Who Should Represent the Giants at the All Star Game?

Tim Hudson,

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 MLB All Star game is just about a month away, so now is the time to speculate who should be deemed an All Star. More importantly, who should represent the Giants at the All Star game?

All Star regular Buster Posey is having a down season, and Pablo Sandoval‘s slow start could end up costing him a bid in the midsummer classic. There are still 3-4 options that can be plucked from the Giants’ roster however. Here is the case for each.

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Michael Morse

Yes, (!) this one is obvious. Morse is 2nd in RBI among NL OF, and ranks 3rd in HR. He’s hitting .292, and is leading the team in BA with 2 outs. Without Morse, the team may be having a much different season. Yes, his defense has been sketchy at times, but the beauty of the All Star game this year is that it’s in an AL park. This means both teams get a DH, which would keep Morse off the field if NL All Star game manager Mike Matheny wants to go that direction. At the latest tally, Morse was ranked 9th among NL OF in fan voting. Giants’ fans, we have some work to do.

Brandon Crawford

Yes, Brandon Crawford. You know who ranks 2nd on the team in RBI? Crawford. He also leads the team in triples with 5. This all is complementary to the solid defense he provides up the middle. He has matured this season, and has become a joy to watch both at the plate and in the field. Brandon ranks 4th among NL shortstops in RBI, but the 3 players ahead of him are near locks. Tulowitzki, Desmond and Ramirez have been playing at a high level for awhile, so Crawford probably won’t get the votes necessary, and he won’t get added to the team by Matheny because the NL will already have enough SS. Crawford is deserving of an All Star nod, but the competition may be too rough this year.

Tim Hudson

Well, duh. Huddy should be starting the damn game, let alone being included in the festivities. Hudson’s ERA is tops in the league at 1.81. Johnny Cueto is right behind him at 1.85. While Cueto has been more dominant, with a lower WHIP (0.77 to 0.97) and a huge lead in strikeouts (109 to 60), Hudson’s record sits at 7-2 while Cueto is approaching .500 with a 6-5 mark. Typically, I throw records out the window because an offense can propel a pitcher to wins. In all fairness, Cueto has been given losses in a couple of games he has pitched very well. He has also given up a total of 4 and 6 earned runs in a couple starts. Hudson has given up 4 runs once and 3 runs once. He has been consistently dominant, whereas Cueto has been streakily dominant.

Jean Machi

I know what you’re thinking: this is another obvious pick. Not so fast. It’s not too often that a setup man is named to the All Star team. Jean Machi currently has a 0.31 ERA however. That is a special season in the making. If his ERA stays close to this number, he should make the team. If he allows a few runs and his ERA approaches 1.00, the spot that could be his may be given to another closer. While Sergio Romo is tied for the league lead in saves, he also holds a 4.61 ERA. So he’s out. Huston Street, Francisco Rodriguez, Craig Kimbrel and Steve Cishek all seem like viable candidates to fill the closer role. The two players to watch out for in Machi’s case are Tony Watson (0.87) from Pittsburgh and Will Smith (0.88) from the Milwaukee. Out of these 3 players, one should be named to the All Star team. The next 2-3 weeks will determine who gets the nod.

These are my picks for who should represent the Giants at the All Star game. While Crawford is a long shot, the game in Minnesota could definitely use a Brandon.

Who do you think should represent the Giants at the All Star game?

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