MLB All-Star roster: One player from each National League team
By Rick Soisson
Let’s imagine an MLB All-Star team composed of just one player from each team in either league. We begin with a look at the hypothetical National League roster.
The Call to the Pen Challenge: make an MLB All-Star team with only one player from every team in either league. The MLB All-Star ballot is now available, and you can sort of do that with it although as usual you aren’t allowed to pick the pitchers.
What is interesting about the one player per team challenge is not the distribution of stardom, but the limitation of the team to 15 players from the league involved. Correct. To really challenge yourself, make the team with nine to eleven position players, and four to six pitchers. Imagine the game will be played differently than it usually is, with nearly no substitutions except at pitcher.
The fun here comes at the end when you will suddenly realize that you’re stuck possibly taking one or two somewhat minor stars – maybe not stars at all – because you need the uniform he wears. Or will that happen?
Let’s try a NL team.
Anyone sensible knows that any MLB All-Star team must include at minimum the best two starting pitchers available and the best two outfielders.
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(Minor digression: does anybody have a good reason for the MLB deep thinkers to prevent fans year after year from picking pitchers? Do they think MLB fans will go mad collectively and give some 4-5 pitcher with a 5.50 ERA the most votes?)
OK, focus:
The foundation pieces are starters Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, and for center and left fields, Odubel Herrera and Matt Kemp. MLB All-Star players should be having excellent years when they are selected, and this is certainly true of all four of these players before play June 2. This is brought up because simply donning a New York Mets uniform as often as he does suggests deGrom could fall down a flight of stairs any minute now. A 1.52 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP are worth the gamble. Therefore, cross off Washington, New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
Next we’ll add Freddie Freeman from Atlanta and Scooter Gennett from Cincinnati. Freeman is no longer just a power bat (he’s hitting .338), and Gennett may be having a career year. This should be recognized.
The remaining positions to be filled are now catcher, shortstop, third base, right field, a substitute position player (or two), and the other pitchers. Teams yet to be represented include Miami, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Arizona, San Francisco and San Diego.
We’ll take care of the Miami and San Diego “problems” right now by selecting J.T. Realmuto to catch, and Wil Myers as a substitute. Myers has played everywhere.
Brandon Crawford can take shortstop, and San Francisco is represented. Next, we’ll add Corey Dickerson for right field (cross off Pittsburgh), Nolan Arenado for third base (covering Colorado), and those two moves leave us four teams to cover more pitching and possibly another bench player – the Brewers, Cubs, Cardinals and Diamondbacks.
So, at this point we’re going to add Jordan Hicks because why not have a closer who throws 105 mph and has a 1.17 WHIP?
A left-handed pitcher would be useful, so we’ll cross off Chicago by adding Jon Lester, and we’re at that weird endpoint. The roster above includes three starters and a closer, and we have to add a Snake and a Beermaker. Do we want two more pitchers or one arm and another bat?
Arizona would be represented by Patrick Corbin and his sterling 0.94 WHIP, and Central Division leader Milwaukee will contribute Christian Yelich.
Next: Strongest records never mentioned
This is an NL MLB All-Star squad. Get ready for any AL team similarly constructed because the Yankees, Red Sox and Astros would each get only one player representative.