60 Games In - 2017 MLB All Star Teams

Here is the second build of my selections for the 2017 MLB All Star Teams.

I do this exercise each year at the 40, 60, and finally the 80 game mark, full 34 man all star rosters for both leagues.  Each team represented, 21 position players, 13 pitchers.  Edit, there are only 32 players on each roster in 2017, I'll make that change at the 80 game update.

I'm only interested in this season's play, it's an evaluation of the best players so far in 2016. WAR is B-Ref+Davenport, the best WAR number that exists.

I also do this opportunity to make updated predictions.  These are they.

AL East
1. NYY 87
2. Boston 87 WC1
3. Baltimore 
4. Tampa 
5. Toronto 

AL Central
1. Cleveland 89
2. Minnesota 82
3. Detroit 
4. Chicago
5. KC

AL West
1. Houston 102
2. Seattle 84 WC2
3. Texas
4. LAA
5. Oakland 

NL East
1. Washington 95
2. NYM 
3. Miami
4. Atlanta
5. Philadelphia

NL Central
1. Chicago 89
2. Milwaukee 82 
3. St Louis 
4. Pittsburgh
5. St Louis

NL West
1. LAD 95
2. Colorado 88 WC1
3. Arizona 87 WC2
4. SFG 76
5. San Diego

American League
Starters
C A.Avila Det 1.9
1B Y.Alonso Oak 1.75
2B J.Altuve Hou 2.35
SS C.Correa Hou 2.55
3B M.Sano Min 1.95
LF B.Gardner NYY 2.1
CF M.Trout LAA 3.7 
RF A.Judge NYY 3.35
DH C.Dickerson TB 2.55
SP D.Keuchel Hou 3.35

Reserves
C B. McCann Hou 1.3
1B J.Smoak Tor 1.55
2B R.Cano Sea 1.85
SS E.Andrus Tex 2.45 
SS F.Lindor Cle 1.6
3B E.Longoria TB 1.55
OF M.Gonzalez Hou 1.85
OF J.Upton Det 1.8
OF A.Hicks NYY 2.4
OF G.Springer Hou 2.3
OF A.Garcia CWS 2.4
OF M.Betts Bos 2

P J.Vargas KC 3.05
P D.Bundy Bal 2.7
P E.Santana Min 2.6
P C.Sale Bos 2.5
P M.Stroman Tor 2.35
P M.Fullmer Det 2.3
P Y.Darvish Tex 2.1
P C.Carrasco Cle 2.05
P J.Paxton Sea 2

RP C.Kimbrel Bos 2.3
RP A.Miller Cle 1.7
RP D.Betances NYY 1.5

National League
Starters
C B.Posey SFG 2.6
1B P,Goldschmidt Ari 2.95
2B J.Harrison Pit 1.95
SS Z.Cozart Cin 4
3B N.Arenado Col 2.65
LF M.Ozuna Mia 3
CF C.Blackmon Col 2.2
RF B.Harper Wash 2.45
DH J.Votto Cin 2.8
SP M.Leake StL 2.9

Reserves
C Y.Grandal LAD 1.75
1B F.Freeman Atl 2.7
1B R.Zimmerman Wash 2.6
2B D.Murphy Wash 1.8
SS C.Seager LAD 1.8
3B A.Rendon Wash 2.3
3B E.Suarez Cin 2.5

3B J.Gyorko StL 2.4

3B K.Bryant Chi 2.4

OF M.Conforto NYM 2.8

OF E.Inciarte Atl 2

OF G.Stanton Mia 2

P M.Scherzer Wash 2.85
P C.Kershaw LAD 2.75

P R.Ray Ari 2.65

P I.Nova Pit 2.35

P S.Strasburg Wash 2.2

P Z.Greinke Ari 2.2

P A.Senzatela Col 1.95

P C.Anderson Mil 1.9

RP G.Holland Col 1.7

RP R.Iglesias Cin 1.7

RP B.Hand SD 1.5

RP P.Neshek Phi 1.15

June 7 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History.

Yesterday

What is this all about?

Here are the top 5 June 7 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

1967 at Cincinnati, 7 games over .500, 5 games out of first, 3-3 in the 9th (McCovey tied it with a 3 run homer in the 8th) Tom Haller singles home Hal Lanier off of Bob Lee, we hold on to that 4-3 win.  It's Haller's 4th and final season as the Giants starting catcher (he backed up the three seasons prior) we trade him to the Dodgers in the offseason for Ron Hunt.  It was the first Giants/Dodgers trade since the move west (only two other ones, the Maldonado trade in '85 and then we gave them Mark Sweeney in '07).

1979 at St Louis, 7 games out of first, we were down 9-5 in the 8th, but scored 4 and now with 2 on and 2 out in the 9th and the game tied at 9, Mike Ivie hit a 3 run homer off of Mark Littell.  We'd win the game 12-10.  It's Ivie's career year, 27 homers, an OPS+ of 152 (Ivie's glove was pretty bad, he gave back a lot of his offense on the other side).  It's Ivie's 43rd career homer.

1994 at Pittsburgh, 2 games out of first in the season that stopped but never ended, 2-2 in the 10th, Matt Williams leads off with a homer off Rick White.  We win it 3-2. It was Williams' 21st homer in 58 games.

1995 at Mets, Giants up half a game in the West, down 7-6 with 2 out and the bases loaded in the 8th, Eric Gunderson pitching to...Barry Bonds...he clears the bases with a 3 run double, we hold on to win 9-8.  Just a standard 170 OPS+ 8 WAR season for Bonds in '95.  It's his 10th best Giants season.



Walk off 2014 home vs. Mets, the Giants are 20 over .500 with a 9 game lead in the West, we play a 3 and a half hour Saturday night game against the Mets, 4-4 in the 9th, Mike Morse singles home Hunter Pence off of Jenrry Mejia to send everyone home.  It's our fourth walk off hit of the year,

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

June 6 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

Yesterday

What is this all about?

Here are the top 5 June 6 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

1964 at Philadelphia, 28-19, 2nd place Giants half a game behind the first place Phillies - gotta love a battle for first place here in the first week of June, 2-2 with an out in the 9th, Tom Haller hits a two run homer off Ed Roebuck, we win 4-2 and move into first place.  It was Haller's 38th career homer.

1971 home vs. Phillies, we had lost 5 straight, including the first half of this double header - but were still 37-18 with an 8 game lead, Willie Mays got us back on track with a game winning homer of Joe Hoerner.  It was Mays' 12th walk off hit (last of his Giants career) and 6th (and final) walk off homer. Less than a year later we'd trade him to the Mets.

1990 home vs. Reds, come on, it's the first week of June and we're already a dozen out.  But we're looking for a sweep of the Reds here, 30,000 at the Stick for a Wednesday afternoon, we only had 4 hits and trailed 2-1 when Will Clark led off the bottom of the 9th with a homer off of Randy Myers. It's Will's 110th career homer.

Walk off 1990 home vs. Reds, same game, 2 innings later, still 2-2 with 2 outs in the 10th, Kevin Mitchell homers to dead center off of Rob Dibble to win it for the good guys.  I believe this is our 83rd walk off home run; it's Mitch's 115th career homer and his second walk off (his first was 3 weeks prior).  Mitch pounded the ball in 1990 with a 150 OPS+.  He was a four and a half win player, the 22nd best season for a LF in Giants franchise history.

1998 at St Louis, the good guys are 13 over .500 and tied for first in the West, this is a 5 hour game on a Saturday night at Busch, we are down 4-2 in the ninth inning but put the first two on and Darryl Hamilton clears the bases with a game tying triple off of Curtis King.  It took 5 more innings, but we won the game 5-4 in 14.  We signed Hamilton as a free agent prior to the '97 season and made him our center fielder, less than two months from now we send him to the Rockies for Ellis Burks.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

June 5 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

What is this all about?

Yesterday

Here are the top 5 June 5 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

1964 at Philadelphia, 8 games over, one and a half back, the second place Giants taking on the first place Phillies, 3-3 in the 11th, Harvey Kuenn singles home Tom Haller with 2 out off of Jack Baldschun, we go up 4-3 and win it 5-3 to move half a game out of first place.  This was Kuenn's aged 33 season, his plate appearances slipped below 400 as the Giants 4th OF.  He was moved to the Cubs in a five player Memorial Day deal the following season.

1966 at Philadelphia, although we had dropped the first two to the Phillies we were still 14 over, 1.5 up for this one, tied at 6, 2 outs in the 10th, Hal Lanier homered off Bo Belinsky for what turned out to be the winning run.  Lanier was not good, replacement level in 3700 plate appearances in 8 Giants seasons as the Giants starter at both second and short. He never had an OPS+ above 75 in his career, in '66, a year where he got nearly 500 plate appearances, it was 49.  The Giants put so many terrible players around their legends in the 60s, it's the story of why it took us until 2010 to win a World Series.

1981 at Pittsburgh, 9 games out of first in the west, the Giants take their June 5 trip to Pennsylvania, 3-3 with an out in the 9th, Enos Cabell hits a 2 run homer off of Enrique Romo and we win it 5-3.  This is Cabell's only season in San Francisco, he replaced McCovey as the starter at first.  We got him from the Astros in the offseason for Bob Knepper, he was sub replacement, had an OPS+ of 72.  We moved him the following spring to Detroit for Champ Summers.

2000 at Anaheim, 4th place, 7.5 out, how about a 4 hour game on a Monday night in Anaheim? 4-4 with 2 out in the 9th, Shigetoshi Hasegawa facing....Barry Bonds....he homers and we go on to take it 5-4.  49 homers, a 188 OPS+, and 8 WAR for Bonds in 2000, it's his 11th best Giants campaign making it the 11th best season any Giants left fielder ever had in the history of the franchise.  This was career home run #469.

2002 at San Diego, 9 games over, one and a half out of first, down 1-0 in the third, 2 out, bases loaded, Dennis Tankersley facing...Barry Bonds...he hits a grand slam on the first pitch, we go up 4-1 and win it 12-2.  Career homer #587 for Bonds, his 11th career grand slam.  Other than San Francisco and Pittsburgh, Barry hit most of his career homers in San Diego. This is Barry's second best season, 11 and a half WAR, career highs in BA and OPS+.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

June 4 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

Yesterday

What is this all about?

Top 5 June 4 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

1975 at Chicago, down 6-5 with 2 out in the 7th, Bobby Murcer hits a 2 run homer off Darold Knowles to put us up 7-6. Murcer's first of two Giants seasons, we got him from the Yankees for Bobby Bonds and would deal him to these Cubs for Bill Madlock after the following season.

1975 at Chicago, same game, now 8-8 in the 9th, Derrel Thomas homers off Oscar Zamora, we're gonna win it 10-8.  It's also Thomas's first year in San Francisco, we got him from the Padres for Tito Fuentes and a couple of years from now will ship him back to San Diego for Mike Ivie.  Thomas only had one season of his 15 where he had an OPS+ that reached 100, this was not that season.

1978 at Montreal, the Giants are 14 over .500, half a game up in the West, 2-2 in the 10th, Vic Harris leads off with a homer off Mike Garman for the game's final run.  Harris was a light hitting utility guy, he came over as part of a 7 player deal with the Cardinals the year before, in '78 his OPS+ in a hundred at bats was 29 so he was light hitting like Karen Carpenter was a light eater.  This was his only home run of the season, his was hitting .071 at the time.  The A's picked him 9th in the January draft in 1970, we picked Chris Speier second.  Harris was a -6 WAR player for his career, that makes him one of the very worst players in MLB History.

1986 at Montreal, the Giants are a game and a half out in the West, down 2-1 with 2 on in the 8th, Chili Davis drives them both home with a triple off of Jeff Reardon.  We'd win the game 4-2.  Chili was typically solid in '86, 4 WAR, 124 OPS+.

Walk off 2003 home vs. Twins, 13 games over .500 with a 3 game lead in the West, bottom of the ninth, 3-3, bases loaded with 2 out, Juan Rincon pitching to (gulp) Barry Bonds - Bonds singles on the first pitch to score Jose Cruz with the winning run.  This was Barry's 9th walk off hit as a Giant.  It's his 7th best Giants season meaning the 7th best season any Giants left fielder ever had.  As he did in every season from 2000-04, Barry led all of MLB in BB, OBP, SLG, OPS and OPS+ (231).

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!