbers up, Bogaerts is a no-brainer for the AL starting shortstop job, but clearly, my opinion isn't shared by many of the fans who are voting.

3rd Base; Rafael Devers

While I admire what some of the other AL 3rd basemen have done so far this season, especially Gio Urshella of the New York Yankees, there's no reason for him to receive more All-Star votes than Rafael Devers. 

In addition to Gary Sanchez and Carlos Santana, Rafael Devers has demonstrated tremendous improvement since his injury-plagued and slightly disappointing 2018 season. Now, Devers has eclipsed every other AL 3rd baseman with his unbelievable statistics.

His .307 batting average is the best out of every player on the Boston Red Sox, and it's something that I doubted he could pull off following his .240 average last season. Furthermore, Devers has been a valuable part of the Red Sox all season as he's hit 12 dingers and driven in 47 runs. 

Not to mention, he has 8 stolen bases as well, though he certainly makes some base-running mistakes.  He's even made significant defensive improvements, proving that Devers has truly come a long way and merits a 2019 All-Star game selection.

Outfielders; Michael Brantley, George Springer, and Mike Trout

Originally, I envisioned Mookie Betts as a shoo-in for the AL starting outfielder job, but he's had his struggles with batting average throughout the 2019 season thus far. Mike Trout, on the other hand, is a perennial All-Star starter; there was never any doubt in my mind that he'd make his 8th ASG appearance in 2019.

What I didn't expect, however, was for George Springer and Michael Brantley to emerge as starting caliber players for the AL All-Star team. Going into the 2019 season, Springer was coming off a disappointing 2018 performance, and Brantley was entering his first season with the Astros.

Nonetheless, both outfielders are hitting around .300 with Houston and have driven in around 40 runs. I'm always looking for a balance between batting average and power, and these 2 outfielders, along with Trout, perfectly fit the bill.

Even though Devers and Bogaerts aren't getting the recognition or the votes that they deserve by the general public, at least DH J.D. Martinez is. Last time I checked, he was leading all American League designated hitters with votes, and I don't expect anything to change.

His stats may not be as fantastic as they were in 2018, but his batting average is still hovering around the .300 mark, and he's recently entered a hot streak in which he's been homering quite frequently.

At this point, I don't necessarily expect Rafael Devers or Xander Bogaerts to start in the ASG, but, if nothing else, I can't say the same for J.D. Martinez.