MLB: One guaranteed All-Star from each National League team

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Less than two weeks away from the MLB All-Star Game, we’ll take a look at one player from each NL team that’s a lock for the game.

Recently here at Call to the Pen, we looked at one guaranteed All-Star from each AL team. This time we’ll look at the NL teams and one player that looks destined to play in the All-Star Game.

The 2017 All-Star Game takes place in Miami, Florida. This marks the 88th All-Star Game in MLB history.

As mentioned in the AL article, the game no longer results in home-field advantage in the World Series for the winning league. The new CBA agreed upon by MLB and MLBPA removed the meaning of the game and thus, turned it back into an exhibition game. Even so, making the All-Star Game remains one of the best things doable in baseball.

On Thursday, MLB tweeted out the current leaders for the NL squad. The players leading their respective positions include Giants catcher Buster Posey, the Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, Reds shortstop Zack Cozart, Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon.

Less than 12 HOURS left to fill out the @Esurance #ASG ballot:

Zimmerman leads Rizzo.
Arenado fending off Bryant.
Cozart edging Seager. pic.twitter.com/onFLNCQC7F
— MLB (@MLB) June 29, 2017

The official members of each All-Star team will be announced this coming Sunday at 7:00 pm EST on ESPN.

Which NL players are guaranteed to represent their team in the Midsummer Classic? Let’s take a look at a player from each team that looks most likely to suit up for their squad.

NL East

Washington Nationals: Max Scherzer

The Washington Nationals have three position players leading their respective positions in NL voting (Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman). With that said, Max Scherzer still sits as more of a lock than two of them.

Scherzer has emerged as the best pitcher in baseball this season. After winning his second Cy Young award in 2016, Scherzer’s continued his dominance in 2017.

Scherzer leads all of baseball in ERA (2.06), WHIP (0.78) and batting average against (.164). He has the second most strikeouts in baseball at 151, just four behind Boston’s Chris Sale.

Atlanta Braves: Ender Inciarte

Still in the midst of rebuilding, the Atlanta Braves are turning the corner, but not quite a contender. They have a lot of young talent that should help them immensely for years to come.

Stud first baseman Freddie Freeman suffered a fractured wrist when he got hit by a pitch, thus knocking him out of the running for the All-Star Game.

Matt Kemp and Ender Inciarte battle it out for the guaranteed spot, but Inciarte beats Kemp out. The 26-year-old is an absolute gamer. He’s hitting .308 with six home runs, 31 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 51 runs.

Miami Marlins: Marcell Ozuna

With the All-Star Game in Miami this season, the player or players representing the Marlins get a special honor for the city. Giancarlo Stanton looks to defend his Home Run Derby crown.

For the All-Star Game, outfielder Marcell Ozuna looks to represent the Marlins. He currently holds one of the top outfield spots in NL outfield voting.

In Miami, Ozuna sports the best batting average (.314), RBI (54), OBP (.377), slugging percentage (.563) and OPS (.940).

New York Mets: Jacob deGrom

Michael Conforto performed off the charts at the beginning of 2017. He’s cooled off a bit since and doesn’t earn a guaranteed spot in the All-Star Game.

Instead, Jacob deGrom gains the spot. Despite all the injuries to the New York Mets’ starting rotation, deGrom has held his own and emerged as the ace of the Mets in 2017.

DeGrom owns a 3.71 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 7-3 record and 113 strikeouts this season. The Mets look ready to sell at the trade deadline.

Philadelphia Phillies: Aaron Altherr

The Philadelphia Phillies are another team in the NL East that is rebuilding. Not too much to smile about for Phillies fans in 2017.

Aaron Altherr stands out as a bright spot this season. He leads the Phillies in batting average (.283), home runs (13), RBI (41), on-base percentage (.353), slugging percentage (.529) and OPS (.883).

The 26-year-old should make it to Miami for the Midsummer Classic.

NL Central

Milwaukee Brewers: Travis Shaw

Not too many people expected the Brewers to perform this well so far in 2017. They’ve exceeded expectations in the NL Central and currently lead the Cubs by a slim margin.

Eric Thames was a huge early season story. Hitting home runs left and right after coming back to MLB from the KBO made headlines all over. Thames cooled off after a strong April and might not make it to Miami this summer.

Travis Shaw should make it there, though. Shaw continues to succeed in his breakout season. He leads the Brewers in batting average (.294), RBI (57), slugging percentage (.563), hits (80) and doubles (20).

Both players are exceptional stories this season, and they could both make it to the All-Star Game.

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant

The Chicago Cubs are still experiencing a World Series hangover and can’t seem to claim first place in the NL Central.

A lot of players are underperforming this season and the Cubs don’t have a clear-cut All-Star from a stats point of view. The fan voting has Kris Bryant just shy of the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado for third base.

Bryant gets the nod because of this. He’s hitting .264/.395/.520 with 16 home runs, 32 RBI and 50 runs scored.

St. Louis Cardinals: Carlos Martinez

In the offseason, the St. Louis Cardinals locked up pitcher Carlos Martinez. The two sides agreed to a five-year, $51 million deal with team options for both 2022 and 2023.

Martinez continues to impress in St. Louis. Despite a great start to the season from Cardinals pitcher Mike Leake, Martinez outdoes all the others in their rotation.

In 2017, Martinez leads the Cardinals in ERA (2.88), strikeouts (121), WHIP (1.07), batting average against (.199) and innings pitched (106.1).

Pittsburgh Pirates: Ivan Nova

Despite sitting at fourth place in the NL Central, the Pirates remain just four games out of the division lead. The Pirates are five games under .500, though.

The team may become sellers at the deadline. As of now, pitcher Ivan Nova should make the NL squad for the Pirates.

Nova boasts the best ERA (3.08) and WHIP (1.11), and most wins (8) and innings pitched (108). He also has two complete games this season.

Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto

Zack Cozart, shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds, continues to exceed expectations. He leads all other NL shortstops in the fan voting. With that said, Joey Votto edges out Cozart.

Votto leads the Reds in home runs (23), RBI (57), runs scored (57), on-base percentage (.424), slugging percentage (.616), OPS (1.040), hits (86) and walks (55). Votto needs to make this team more than Cozart.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger

Another rookie, Cody Bellinger, continues to impress with his talented play since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in April. Bellinger gets the edge over players like Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jensen.

Bellinger has hit 24 home runs this season, second-most to Aaron Judge (27) and most in the NL. He looks like the real deal. Dodgers fans can’t complain about what this kid has done.

Arizona Diamondback: Paul Goldschmidt

Nicknamed “America’s First Baseman,” Paul Goldschmidt consistently kills it for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs look for real in 2017.

Goldschmidt is one of the reasons why the team looks great this season. He’s hitting .323/.438/.589 with 18 home runs, 65 RBI and 68 runs scored.

Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon

Both Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado should win the fan vote for their respective positions. For the sake of this article, Blackmon gets the upper hand.

In 2017, Blackmon is hitting .314/.369/.575 with 16 home runs, 56 RBI and 63 runs. Areando’s one of the best players in today’s game, but Blackmon beats him out on this list.

San Diego Padres: Wil Myers

Not much excitement happening for the San Diego Padres and their fans in 2017. In rebuild mode, the best thing San Diego has is Wil Myers.

This season, Myers sports a .262/.334/.479 slash line with 15 home runs, 40 RBI and 41 runs. Imagine if Myers had the opportunity to compete on another team.

In a way, the Padres continue to waste Myers’ talent.

Next: One guaranteed All-Star from each AL team

San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey

Nothing has gone right for the Giants in 2017. They sport a record of 30-51. (Only the Phillies have a worse record.)

While the Giants are in the midst of one of their worst seasons in franchise history, Buster Posey remains successful at the plate.

The 26-year-old is hitting .344/.422/.529 with 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 33 runs scored. Posey looks like the only Giants player with a shot at Miami.

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MLB: One guaranteed All-Star from each NL team