Mariner All-Stars

The All-Star teams will be announced later today and there is a legitimate chance that the Mariners will have four players on the team. At 41-38, they may not deserve that many players, but that record certainly gets them in the debate.

It begins of course with Ichiro. He most likely will be voted in as a starter, but either way he will make the team. Ichiro leads the American League in hits, average, and multi-hit games. His .368 average is once again Ichiridiculous.

Felix Hernandez should also get a spot on the team this year as he is pitching like a bonafide ace. He is 8-3 with a 2.62 ERA and 114 strikeouts. Only Roy Halladay and Zach Grienke have more wins and a lower ERA. He stands currently at 4th in ERA and 3rd in strikeouts in the A.L. He has a 76% quality start percentage, good for 3rd in the league as well. His WHIP is 9th at 1.17. He went 3-0 in June with a 0.94 ERA so he is pitching better and better. It would be a shame if he is not selected.

The third and fourth selections will be difficult for the M’s. David Aardsma has been lights out as a closer for the Mariners (to the point that they actually kill the scoreboard lights and say lights out when he enters the game as I recently detailed in this excellent blog). He is 8th in the A.L. in saves with 16, but holds a 1.45 ERA and only one blown save. Additionally he was a set up man for the first month or so, grabbing six holds in the process. He hasn’t given up a run since May 31st going 11 perfect innings in June.

Lastly, Russell “The Muscle” Branyan deserves to be on the A.L. squad. It will very difficult for him to fit in though. The case for Branyan includes a .294 average to go along with his 20 home runs (2nd in the A.L.). He has the 3rd best OPS in the league and 43 RBI. Seems like All-Star numbers, but his competition will most likely prevent him from making the team. Justin Morneau (.311, 19, 65), Mark Teixera (.275, 20, 61), Carlos Pena (.236, 23, 55), Kevin Youkilis (.307, 14, 47), and Miguel Cabrera (..325, 16, 47) all can make a case to keep the Muscle off the team.

By the way, did you read that correctly at the beginning of this post that the Mariners are 41-38? C’mon. Awesome.