Yesterday, we previewed the American League as it stood a few days from when voting ends. Today, we are going to look at how the National League team is shaping up. One of the more interesting things in this NL voting is how many votes Phillies Second basemen Chase Utely got, 2,645,027, which leads total votes in the Majors. More on that later. Let the NL breakdown begin.
Starting off with first base, where it is led by Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros with 2,132,663 votes. Next, is Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals with 1,408,622. Both of these players are really good and maybe Pujols hits a little better, but Berkman drives in more runs. Whoever starts will be good, and the NL has a strong bat in Pujols coming off the bench to take over if needed.
Next we have second base, where Chase Utely of the Philadelphia Phillies leads all voting with 2,645,027 votes. He is followed by Mark DeRosa of the Chicago Cubs with 1,139,698. Utely is an exceptional 5 tool player as he can hit for power, average, steal some bases, and plays good, solid defense.
On third we have Chipper Jones, of the Atlanta Braves, who is having a monstrous year with a .394 batting average, and owns 2,433,753 votes. Next to him is Aramis Ramirez, of the Chicago Cubs, who has 1,373,565 votes. Both of these players are very good, but it is clear that the fans want Jones starting, and he is arguably a bit better overall than Ramirez.
The NL shortstop race is probably the tightest race right now as the top 5 players each have the ability to start. Hanely Ramirez of the Florida Marlins with 1,483,875 votes. Miguel Tejada of the Houston Astros with 1,315,240 votes. Ryan Theriot of the Chicago Cubs with 1,114,336 votes. Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies with 914,962 votes. Bringing up the rear is Jose Reyes of the New York Mets with 902,506 votes. All of these Shortstops have a lot of talent and all deserve starting honors. It will be interesting to see who the fans elect to start.
At catcher, it is led by Geovonny Soto of the Chicago Cubs with 1,827,279 votes. Next is Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves with 1,149,247. Both of these players are really good catchers and so it doesn’t really matter much who starts.
On the outfield, 2 of the 3 positions have been secured, but one is still up for grabs. It is led by Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs with 2,120,635. Next is Ken Griffey Junior of the Cincinatti Reds with 1,917,739 votes. Now here is the two players who still have a chance of starting. Kosuke Fukudome of the Chicago Cubs has 1,783,983 votes, and is followed by Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers with 1,751,058 votes.
That takes care of the way the roster stands with only a day left of voting. Stay tuned for more All Star analysis as the All Star game looms closer.
