{ Tables are always easier to read on the website; this page is at https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/2025/02/04/...-al-all-stars/ }
For each section, if a player doesn't qualify for batting stats (roughly 270 PA), their G and PA are listed. Bold indicates a leader at that position for the stat; top 3 listed for most stats.
One thing became quite clear through all this: the AL is far more potent at the plate than the NL. Here, the challenge is omitting some players with 30 homeruns or near 1.000 OPS.
#C
Code:
Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other
Ed Bailey (DET) .985 269/365/619 20 HR; 46 RBI; 2.1 WAR 62 G/230 PA
43.2 RTO%
Mickey Cochrane (SFS) .899 297/368/531 1.9 WAR 1.6 FRM; 4.31 CERA
Joe Mauer (POR) .850 297/373/477 1.7 WAR 2.7 FRM
Curt Blefary (BAL) .814 251/348/465 16 HR; 47 RBI
Carlton Fisk (CAG) .801 222/285/516 21 HR; 56 RBI 40.2 RTO%; 2.2 FRM
FRM=Framing Runs | RTO%=Runners Thrown Out | CERA=Catcher ERA
Ed Bailey (whose defensive performance has been surprisingly good) and
Mickey Cochrane are clearly in, with Bailey starting. That leaves
Joe Mauer in a bit of no-man's land: if the AL goes with 3 catchers, he'd be the 3rd. With Portland needing representation in the game, and a general desire for 3 backstops, Mauer makes the cut.
Iván Rodríguez has probably been the best defensive catcher in the AL (although Mauer has been quite good), but Pudge's 237/272/448 slash line is just too weak to merit much consideration.
#1B
Code:
Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other
Lou Gehrig (NYY) 1.029 283/394/635 28 HR; 67 RBI; 2.5 WAR .995 Fldg
Frank Thomas (CAG) .994 297/418/576 1.8 WAR 8.84 RF
Lance Berkman (CLE) .980 271/364/615 28 HR; 69 RBI
Hank Greenberg (DET) .976 276/347/629 28 HR; 2.0 WAR .998 Fldg; 3.1 ZR
Jim Thome (MCG) .954 231/352/603 32 HR; 72 RBI 8.84 RF
Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating
It's hard to imagine that 32 HR and 72 RBI at the all star game doesn't make the roster, but that's what
Jim Thome is facing.
Lou Gehrig and
Frank Thomas clearly are on the roster and while
Lance Berkman and
Hank Greenberg have better overall numbers than Thome, his power is gaudy enough to have the 3 in a dead heat. Perhaps Greenberg's defense edges him in front?
In the end, none of the 3 of them made it, which is remarkable.
#2B & SS
Because
Dick Lundy and
Bobby Grich--two strong contenders--essentially split their time between 2B and SS, we'll consider the two positions together. First the 2Bs.
Code:
Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other
Rogers Hornsby (POR) .867 280/386/481 11 HR; 33 RBI 58 G / 254 PA
Bobby Grich (LAA) .829 238/367/462 15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR 1.3 ZR
Eddie Collins (CAG) .828 310/404/424 19 2B; 38 SB; 1.3 WAR 4.60 RF
Charlie Gehringer (DET) .823 260/335/488 11 HR; 34 RBI 62 G / 242 PA; 4.96 RF
Cookie Rojas (MCG) .800 321/365/436 29 2B .988 Fldg; 4.51 RF
Miller Huggins (BAL) .795 302/423/372 1.9 WAR 67 G / 241 PA; 6.4 ZR
Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating
And now the SS
Code:
Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other
Cal Ripken, Jr. (BAL) .926 293/339/587 45 G / 1655 PA
Arky Vaughan (CLE) .906 312/400/506 19 2B; 44 RBI; 2.8 WAR 6.7 ZR
Bobby Grich (LAA) .829 238/367/462 15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR
Robin Yount (MCG) .828 273/313/515 16 HR; 42 RBI .983 Fldg; 4.42 RF
Dick Lundy (SFS) .799 296/357/442 18 2B; 7 3B; 35 SB; 2.3 WAR 4.40 RF; 5.9 ZR
Jim Fregosi (POR) .795 259/351/444 16 2B .985 Fldg
Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating
This is rough all around.
Arky Vaughan is just about the only clear choice here, with the best all around performance by a SS if you discount
Cal Ripken, Jr., who just hasn't played enough (likewise, a lack of playing time eliminates both
Miller Huggins and, most controversially,
Charlie Gehringer from consideration).
If we need 4 more middle infielders, they should come from
Rogers Hornsby, Grich, Lundy,
Eddie Collins, and
Robin Yount.
Hornsby has been the best hitting 2B, which is no surprise, but he's also missed some time and is somewhat of a liability defensively. Still, the best OPS of the group has to count for something, so he's in as the starting 2B for the AL.
Eddie Collins is having a bit of an off year compared to last year season. Grich, Collins, and Yount are almost indistinguishable: as such, Grich's versatility earns him a roster spot, and Collins edges Yount for the final spot, leaving Lundy in the cold as well.
#3B
Code:
Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other
Evan Longoria (CLE) .958 296/352/606 26 2B; 55 RBI; 2.3 WAR .962 Fldg; 1.5 ZR
Mike Schmidt (NYY) .951 251/367/584 26 HR; 60 RBI; 2.4 WAR 2.57 RF; 2.2 ZR
Gary Sheffield (MCG) .937 281/327/611 22 2B; 60 RBI; 2.0 WAR 1.3 ZR
Wade Boggs (MEM) .887 325/396/491 28 2B
Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating
Wade Boggs is really just there for comparison.
Mike Schmidt gets the starter's nod over
Evan Longoria, as much for his team's performance as any discernable statistical edge.
#LF/RF
We'll treat the corner OF's together.
Code:
Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other
Babe Ruth (NYY) 1.191 288/428/763 41 HR; 94 RBI; 5.4 WAR 6.7 ZR
José Canseco (MCG) 1.101 258/378/723 38 HR
Ted Williams (MEM) 1.059 310/425/634 69 RBI
Frank Robinson (BAL) 1.038 305/398/640 1.000 Fldg
Mickey Mantle (NYY) 1.009 270/380/629 32 HR; 82 RBI
Joe Jackson (CAG) .981 354/397/584 40 2B; 31 SB
Rickey Henderson (SFS) .866 264/386/479 62 SB; 3.0 WAR 7.3 ZR
Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating
Babe Ruth,
José Canseco, and
Ted Williams are locks. After that, it would seem criminal to omit either
Frank Robinson or
Mickey Mantle, although it must be noted that Uncle Robbie's performance is ever-so-stronger than Mantle's, earning him one of the final spots.
That would leave the electric
Rickey Henderson and the extraordinary
Joe Jackson on the outside looking in.
#CF
Code:
Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other
Tris Speaker (CLE) 1.113 341/413/700 32 2B; 64 RBI; 4.6 WAR 6.2 ZR; 6 Kills
Eric Davis (NYY) 1.080 319/399/681 29 SB 45 G / 208 PA
Turkey Stearnes (SFS) 1.063 334/373/690 9 3B; 24 HR; 61 RBI; 2.9 WAR
Julio Rodríguez (MCG) 1.061 346/369/691 43 G/195 PA
Mike Trout (LAA) .987 309/389/598 25 2B; 4 3B; 57 RBI; 3.0 WAR 1.000 Fldg
Alejandro Oms (MCG) .881 344/406/474
Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating
Look, I don't like
Tris Speaker either, but the man can flat out play. So, he's in, as is Stearnes, perhaps the leading candidate for the
AL Rookie of the Year. And neither
Eric Davis nor the surprising
Julio Rodríguez have played enough to make the cut. So that leaves
Mike Trout as the open question: Trout is clearly deserving, so the question is whether the AL goes with 2 pure CF's or 3.
Alejandro Oms misses out, despite being 3rd in the league in BA.
#DH
Code:
Name OPS Slash Reg Stats
Ty Cobb (DET) 1.299 399/450/849 38 2B; 9 3B; 75 RBI; 32 SB; 5.6 WAR
Ron Blomberg (CLE) 1.032 288/361/671 32 HR; 85 RBI
Reggie Jackson (SFS) 1.029 300/422/608 21 2B; 24 SB; 3.0 WAR
Kal Daniels (LAA) 1.013 326/425/589 21 2B; 31 SB; 2.3 WAR
Ryan Braun (MCG) .975 280/327/648 31 HR
Gavvy Cravath (BAL) .956 247/349/607 23 2B; 28 HR; 71 RBI
Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating
My lord. 31 homeruns at the all star break and a possibility of not being selected? Welcome to your life,
Ryan Braun.
Obviously,
Ty Cobb and
Ron Blomberg are in. And it seems ridiculous to omit either
Kal Daniels or
Reggie Jackson.
#SP
And now we move into the AL's weakness--there are strong top-end candidates here, but far less depth than over in the NL.
Code:
Name W-L; ERA Reg Stats Other
Doc Gooden (LAA) 7-6, 3.26 .240 BABIP 58% QS
Ed Walsh (CAG) 6-3, 3.36 1.05 WHIP; .199 BABIP 0.6 WPA
Eddie Plank (SFS) 13-3, 3.73 0.5 WPA
Lefty Grove (SFS) 10-4, 3.80 140 K; 3.2 WAR 3 SHO; 2.87 SIERA; 0.5 WPA
Andy Pettitte (NYY) 10-5, 3.90
Brett Anderson (LAA) 8-2, 3.93 1.05 WHIP; .234 BABIP
Bump Hadley (SFS) 12-4, 3.98 3.67 FIP; 3.1 WAR 58% QS
Cy Young (CLE) 9-3, 4.37 3.81 FIP; 3.3 WAR 2 SHO
Ron Guidry (NYY) 8-5, 4.15 150 K 2.52 SIERA
FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI=BA Allowed on Balls In Play | QS=Quality Starts | SHO=Shutouts | SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA | WPA=Win Probability Added
The spots fill up quickly.
Eddie Plank will start the game for the AL, and his teammates
Bump Hadley and
Lefty Grove clearly belong. It seems silly to omit the ERA leader,
Doc Gooden.
After that, it gets confusing.
Ed Walsh has been almost unhittable, but is only 6-3.
Andy Pettitte has 10 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA.
That would leave the overall WAR leader,
Cy Young, the strikeout and SIERA leader,
Ron Guidry, and the overall excellence of
Brett Anderson missing out.
#RP
Code:
Name W-L; ERA Reg Stats Other
Ron Robinson (SFS) 1-0, 1.64 3 Sv; 3 H; 1.00 WHIP { injured }
Ken Howell (SFS) 4-1, 1.72 1 Sv; 4 H
Ross Reynolds (LAA) 2-0, 2.30 1 Sv; 2 H; 1.88 FIP
Goose Gossage (NYY) 2-3, 2.41 10 Sv; 8 H .90 Sv%
Akinori Otsuka (CAG) 3-1, 2.48 1 Sv; 5 H
Skel Roach (MEM) 1-0, 2.62 7 H; .160 BABIP
Justin Hampson (BAL) 0-0, 2.86 7 H; .159 BABIP; 1.05 WHIP
Rod Beck (SFS) 3-2, 3.20 23 Sv; .156 BABIP; 0.67 WHIP 15 SD; 2.83 SIERA; .885 Sv%
Terry Adams (CLE) 1-3, 3.80 15 Sv; 2 H .882 Sv%
Sparky Lyle (NYY) 2-1, 4.37 3 Sv; 8 H
Rheal Cormier (NYY) 0-2, 5.75 11 H
FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI=BA Allowed on Balls In Play | SD=Shutdowns | SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA | Sv%=Save %
The AL is a little weak in bullpen depth as well.
Rod Beck is easily the class of the closers, with
Terry Adams close behind. The overall excellence of
Ken Howell and
Goose Gossage also merit a spot, leaving
Ross Reynolds,
Skel Roach, and
Justin Hampson on the bubble.
Hampson gets the nod, both because of how surprising his season has been and as a nod to the paucity of lefties in the AL pen.
#AL All Stars
The final 2 spots came down to choices between Mike Trout, Reggie Jackson, Kal Daniels, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount. A fourth middle infielder seemed like a requirement, giving the nod to Collins.
So. Reggie or Kal. Kal or Reggie. I mean. Kal Daniels is having an incredible year. But there's just no way to argue he is more deserving than Reggie.
There is an argument to be made that the AL should only take 2 3B, replacing Gary Sheffield with Daniels. But the final choice is always going to be onerous.
Some more arguments about who was wronged (these are the highest ranked layers in each stat not to make the game).
Joe Jackson (CAG). #2 in H (109); #1 in the league in 2B (40); #2 in BA (.354).
Mickey Mantle (NYY). #3 in HR (32); #3 in RBI (82).
Kal Daniels (LAA). #4 in OBP (.425); #11 in OPS (1.013).
Ryan Braun (MCG). #7 in SLG (.648).
Rickey Henderson (SFS). #1 in SB (62); #4 in WAR (3.0).
Dick Lundy (SFS). #3 in 3B (7).
And, on the mound
Cy Young (CLE). #5 in W (9); #2 in FIP (3.81); #1 in WAR (3.3).
Ron Guidry (NYY). #1 in K (150); #1 in SIERA (2.52).
Brett Anderson (LAA). #5 in ERA (3.93); #2 in WHIP (1.05).
Walter Johnson (POR). #2 in IP (125).
4 Players have 14 saves, tied for #3. Of those, Only
Ricky Nolasco (MCG) has an ERA below 4.00.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). #1 in H (11).
Starters in bold.
C:
Ed Bailey (DET); Mickey Cochrane (SFS); Joe Mauer (POR).
1B:
Lou Gehrig (NYY); Frank Thomas (CAG).
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG); Bobby Grich (LAA);
Rogers Hornsby (POR).
SS:
Arky Vaughan (CLE).
3B: Evan Longoria (CLE);
Mike Schmidt (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG).
LF: Frank Robinson (BAL);
Ted Williams (MEM).
CF:
Tris Speaker (CLE), Turkey Stearnes (SFS).
RF: José Canseco (MCG),
Babe Ruth (NYY).
DH: Ron Blomberg (CLE); Reggie Jackson (SFS),
Ty Cobb (DET).
SP: Doc Gooden (LAA), Lefty Grove (SFS), Bump Hadley (SFS), Andy Pettitte (NYY);
Eddie Plank (SFS), Ed Walsh (CAG).
RP: Terry Adams (CLE); Rod Beck (SFS); Goose Gossage (NYY); Justin Hampson (BAL); Ken Howell (SFS).
And, by team. Unsurprisingly, the 3 American League teams with records over .500 (San Francisco, the Black Yankees, and Cleveland) are supplying 18 of the 32 players.
San Francisco Sea Lions (.625). Rod Beck (P), Mickey Cochrane (C), Lefty Grove (P), Bump Hadley (P), Ken Howell (P) Reggie Jackson (DH),
Eddie Plank (P), Turkey Stearnes (OF).
New York Black Yankees (.618).
Lou Gehrig (1B), Goose Gossage (P), Andy Pettitte (P),
Babe Ruth (OF),
Mike Schmidt (3B).
Cleveland Spiders (.558). Terry Adams (P), Ron Blomberg (DH), Evan Longoria (3B),
Tris Speaker (OF),
Arky Vaughan (SS).
Chicago American Giants (.466). Eddie Collins (2B), Frank Thomas (1B), Ed Walsh (P).
Miami Cuban Giants (.483). José Canseco (OF), Gary Sheffield (3B).
Detroit Wolverines (.453).
Ed Bailey (C),
Ty Cobb (DH).
Los Angeles Angels (.448). Doc Gooden (P), Bobby Grich (2B).
Portland Sea Dogs (.438).
Rogers Hornsby (2B), Joe Mauer (C).
Baltimore Black Sox (.416). Justin Hampson (P), Frank Robinson (OF).
Memphis Red Sox (.494).
Ted Williams (OF).
A whopping 15 players are repeat all-stars from last season: Terry Adams, Rod Beck, Ron Blomberg, José Canseco, Eddie Collins, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Ken Howell, Reggie Jackson, Joe Mauer, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams.