Derek Jeter does not deserve to start the All Star Game

[alwaysr92]

Im sorry, as a yankee hater, i know you people will say i am simply hating, but im sorry, derek jeter has been straight outperformed by Orlando Cabrera, Jeter has better offensive numbers(ever so slightly), but Cabrera is running away with defense in the A.L. just like a few years ago when Cabrera was robbed of a Gold Glove from by Derek Jeter when Cabrera had a better fielding percentage and less than half the errors, it looks like Cabrera is yet again getting overlooked by the baseball nation in light of a bigger name

I dislike the yankees with a passion, but i greatly respect Derek Jeter, and i do believe he is the superior shortstop when it comes career wise, however, thats why the all-star game is annual, and jeter simply is getting outplayed by Cabrera, the all-star game is about all-around performance, not just offense, which Cabrera isnt slacking on either. This simply shows how B.S. the all-star game is, its all about the big names making it

[pcgd]

If someone (Jeter) is beating someone (Cabrera) in offense, I'd say that its pretty much impossible that Jeter is "straight outperformed." Maybe on defense, but to me it seems that one is slightly better on offense and one is slightly better on defense.

Yes, Cabrera is a better defensive shortstop, and he's nearly as good offensively, but I'd hardly say that having Derreck jeter as the starting AL SS is a complete injustice.

Injustice is last year Scott Rolen being voted in as the starting 3B when he played only a month or 2.

I value defense just as much as you do, but the all-star game is meaningless. Its like post season awards. You can't get too upset about them because so rarely are they right.

[Hat Boy]

There is not much you can do when fans vote him in.

[Epiphanic]

but the all-star game is meaningless. Its like post season awards. You can't get too upset about them because so rarely are they right.

That's well put. But I think it's tragic in a sense that the all-star and other honors are awarded so flippantly. Often when a player is nearing the end of his career and the case is made for the Hall of Fame, all-star selections and some other dubiously given awards are cited as testament to his greatness. Because of that I have trouble saying that the all-star game is meaningless. Due to fan voting, popular players sometimes take a roster spot of a more deserving player.

[WJMorris3]

If only the players would vote the starters in, and the managers the backups, we'd be back to where we need to be. As it is, the fans only have two of the NL right (Fielder and Martin), and four of the AL right (Ichiro, Guerrero, Rodriguez, and Polanco.)

[Jigga]

I understnd what you're saying Always, but proclaiming your Yankee hatred and starting a thread for no reason other than to bitch about Jeets getting more love than Cabrera is in bad form. In doing this, you've already exposed a bias that to some readers would render pretty much everything you wrote as the lunatic rantings of a fanboy. I'm not saying you're wrong though. Let's take a look at the digits.

Offiense G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG

Cabrera 77 314 50 105 23 0 4 44 9 .334 .372 .446

Jeter 75 305 53 105 21 3 5 38 7 .344 .417 .482

Defense GP GS INN TC PO A E DP FPCT RF ZR

Cabrera 74 74 636 307 113 190 4 55 .987 4.29 .848

Jeter 73 72 628 337 110 215 12 60 .964 4.66 .758

ZR = Zone Ratio: The percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive "zone." Basically, Cabrera has 11% better range than Jeter. Yes, Jeets has three times the errors in only 30 more chances. Cabrera is seemingly the superior defensive player by a wider margin than Jeter excels on offense.

[stephen A. Smith] HOW-EV-UH, it's not as though it's some egregious error to put Jeets in the ASG. Quite frankly, your rant proves why fans shouldn't have the ability to determine who starts the All-Star Game in the first place.[/stephen A. Smith]

willmorris...in your infinite wisdom, who should be the starters?

[Jigga]

I understnd what you're saying Always, but proclaiming your Yankee hatred and starting a thread for no reason other than to bitch about Jeets getting more love than Cabrera is in bad form. In doing this, you've already exposed a bias that to some readers would render pretty much everything you wrote as the lunatic rantings of a fanboy. I'm not saying you're wrong though. Let's take a look at the digits.

Offiense G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG

Cabrera 77 314 50 105 23 0 4 44 9 .334 .372 .446

Jeter 75 305 53 105 21 3 5 38 7 .344 .417 .482

Defense GP GS INN TC PO A E DP FPCT RF ZR

Cabrera 74 74 636 307 113 190 4 55 .987 4.29 .848

Jeter 73 72 628 337 110 215 12 60 .964 4.66 .758

ZR = Zone Ratio: The percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive "zone." Basically, Cabrera has 11% better range than Jeter. Yes, Jeets has three times the errors in only 30 more chances. Cabrera is seemingly the superior defensive player by a wider margin than Jeter excels on offense.

[stephen A. Smith] HOW-EV-UH, it's not as though it's some egregious error to put Jeets in the ASG. Quite frankly, your rant proves why fans shouldn't have the ability to determine who starts the All-Star Game in the first place.[/stephen A. Smith]

willmorris...in your infinite wisdom, who should be the starters?

[rams80]

I value defense just as much as you do, but the all-star game is meaningless. Its like post season awards. You can't get too upset about them because so rarely are they right.

But....

THIS TIME IT COUNTS

Of course, Yao Ming doesn't exactly deserve to start the NBA all star game every year either...

[WJMorris3]

willmorris...in your infinite wisdom, who should be the starters?

AL

C: Victor Martinez

1B: Mark Teixeira

2B: Placido Polanco

3B: Alex Rodriguez

SS: Jhonny Peralta

LF: Hideki Matsui

CF: Ichiro

RF: Vladimir Guerrero

NL

C: Russell Martin

1B: Prince Fielder

2B: Dan Uggla

3B: Miguel Cabrera

SS: J.J. Hardy

LF: Matt Holliday

CF: Juan Pierre

RF: Ken Griffey Jr.

[Fred T. Jane]

Go figure, the fans put their favourite players in the starting lineup of a game specifically designed as a showcase of the game to the fans. Shocked, shocked I say!

[Hat Boy]

the fans put their favourite players in the starting lineup of a game specifically designed as a showcase of the game to the fans.

It is not a "showcase" for the fans anymore. This time, it counts.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I saw J.J. Putz last night for the first time ever. Most every time I see an MLB game, the home team loses. It was fun to see the home team win once and the closer actually close the game. It was like a rock show.

[Patrick L. Kennedy]

How can there be 11 posts in a thread for the AL's starting SS, and yet not one of them mentions Carlos Guillen? I agree that Jeter doesn't deserve to start, though he is as much in the conversation more than is Cabrera. My personal preference would be Guillen. His OPS is far higher than Cabrera's. Guillen is hitting .320/.388/.565, Cabrera .339/.375/.458, and I grant you that Cabrera has a larger AB size. But the difference is more than accounted for in Guillen's far better production. Cabrera is a better defender, but Guillen is the far better hitter, and it isn't even close. Especially when you consider that Guillen plays half of his games in a pitcher's park.

[Phil]

willmorris...in your infinite wisdom, who should be the starters?

AL

C: Victor Martinez

1B: Mark Teixeira

2B: Placido Polanco

3B: Alex Rodriguez

SS: Jhonny Peralta

LF: Hideki Matsui

CF: Ichiro

RF: Vladimir Guerrero

...and you leave Magglio Ordonez, who would be a strong MVP candidate at this point, out? That would be the greater injustice.

[WJMorris3]

willmorris...in your infinite wisdom, who should be the starters?

AL

C: Victor Martinez

1B: Mark Teixeira

2B: Placido Polanco

3B: Alex Rodriguez

SS: Jhonny Peralta

LF: Hideki Matsui

CF: Ichiro

RF: Vladimir Guerrero

...and you leave Magglio Ordonez, who would be a strong MVP candidate at this point, out? That would be the greater injustice.

Well, it's either Magglio or Guerrero, and while Magglio is good, I sided with Guerrero on this one. Same thing happens on the NL side - though I might want to include Alfonso Soriano or Barry Bonds, I cannot take either of them as a starter if I want Matt Holliday to start.

[SouthSidePride]

I beg to differ, I leave out Matsui my lineup is as follows.

C:VMart

1B:Youkilis

2B: Polanco

SS: Cabrera

3B: A-Rod

OF:Ichiro

OF: Mags

OF: VLad

NL:

c: MArtin

1B:The Prince

2B: Chase Utley

SS:Renteria

3B:Chipper Jones

OF: Holiday

OF: Griffey

OF:Soriano

[WJMorris3]

I beg to differ, I leave out Matsui my lineup is as follows.

C:VMart

1B:Youkilis

2B: Polanco

SS: Cabrera

3B: A-Rod

OF:Ichiro

OF: Mags

OF: VLad

NL:

c: MArtin

1B:The Prince

2B: Chase Utley

SS:Renteria

3B:Chipper Jones

OF: Holiday

OF: Griffey

OF:Soriano

For what it's worth, by doing that, you've got no AL left fielders and no NL center fielders.

[alwaysr92]

How can there be 11 posts in a thread for the AL's starting SS, and yet not one of them mentions Carlos Guillen? I agree that Jeter doesn't deserve to start, though he is as much in the conversation more than is Cabrera. My personal preference would be Guillen. His OPS is far higher than Cabrera's. Guillen is hitting .320/.388/.565, Cabrera .339/.375/.458, and I grant you that Cabrera has a larger AB size. But the difference is more than accounted for in Guillen's far better production. Cabrera is a better defender, but Guillen is the far better hitter, and it isn't even close. Especially when you consider that Guillen plays half of his games in a pitcher's park.

IMO i believe cabrera or guillen would be a better choice than jeter, and guillen is a better offensive ss, but its not an immense difference, the only offensive category that guillen is running away with against cabrera is homeruns, in every other offensive category, cabrera is close or better(only average and runs)

R HR RBI

Guillen 45 12 59

Cabrera 53 5 48

, and i believe that cabrera's defense is deserving of him getting in the all-star game, however, like i said, it would not be an injustice if guillen started as he is much more deserving to start than jeter and he does deserve to go, i just believe cabrera deserves to start, and Whatever happened to defense? nowadays, its all about offense

[SouthSidePride]

I beg to differ, I leave out Matsui my lineup is as follows.

C:VMart

1B:Youkilis

2B: Polanco

SS: Cabrera

3B: A-Rod

OF:Ichiro

OF: Mags

OF: VLad

NL:

c: MArtin

1B:The Prince

2B: Chase Utley

SS:Renteria

3B:Chipper Jones

OF: Holiday

OF: Griffey

OF:Soriano

For what it's worth, by doing that, you've got no AL left fielders and no NL center fielders.

It's the all star game. They play but a few innings in those positions anyway. Griffey can play centerfield for an inning or two and Vlad can hold his own. If I had to choose a left fielder though, I would take Carl Crawford or Willtis form LA, who dosen't have a homerun but is batting over .330 as a full time player.

[HedleyLamarr]

I beg to differ, I leave out Matsui my lineup is as follows.

C:VMart

1B:Youkilis

2B: Polanco

SS: Cabrera

3B: A-Rod

OF:Ichiro

OF: Mags

OF: VLad

NL:

c: MArtin

1B:The Prince

2B: Chase Utley

SS:Renteria

3B:Chipper Jones

OF: Holiday

OF: Griffey

OF:Soriano

For what it's worth, by doing that, you've got no AL left fielders and no NL center fielders.

You don't vote in one LF, one CF, and one RF; it's any three OF's.

You have seen MLB's All-Star ballots, right?