Our starting pitching is ridiculous... we are first in the major leagues in FIP. And it's not really that close. The Braves are second with 3.72 FIP, but the Cards are one of the most successful teams in the majors with a 3.54 FIP (5th in winning percentage at 20 games over .500). As expected, we have the highest ground ball percentage, and we have the 3rd lowest line drive %. So our starting pitching is one of the main strengths of the team, but not so much for our relief pitching.

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So, we have 2 redundant outfielders with similar skillsets. If we had the choice to "vote one off" the proverbial Cardinal island, who would it be?

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So I like how the new All Star Game ballot lets fans see what a player's stats are... but found it to be pretty limited. So before voting any more, I wanted to do a little research and see who's shaping up to be someone good to vote for. And although you can only vote for hitters/position players, I also want to look at some good choices for pitchers to make the team, and of course, just to see how the season is shaping up so far.

First off, I am amazed at the season Jason Bartlett is puting together, sporting a mlb leading .373 batting average, .450 wOBA, 1.014 OPS, and 2.7 WAR all while playing plus defense at shortstop and stealing 14 bases so far. His BABIP is a little ridiculous, though. Still, I'll be voting for him at shortstop for the AL.

Next up, you can't deny what kind of a season Kevin Youkilis is having. His OPS is nearly identical to Albert Pujols, but he is leading the majors in wOBA. The guy is a solid defender, and his on-base percentage approaches .500. With a BABIP of .441 it's pretty doubtful he can keep up this level of play, but he can play first base or third and he has a high grit factor.

As an option if you don't like Youkilis (and illogically I'm tempted not to vote for him), there's Mark Texeira... he has a really high wOBA, a very decent OPS, good fielding, with a pretty low BABIP. 16 dingers doesn't hurt either. Carlos Pena is also having a fine season, but not quite as consistent so far.

It's pretty obvious who to pick at first base in the NL... your mang, Albert Pujols. Albert is rocking a .466 wOBA, yet has a very reasonable .313 BABIP. His ISO is 4th in the majors, at .337. For context, Albert's astounding 2008 season produced a .458 wOBA. Despite having an off year on defense, I would still trust his defensive capabilities to start the All Star Game.

Many thought the Phillies acquiring Raul Ibanez was a very bad move... but then again, the guy is having a ridiculous season. The NL is treating his not so good fielding quite well... while not being entirely accurate, at least he's putting up decent UZR numbers in '09. But mainly, I gotta like the guy having 19 home runs right now, an ISO of .366, and a 1.098 OPS. I'd throw him in the outfield and see what he can do with 3.1 WAR.

As much as I'd like to have Brad Hawpe in the lineup for the NL right now with his .439 wOBA, he is a scary bad defender. If Ibanez is going to be in the outfield, he's not much of an option, unless he's a bat off the bench with an OPS of 1.052. A far better option would be Justin Upton who is not as bad a defender, and is similarly capable at offense.

At 2B NL, gotta go with Chase Utley. He's a great defender, is at 2.5 WAR, .437 wOBA... and his ISO is his career best so far at .257. Vote Utley '09.

Another AL OF option is Adam Jones (not this Adam Jones). A .345 batting average is great, he's been sort of unpredictable at center field this year, but his career UZR/150 is 2.7 (1.8 in center). 2.3 WPA and 2.0 WAR are more nice incentives. Gonna vote for the guy I think.

For AL catcher, Victor Martinez is rocking 2.6 wins above replacement level. While I'm not too familiar with this player, his fielding stats don't seem toooo bad, and amazingly he is at .427 wOBA with an OPS of .992. Victor Martinez of the Indians should be catcher imo.

The best third baseman in the AL right now is Evan Longoria... .426 wOBA, 3.2 WAR, 13.8 UZR/150 (career 17.8). No doubt that this is the guy for 3B with elite stats like this.

Similarly, Hanley Ramirez should be starting at shortstop for the NL. The main concern being his defense, still it's at -7.4 for his career, not that horrendous... plus it is buoyed by his 2009 play at 12.8 (not too bad in '08 either). More importantly, he is 2.8 WAR, .971 OPS at shortstop, and is batting .344. Sweet.

Back to AL OF, Nelson Cruz of the Rangers is a great choice. .965 OPS, .416 wOBA, 2.5 WAR, plus defender, what's not to like?

Rounding out the outfield for the American League... I'm voting for Torii Hunter. The guy is a good defender, .417 wOBA, .976 OPS, 42 rbis. Not too shabby. Some would argue that Jason Bay would be a better choice, but he's more of a write in imo... he is not anywhere near as good an outfielder as Torii, and has a lower WAR this season.

To wrap up the AL voting, I'm going go with Ian Kinsler at the keystone. 2.6 WAR, improved defense this season, .398 wOBA, 11 stolen bases. Cool.

NL OF: I think Carlos Beltran is doing good enough to make the team. Mainly because of his .998 OPS. Some worrisome elements are his high BABIP and not so good defense this year, so I have to do the unthinkable and vote for 2 Brewers in the outfield: Mike Cameron and (annoyingly) Ryan Braun. Both of their WPAs are higher than Beltran's, as well as their ISOs. Mike Cameron is a better player than Braun at this point though.

btw, Kosuke Fukudome is having himself a very nice season... kind of makes up for this odd inclusion last season.

Third base is sort of a tough choice between Chipper Jones and Ryan Zimmerman. They are both batting .322, as well as having identical wOBA at .401. Weird. Their BABIPs are nearly identical too, but Zimmerman has a slight edge here probably. Shit, their OPS is basically equal too. In everything else though, it's not really close. Zimmerman has the fresh legs, and is just basically a better player at this point. While Chip's got the experience, Zimmerman's got the higher WPA, WAR, etc. Mainly it's the defense though. Ryan Zimmerman is way better there.

Finally, NL catcher should be Brian McCann. As much as I'd like to vote for Yadi, McCann is the far superior hitter and probably pretty comparable at defense. Yadi is a fine option though, obviously.

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