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First-half form makes these selections easier

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Jon Paul Morosi

Jon Paul Morosi is a national MLB writer for FOXSports.com. He previously covered baseball for the Detroit Free Press and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He began his journalism career at the Bay City Times in his native Michigan. Follow him on Twitter.

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Updated Jun 28, 2009 12:17 PM ET
     
 
Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel have difficult jobs ahead of them.
Maddon's Rays had the best run differential (plus-83) in the American League through Friday but were fourth in the robust American League East. Manuel's Phillies had lost nine of 10 games entering Saturday, allowing two teams (New York and Florida) to creep within one game of them atop the NL East. But I wasn't referring to any of that. I'm talking about their selections for the All-Star Game (July 14, FOX, 8 p.m.), for which the rosters will be announced one week from Sunday. As you may know, the All-Star teams are determined by a procedure similar in complexity to a Canadian federal election but for the conspicuous absence of the Bloc Quebecois. While intricate, the selection process suits the event well. Everyone has some say. The fans. The players. The coaches. The managers at large. And, finally, the men who guided their teams to the World Series the previous autumn. The All-Star managers make seven selections apiece, but that's probably an overstatement of their autonomy. They need to make sure that every team is represented. Well, for my personal All-Star roster, there are no such restrictions. Given the choice between one player who has a great track record and another who had a great first half, I'll take the latter. I like it when the All-Star Game showcases the best players in baseball right now — not the best-known names from yesteryear. Following my colleague Dayn Perry's analysis of the fan vote last week, here's how I would build the 12-man pitching staffs — irrespective of team representation and pitching schedules. I'm not trying to handicap who Maddon and Manuel will pick. I'm just offering my view of the seven starters and five relievers from each league who belong in St. Louis.

American League

STARTERS Zack Greinke, RHP, Kansas City
Roy Halladay, RHP, Toronto
Justin Verlander, RHP, Detroit
Josh Beckett, RHP, Boston
Kevin Millwood, RHP, Texas
Felix Hernandez, RHP, Seattle
Edwin Jackson, RHP, Detroit
RELIEVERS Bobby Jenks, RHP, Chicago
Mariano Rivera, RHP, New York
Joe Nathan, RHP, Minnesota
Jonathan Papelbon, RHP, Boston
Scott Downs, LHP, Toronto (DL, replaced by J.P. Howell, LHP, Tampa Bay)
JUST MISSED Jered Weaver, RHP, Los Angeles
Cliff Lee, LHP, Cleveland
Mark Buehrle, LHP, Chicago
Tim Wakefield, RHP, Boston
David Aardsma, RHP, Seattle
George Sherrill, LHP, Baltimore
Hideki Okajima, LHP, Boston
Matt Thornton, LHP, Chicago
Greinke, with the lowest ERA in the majors, is a no-brainer for the team. To me, he's also the most deserving candidate to start. Just a great All-Star story. And there's no need to explain why Halladay deserves a spot. This will be the sixth selection of his career. Millwood belongs for two big reasons: He leads the AL in innings pitched, and he has a lower ERA than Weaver, Hernandez and Lee despite playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark. Beckett has been great lately, and he gets the edge over teammate Wakefield, who has already won 10 games. Seattle has the best ERA in the league, so it's appropriate to have at least one representative from the Mariners. Hernandez, on pace for the finest season of his young career, is ready to become a first-time All-Star. The Tigers' starting rotation has been the biggest reason for their evolution into a first-place team, and two of their pitchers belong on this team: Verlander, who leads the league in strikeouts, and Jackson, who is second only to Greinke in ERA. The AL has a lot of good closers — Aardsma has emerged this year, Sherrill was an All-Star last year — but I don't know that anyone deserves to make the team ahead of the established quartet of Jenks, Rivera, Nathan and Papelbon. Each has been good or very good this season. I was very tempted to take Thornton ahead of Howell as the replacement for Downs, who was terrific as a closer and setup man before injuring his left big toe earlier this month. Through Friday, though, Howell had more appearances than Thornton, along with a lower WHIP and better ERA. Okajima is another tough omission here, as his numbers are nearly identical to Howell's. But Howell has allowed fewer home runs than Okajima, a key statistic for the road game in St. Louis. Another thing I considered: Okajima has been an All-Star before; Howell has not.

National League

STARTERS Dan Haren, RHP, Arizona
Matt Cain, RHP, San Francisco
Tim Lincecum, RHP, San Francisco
Chad Billingsley, RHP, Los Angeles
Josh Johnson, RHP, Florida
Yovani Gallardo, RHP, Milwaukee
Javier Vazquez, RHP, Atlanta
RELIEVERS Francisco Rodriguez, RHP, New York
Heath Bell, RHP, San Diego
Jonathan Broxton, RHP, Los Angeles
Brian Wilson, RHP, San Francisco
Trevor Hoffman, RHP, Milwaukee
JUST MISSED Johan Santana, LHP, New York
Johnny Cueto, RHP, Cincinnati
Jason Marquis, RHP, Colorado
Zach Duke, LHP, Pittsburgh
Jair Jurrjens, RHP, Atlanta
Chris Carpenter, RHP, St. Louis
Francisco Cordero, RHP, Cincinnati
Ryan Franklin, RHP, St. Louis
Huston Street, RHP, Colorado
Haren and Cain are clear selections. Cain is tied for the NL lead in wins and is second in ERA. Haren leads in ERA and WHIP. Lincecum belongs on the team, too. He is 7-2 and the defending Cy Young Award winner. A very simple, yet powerful, case can be made on Billingsley's behalf: He has been the best starting pitcher on the best team in the majors this year. He's also tied with Cain (and Santana and Marquis) with nine wins. The final spot among veteran starters goes to Vazquez over Santana. Vazquez has quietly had one of the best seasons in the NL this year, with more strikeouts and fewer walks than Santana — and a comparable ERA. Then we have Johnson, Cueto and Gallardo, three of the game's best young pitchers. The All-Star Game would be a tremendous showcase for what fans in their respective markets have seen all year. But there's probably only room for two of the three. I'd take Johnson, who has lost only once this season, and Gallardo, who has more wins and strikeouts (along with a better batting average) than Cueto. I've been a big admirer of Chris Carpenter for years, and it would be a compelling story for him to pitch at home in the Midsummer Classic. He's been great when healthy this season (5-2, 1.78). But he's made only 10 starts because of a disabled list stay. I don't want to penalize Carpenter for straining his ribcage. I still have a hard time giving him the nod over pitchers who have taken every turn in their rotations. As for the relievers: Rodriguez, Bell and Wilson are tied for the league lead in saves and have had tremendous seasons. Wilson, despite a higher ERA than the other two, has been a difference-maker for the contending Giants. Broxton, in the opinion of one veteran scout, "may be the best closer in the game right now." Hoffman is a great story and deserving All-Star, having converted 17 of his first 18 save opportunities as a Brewer. So, there you have it. Twenty-four guys. Hopefully a quarter of you think I'm half-right.
Tagged: Chris Carpenter, J.P. Howell, Rays, Phillies, Cardinals

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