Starting Lineup
SS Honus Wagner, Pirates (1908—.354/.415/.542, 53 SB)
DH Stan Musial, Cardinals (1948—.376/.450/.702, 18 3B)
LF Barry Bonds, Giants (2001—.328/.515/.863, 73 HR)
CF Willie Mays, Giants (1965—.317/.398/.645, 52 HR)
RF Hank Aaron, Braves (1963—.319/.391/.586, 44 HR)
2B Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals (1924—.424/.507/.696, 121 R)
1B Albert Pujols, Cardinals (2009—.327/.443/.658, 47 HR)
3B Mike Schmidt (1981—.316/.435/.644, 31 HR in 102 G)
C Johnny Bench, Reds (1972—.270/.379/.541, 40 HR)
SP Steve Carlton, Cardinals (1972—346.3 IP, 1.97 ERA, 310 K)
Starters by Position
Catcher
1972 Johnny Bench: You can’t have an all-time NL team without Johnny Bench at catcher. His combination of hitting and defense makes him an easy pick. The year chosen for this team is 1972, four years after he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award and two years after he won his first NL MVP Award. In 1972, Johnny Bench was an NL MVP once again. He led the league in home runs, with 40, and RBI, with 125. He also won the Gold Glove Award for the fifth straight year. His Gold Glove streak would eventually extend to 10 straight years.
First base
2009 Albert Pujols: When Albert Pujols was young and great, each season was just as good as the next. He was a consistent 8 to 9 WAR player from his early 20s to his late 20s. This stretch culminated in what may have been his best season, 2009. He won the second of back-to-back NL MVP Awards, giving him three total. He hit .327/.443/.658, leading the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He also led the league in runs scored and home runs. This was peak Pujols.
Second base
1924 Rogers Hornsby: The 1924 season was one of six straight seasons in which Rogers Hornsby led the NL in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. In addition to hitting .424/.507/.696, Hornsby led the NL in hits, runs, doubles and walks. Despite his excellence with the bat, he finished second in MVP voting to pitcher Dazzy Vance of the Brooklyn Robins.
Shortstop
1908 Honus Wagner: The greatest season of Honus Wagner’s career earned him the starting spot on this all-time NL All-Star roster. Even though the bow-legged, barrel-chested Wagner didn’t look like a speedy base stealer, his .354/.415/.542 hitting and 53 steals in 1908 put him in the leadoff spot on this team so he can be the catalyst for the National League.
Third Base
1981 Mike Schmidt: Choosing a starting third baseman for the National League was one of the most difficult decisions. There were three who were very close. Ultimately, Mike Schmidt was the pick for his incredible performance in the strike-shortened 1981 season. Schmidt won the NL MVP Award for the second straight year in 1981 when he led the NL in runs, home runs, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and total bases. He also won the Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger.
Left Field
2001 Barry Bonds: In 2001, Barry Bonds was to MLB as Bo Jackson was to Tecmo Bowl. Bonds won his fourth NL MVP Award and would go on to win the award in each of the next three seasons. In 2001, he hit .328/.515/.863 and set the single-season record with 73 home runs. He had a handful of seasons that would have qualified him for the starting spot on this team, but those 73 home runs made 2001 the pick.
Center Field
1965 Willie Mays: Like his godson in left field, center fielder Willie Mays had multiple seasons that qualified him for this starting spot. His 52-homer 1965 season was chosen as the representative season for the legend. In addition to the big flies, Mays led the NL with a .398 OBP and .645 slugging. It was his second MVP season, but he deserved a few more along the way.
Right Field
1963 Hank Aaron: Rounding out the outfield with Bonds and Mays is 1963 Hank Aaron. It wasn’t difficult selecting Aaron for the starting spot on this squad, but it was difficult figuring out which season to use. In 1963, Aaron hit .319/.391/.586 and led the league with 121 runs scored, 44 home runs, and 130 RBI. Even though we don’t think of Aaron as a base-stealer, he stole 31 bases this season, making him a 30-30 guy.
Designated Hitter
1948 Stan Musial. Stan “The Man” had his best season in 1948 when he played at least 42 games at all three outfield positions. Even though he played long before the DH existed, he ends up at DH for this mythical all-time NL All-Star roster. In 1948, Musial dominated the National League with a .376/.450/.702 batting line, leading the league in all three metrics. He also led the NL in runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBI and total bases.
Starting Pitcher
1972 Steve Carlton: There were many great pitchers to choose from among the all-time greats in the National League. The starting nod goes to Steve Carlton. In 1972, Carlton pitched 346.3 innings with a 1.97 ERA. He started 41 games and completed 30, with eight shutouts. He was 27-10 for a team that went 62-94. During the season, Carlton lost four games in which he pitched at least seven innings and gave up two earned runs or fewer. He could easily have won 30 or more games with a little better run support.