The MLB All-Star 2015 ballot closes in the early hours of Friday 3rd July UK time (just before 5 a.m.).

The ballot is now completely online, rather than including written votes submitted at ballparks, and the result has been an impressive, if to some quite annoying, campaign by Kansas City Royals fans to fill every American League starting position with one of their players.

Quite a few of the leading Royals players do have a fair case to start, so it’s not quite the travesty some are making it out to be; however the All-Star ballot is the same as any other voting process. If you have a vote (and you do, 35 per person in fact), you have the power to influence the decision.

Mark George and I have done our bit and our selections are explained below.

American League

First base

MG: Miguel Cabrera. As impressive as Prince Fielder’s year has been, I have to go for Miggy here. Hopefully Prince makes it as a reserve.

MS: Miguel Cabrera. Albert Pujols has rolled back the years to give him a strong case, but I can’t look past Miggy both on the basis of his continued excellence at the plate and that he approaches the game with a childlike enthusiasm.

Second base

MG: Jason Kipnis. Having not seen much of Cleveland, I hadn’t appreciated quite how good his numbers are. Dozier’s having a nice year too.

MS: Jason Kipnis. Kipnis struggled in April, just as he did when he made the All-Star team in 2013, but he’s really come alive since then and has outperformed better known players like Dustin Pedroia and Robinson Cano. Although the Twins’ Brian Dozier has had an excellent first few months of the 2015 season too, I’m just giving Kipnis the edge.

Shortstop

MG: Alcides Escobar. Yes, a Royal. I never thought he’d hit this well and the defense is still outstanding. Bogaerts also worthy.

MS: Jose Iglesias. Manny Machado was a shortstop in the Minors so it would be great to see him making the team in this spot as he didn’t make my third base selection, but that’s not going to happen. It’s slim pickings otherwise and I’ve gone for Iglesias due to his defensive prowess and that he has put up good numbers at the plate so far this season, even if it’s highly likely they will fall away as the year goes on.

Third baseman

MG: Josh Donaldson. A monster year sees him chosen over Manny Machado. After their dispute a while back, it could be fun to see them in the same dugout.

MS: Josh Donaldson. Whilst I understand why the A’s liked the opportunity to get Brett Lawrie and a couple of other young players for Donaldson, few doubted that they had traded away one of the better players in the Majors. Donaldson has taken little time in getting used to life in Canada and has impressed with has bat and his glove. It’s also great to see how well Manny Machado has come back from his injury problems and he will be an All-Star candidate for years to come.

Catcher

Mark George (MG): Steven Vogt. Tough call here as Salvador Perez, Russell Martin and Brian McCann are all having nice years. But Vogt’s near .300, leads in homers and already has more than 50 RBIs.

Matt Smith (MS): Vogt has been one of the few bright spots for my A’s so far this season and his emergence this year has been a great story. Russell Martin would just get my vote (pun shamelessly intended) were it not for me wanting to add one Oakland player onto the time.

Designated Hitter

MG: Nelson Cruz. I wasn’t expecting such big numbers in Seattle. Last year was not a fluke.

MS: Jose Bautista. I’m cheating a bit here as I’m not a fan of having to vote for a DH. Cruz is probably the best of those actually listed as a DH on the ballot, but Bautista has played almost as many games as a DH so far this season as he has in right field and as I couldn’t quite squeeze him into my outfield (as you’ll see below), I’m putting him in the lineup here.

Outfielders

MG: Mike Trout, Adam Jones and Jose Bautista. Plenty of players you could make a case for here. I love watching Cain and Alex Gordon’s defense and Cespedes and JD Martinez are having great years too. But I have to pick Trout, Jones has been excellent again and Joey Bats his hitting for power and managing to keep his average up around .260, which isn’t easy with his big swings.

MS: Mike Trout, Lornezo Cain, Adam Jones. Trout needs no explanation, whilst Cain deserves a chance to continue showcasing his talents on the big stage following his playoff exploits with the Royals last year. There are a number of deserving candidates to round out the outfield, not least Cain’s teammate Alex Gordon and Toronto’s Jose Bautista, but I’m going to go for Adam Jones. He’s just a very good all-round player who doesn’t always get the credit he deserves, possibly because he isn’t exceptional in any one area to really make him stand out.

Pitchers

MG: If I could vote for a starting pitcher, I’d choose Sonny Gray, followed by Chris Archer and Dallas Keuchel. Glenn Perkins would be my closer.

MS: Starting pitcher – Chris Sale. Much as I enjoy the skill and cunning of a crafty pitcher, nothing beats watching someone who can blow opposing batters away. That’s what I saw from Sale against the Twins on BT Sport/ESPN on Wednesday last week and he has been terrific all season. Chris Archer has been similarly impressive, whilst my A’s bias actually makes me want to downplay Sonny Gray in preference for for him getting a few days of rest.

National League

First base

MG: Paul Goldschmidt. Great years from Adrian Gonzalez, Anthony Rizzo and Joey Votto but Goldy has to be the pick here.

MS: Paul Goldschmidt. Out in the desert, Goldschmidt is having another MVP-calibre season out of limelight. He deserves the All-Star selection in part to counterbalance this and to remind people just how good he is. Anthony Rizzo would be an excellent deputy as he has starred for the resurgent Cubs.

Second base

MG: Dee Gordon. Great first half again. can he keep it up? Either way, he deserves to start.

MS: Dee Gordon. He’s probably not going to keep his batting line up for the full season, but he’s a fun player to watch and he always plays with a smile on his face. Having been traded away by the Dodgers over the offseason, seeing him starting the All-Star game would be a great comeback. The Cardinals’ Kolten Wong would be another strong contender, as would the Giants’ youngster Joe Panik who has seemingly taken to the Majors with ease.

Shortstop

MG: Jhonny Peralta. Close call here with Brandon Crawford having an excellent year too, buy Jhonny keeps on showing he can be a servicable defender and can still hit.

MS: Andrelton Simmons. It’s tough on Brandon Crawford, who is a very good all-round player and a key part of the Giants’ championship team, but an All-Star selection gives me a chance to watch Simmons playing shortstop in an extra game and that’s an opportunity I wouldn’t want to pass up.

Third base

MG: I like Frazier, having drafted him in my dynasty league years ago. I never thought he’d be quite this good. Nolan Arenado a close second.

MS: Todd Frazier. Now this is a tough choice. Kris Bryant definitely falls under the ‘star’ heading, but he’s only just starting out so will likely have many more chances to make the lineup. Nolan Arenado is a superb player, outstanding with his glove and his performances at the plate are not a consequence of Coors Field (he’s actually hitting slightly better on the road) so it’s difficult to leave him off the team. Still, Todd Frazier has taken a good step forward in each of the last two seasons and it looks like he’s taking yet another in 2015. An All-Star start would be a fitting reward for his continued improvement.

Catcher

MG: Buster Posey. Easy pick as not that much competition this year. Maybe Yasmani Grandal has a shot as a reserve, although I suspect that Yadier Molina guy may beat him.

MS: Buster Posey. Posey has won three World Series in his first five MLB seasons. Yes, you could say he was in the right place at the right time and there was a certain amount of luck to it, but Posey is an outstanding player and it’s no surprise that he’s been at the heart of a team that has enjoyed so much success. Yadier Molina comes into the same category, of course, but I’ll give the nod to Posey here.

Outfielders

MG: Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton and Justin Upton. I have been unsure if Harper would ever live up to the hype, but he’s proved me wrong with a monster first half. Stanton’s power makes him a must, while the third choice was a close call between Justin Upton, Starling Marte and Joc Pederson. I hope they all make it, maybe with Joc in CF and Stanton at DH.

MS: Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew McCutchen. Harper and Stanton are pretty much unarguable, other than the latter’s hand injury suffered this weekend meaning he’ll actually miss the game. For the third spot, I considered putting Joc Pederson into the lineup after his captivating start to his Major League career with the Dodgers, but McCutchen has the longer track record and his performances so far this season are only a bit disappointing because of the very high standard we’ve come to expect from him.

Pitchers

MG: If I could vote for a starting pitcher, I’d go with Max Scherzer, followed by Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke, with Trevor Rosenthal as the closer.

MS: Max Scherzer. It’s difficult to take the position away from Clayton Kershaw, especially with him having another good season (ignoring his misleading win-loss record), but Scherzer has been everything the Nationals were hoping for when they signed him to such a lucrative contract this offseason.

 

 

The 2013 MLB All-Star ballot closes in the early hours of Friday, U.K. time. Below, Mark George and I explain our picks for this year’s Mid-Summer Classic at Citi Field, New York.

American League

Mark George

1B Chris Davis. Easiest choice on the ballot?

2B Jason Kipnis. Power/speed combo edges Cano.

3B Miguel Cabrera. Honourable mentions to Machado, Beltre, Donaldson and Seager.

SS Jed Lowrie. Not a great deal to choose from, but good to see Lowrie healthy.

OF Mike Trout. Enough said.

OF Adam Jones. Great year, big RBI numbers.

OF Nelson Cruz. Big HR/RBI stats plus better average than other candidates here. Almost went Alex Rios and considered a write-in for Trumbo.

DH Edwin Encarnacion. So last year wasn’t a fluke!

P Scherzer. I thought it might be a Tiger, but it’s not Verlander! King Felix, Buchholz and Moore candidates here too, as is Colon.

Matt Smith

C. Joe Mauer. Brilliantly consistent at the plate, solid behind it.

1B. Chris Davis. A great story and an easy choice with big names like Fielder and Pujols failing to shine so far this season.

2B. Jason Kipnis. Pedroia has been a catalyst for the Red Sox and Cano has an excellent track record, but Kipnis just gets the nod from me.

3B. Miguel Cabrera. The most impressive position on the ballot (add Evan Longoria, current injury aside, to Mark’s list above too) topped by the best hitter around.

SS. Jed Lowrie. No stand-out candidate so I’ll take a slight ‘homer’ pick and go for the A’s infielder who has already proved to be a shrewd offseason signing.

OF. Mike Trout. Not a star in the making, a star right now.

OF. Jose Bautista. Hasn’t put up jaw-dropping traditional stats but is having another very good season to go alongside outstanding power in 2010, 2011 and (when healthy) 2012.

OF. Jacoby Ellsbury. The All-Star Game is a showcase and Ellsbury will add excitement with his speed. Lack of power shouldn’t obscure his impressive contribution to Boston’s first half.

P. Scherzer. Has come on leaps and bounds over the last year or so and knows how important a good start may be for the AL after his teammate Justin Verlander decided to light up the radar gun last year and played a part in Detroit not having home-field advantage in the World Series.

National League

Mark George

C Yadier Molina. Close between him and Posey, but that big average is impressive.

1B Paul Goldschmidt. Possible NL MVP?

2B Brandon Phillips. Matt Carpenter has been outstanding, but Phillips has been even better.

3B David Wright. This was pretty easy.

SS Jean Segura. Almost went Ian Desmond, but Segura has really impressed me when I’ve seen him play.

OF Jay Bruce. Big year with bat and glove doesn’t seem to be getting attention it deserves.

OF Carlos Gonzalez. Tough to ignore strong numbers across the board.

OF Andrew McCutchen. Could have gone Beltran, Brown, Upton, Cuddyer or Marte here, but I’ve like Cutch for a long time.

P Matt Harvey. You could make a case for Wainwright, Zimmermann, Corbin, Lee and Kershaw. I’m sure they’ll all be there.

Matt Smith

C. Yadier Molina. Tough to choose between him and Posey but the potential battle of arm versus speed against Mike Trout (possibly Kipnis and Ellsbury) would be a treat to watch.

1B. Joey Votto. Difficult to separate him and Goldschmidt, so I’ll go with the guy with the longer track record of performing at this level.

2B. Brandon Phillips. Matt Carpenter can consider himself unlucky, but Phillips has had a good first half and has the flashy fielding and personality made for an All-Star Game.

3B. David Wright. The best third baseman in the Senior Circuit so far this season, an impressive track record and a home town hero for the Citi Field crowd.

SS. Ian Desmond. No established star to pick here so I’ll go with Desmond’s power.

OF. Carlos Gonzalez. A brilliant first half and not simply a Coors Field mirage as he’s marginally hit better on the road than at home.

OF. Andrew McCutchen. The Pirates deserve to be represented on the starting roster and there’s no better candidate than one of the best all-around talents in the game today.

OF. Carlos Beltran. Jay Bruce, Shin-Soo Choo and Domonic Brown were three of the other candidates I considered, but I eventually decided to go for Beltran. Another strong season in a very good career.

P. Matt Harvey. Despite Adam Wainwright’s equally impressive first half, the only way Harvey doesn’t start here is if his starting rotation schedule for the Mets gets in the way. A superb talent, Citi Field will be absolutely electric if Harvey starts at home in the Mid-Summer Classic.

The 83rd MLB All-Star Game wasn’t much of a contest in some ways.

The National League’s five-run first inning against Justin Verlander immediately put the American League in a hole and it was one they couldn’t recover from.

However, the All-Star Game really isn’t something to be analysed. It’s a fun exhibition event and even though the result was one-sided, the game produced enough moments to make it enjoyable, my favourites being …

Triples all ’round. Yes, ‘chicks dig the long ball’, but true baseball connoisseurs love a triple just as much as a big fly. Pablo Sandoval, Rafael Furcal and Ryan Braun all sprinted around to third base – well, maybe not quite a sprint in Sandoval’s case – for the National League.

Flashing some leather. There were a couple of notable fielding plays. Jose Bautista made an impressive diving catch in right-field that Rick Sutcliffe initially thought was a certain ‘trap’ catch until he saw the replay and immediately admitted his mistake. Ryan Braun’s catch in left-field wasn’t quite so flashy, but the fact that it robbed former teammate Prince Fielder of a double made up for it.

The Melk-Man delivered. Melky Cabrera continued his incredible 2012 season with an MVP performance. If you’re going to wear a dazzling pair of orange shoes, you had better play well. Cabrera did just that.

I’ve got it … no I haven’t. Even the most talented players can suffer some misfortune every now and then and Bryce Harper had one of those ‘oh no’ moments when he completely lost a fly ball in the lights and stood helpless as it landed behind him. Cue his National League teammates, particularly his Washington Nationals teammates, chuckling away in the dugout.

Cheers for Chipper. Finally, it was great to see Chipper Jones receiving a rousing standing ovation as he came to bat in his final All-Star Game and even better to see the reaction to his seeing-eye single.  Whether you are at the beginning of your career like Harper, or near the end like Jones, you can be sure your teammates will take every opportunity to take the mick whenever they can.  Jones knew what was coming his way and joined in with the fun.

That’s the best part of the All-Star Game for me, watching the ballplayers having a good time and having some fun with it all.

The slightly more serious part to it is that the Senior Circuit’s representative in the World Series will once again get the benefit of home-field advantage thanks to their 8-0 victory. The battle to make it to the postseason and then on to that Fall Classic continues on Friday when the regular season resumes.

MLB announced the 2012 All-Star Game rosters on Sunday. This year’s Mid-Summer Classic will be staged at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, with the festivities starting on 8 July and the All-Star Game itself being played on 10 July (actually the early hours of 11 July for us in the U.K.).

Fans of the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants did a good job of getting their players into the Classic.

The Giants picks made the biggest difference on the National League side when looking at Mark George and my ballots.

Buster Posey will don the catching gear at the start of the game (ahead of Mark’s unabashed ‘homer’ pick of A.J. Ellis and my selection of Yadier Molina), Pablo Sandoval will be at third (both of us had David Wright at the hot corner on our ballots) and Melky Cabrera in the outfield.

The Cardinals’ Rafael Furcal will start at shortstop (Mark went for Jed Lowrie, while I took a flyer on Starlin Castro, who has made the initial roster as a reserve), while Dan Uggla will be at second base.

Uggla undoubtedly had a strong case, but both Mark and I went for Brandon Phillips and it’s a shame for the Reds’ second baseman that he hasn’t found his way onto the initial roster (I keep writing ‘initial’ roster as injuries can lead to players pulling out, as we saw last year). Phillips would have provided a better chance of seeing a dazzling fielding play, although Uggla has made a memorable impact with the glove in a previous All-Star Game. Sadly for him, it was his three error nightmare in 2008, no doubt something he will be reminded about more than a few times leading up to the game.

As for the American League starters, Mike Napoli got the Texas treatment ahead of A.J. Pierzynski and Joe Mauer. Prince Fielder gets in ahead of Paul Konerko, Derek Jeter unsurprisingly will start at short ahead of Elvis Andrus (if he decides to turn up this year) and Curtis Granderson takes one of the three starting outfield spots, with few begrudging Grandy a place in the starting lineup, I’m sure.

Both Mark and I used the ‘write in’ section to put Mike Trout on our ballots and he has made the roster as reserve, so I’ll stand by my prediction that he will do something memorable in the latter innings of the game.

Trout’s name keeps being linked with the other young rookie star in the making, Bryce Harper, and the Nationals’ outfielder is one of five players that has been put up for the National League’s Final Vote. There’s a lot of interest in Harper which will certainly help his cause; however I would guess that Chipper Jones will get the sentimental vote in his final season.

With my A’s cap on, I’m pleased for Ryan Cook to make it as Oakland’s representative in his rookie season, although Josh Reddick would have been a worthy selection too. He shouldn’t feel too hard done by: when it gets to that stage of the roster setting, it’s more about what pieces the manager needs to fill in than who is necessarily the person who deserves it the most.

Finally, there’s normally at least one non-selection that causes some controversy each year and it appears as though National League manager Tony La Russa’s decision not to select the Reds’ Johnny Cueto takes that prize in 2012. La Russa had several options to round out his pitching staff so there’s a very logical argument to counter the claim that Cueto has been deliberately snubbed.

Mind you, if a manager was going to hold a grudge against a player, it probably would be against someone who helped end the career of one of his former players – Jason LaRue - by kicking him in the head during a bench-clearing brawl.

If La Russa does hold a grudge against Cueto, and frankly I wouldn’t put it past him, I don’t think you could call it a petty one.

(Incidentally, there’s an article linked to on Jason LaRue’s Wikipedia entry entitled “Jason LaRue May Be Out For Season After Johnny Cueto’s uncalled for Kick to the Head”. I can understand what the author meant, but the wording used made me chuckle, raising as it does the possibility that there might have been a plausible circumstance on the field where Cueto’s kung-fu act would have been considered ‘called for’, which seems just a tad unlikely to me).

The 2012 MLB All-Star ballot closes at midnight Eastern Time on Thursday (5 a.m. on Friday morning BST).

Mark George and I have already submitted our ballots, taking differing approaches to the online option that allows you to vote up to 25 times.

While I cast my ballot once and left it at that, Mark took full advantage of his quota to make sure his picks had the best chance of making it into the starting line-ups in Kansas City.  Considering the way the voting has gone so far – Texas Rangers fans are doing their team proud with David Murphy being the sixth highest vote-getter for AL outfielders at time of writing – Mark’s approach was probably the right way to go.

Here is how we cast our ballots. Starting with the reigning All-Star Game champions: the National League.

Mark George’s selections.

C: Ellis. I’m going to let my heart rule my head here, as Ruiz, Molina and Posey are also deserving, but Ellis has been such a pleasant surprise and a likeable guy (see the Between Two Ferns clips on MLB.com) I can’t not vote for him.

1B: Votto. So much easier to pick him when Albert and Prince aren’t in the way!

2B: Phillips. Close between him, Uggla and Hill, but Brandon’s glove makes the difference.

SS: Lowrie. If he’s healthy, he’ll hit and Houston are benefiting.

3B: Wright. Superior average gives him the nod over Freese.

OF: Kemp. He may well not play, but he still gets my vote.

OF: Beltran. Superb talent easing the loss of Pujols in St Louis.

OF: McCutchen. Excellent all-round season, plus I don’t feel comfortable votng for Braun.

Matt Smith’s selections.

C: Molina . Carlos Ruiz has been a rare bright spot for the Phillies this year and certainly has a genuine case to make his first All-Star game at 33 years old. I’m sticking with Yadi Molina though as he’s had a very good first half and should rightly represent the World Series champion Cardinals at the Mid-Summer Classic.

1B: Votto. Votto is arguably the easiest selection on the entire ballot. Outstanding again for the Reds this season.

2B: Phillips. Dan Uggla has had a good first half and the diminutive Jose Altuve has been a great story for the Astros, but I’ve given the edge to Phillips on account of his solid bat and flashy glovework.

SS: Castro. With Troy Tulowitzki side-lined through injury and Jose Reyes scuffling a bit after an excellent 2011, I ended up picking a bit of a wild card in Castro. He’s still prone to making silly mistakes, but he’s an exciting young talent and could light up a game with his fielding alone.

3B: Wright. Wright is up there with Votto as one of the easiest picks on the ballot. He’s been excellent for the Mets and a big reason why they have had such a positive start to this season, despite losing Jose Reyes over the winter.

OF: Kemp. Injury woes are nowhere near enough to make me shy away from putting him on my starting lineup (even if he might not actually take up that spot).

OF: Braun. Braun’s drug-test drama potentially puts a question mark against him the in popularity stakes, but he’s one of the best players in the game and (perhaps wrongly) I’m not convinced there’s anything other than talent and hard work behind that.

OF: McCutchen. While other players (especially Votto) may be more overwhelming selections due to their performance and competition for the respective position, I don’t think there’s a player that deserves an All-Star starting spot more than McCutchen. His brilliance almost goes unnoticed while playing for the Pirates and he deserves this moment to recognise that he’s one of the best outfielders around.

On to the American League …

Mark George’s selections.

C: AJ Pierzynski. Surprised myself with this, but best combo of power and average available.

1B: Konerko. Tough to ignore Dunn’s power, but Konerko has been a class act for the umpteenth year in a row.

2B: Cano. Kipnis a very close second here.

SS: Andrus. May lose out to the slugging options of Hardy, Aviloes and Cabrera, but Elvis is having a great year.

3B: Cabrera. Tough call between Cabrera, Trumbo, Beltre and Moustakas, but Miguel’s still the man for me.

OF: Hamilton. No explanation needed!

OF: Trout. We have to find room for an incredible talent.

OF: Adam Jones. Could have gone for Bautista or Trumbo’s power here, but Jones has been excellent for the surprising Orioles.

DH: Encarnacion. Who knew? Toronto’s knack for finding sluggers continues.

Matt Smith’s selections.

C: Mauer. He’s probably never going to get close to his 28 homer mark of 2009 again, but Mauer is a class act and deserves the All-Star start behind the dish this season, even though Pierzynski has had a very impressive first half.

1B: Konerko. The AL first baseman selection was supposed to be ridiculously tough coming into the season with Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder joining an already impressive group. Neither of those two has really hit the heights so far, so I’ve gone with the veteran Konerko who continues to impress as the lead bat in the White Sox’s offence.

2B: Cano. The star of last year’s Home Run Derby, Cano is simply one of the best all-round players in the game.

SS: Andrus. Derek Jeter will make the AL team of course and I don’t have any problems with that, but I’d prefer to see Andrus make the start as he is very good defensively and has performed well at the plate so far this season too.

3B: Beltre. Beltre joins up with Andrus for an all-Texas left-side to the infield on my ballot, edging Miguel Cabrera thanks to his defence. Evan Longoria would have been a strong contender had he not been on the DL and the up-and-coming Brett Lawrie and Mike Moustakas may be in the running as early as next season.

DH: Ortiz. I generally don’t like the DH spot because it often leads to someone making the AL’s starting lineup ahead of a first baseman or two who is more deserving. However, this time I don’t have any concerns with Ortiz taking his place as he’s been one of the more valuable bats in the AL so far this season and his track record speaks for itself.

OF: Hamilton. June has been a tough month for Hamilton, but at the time of writing he still has a 1.035 OPS and is sure to spark back into life soon.

OF: Bautista. He’s been the MLB home run leader over the last two years and leads the way again in 2012. In contrast to Hamilton he has recovered from a slow April with a very good May and an absolutely torrid June.

OF: Trout. Trout was my write-in selection. He is an outstanding young talent who has performed brilliantly for the Angels since his call-up. The All-Star Game should in part be about selling the sport to casual sports fans and newcomers and Trout is exactly the sort of young talent that MLB should be promoting (and I write that as an A’s fan who suspects that Trout will become a living nightmare for my team over the years ahead). Pick him and chances are he will do something memorable.  Adam Jones is unlucky not to make the team, Curtis Granderson is always hard to overlook in the popularity stakes, while Jacoby Ellsbury clearly would have been a prime contender if he had been healthy this season after his remarkable 2011 campaign.

Other points not on the official ballot

Mark George: If I could vote for a National League DH I’d pick Carlos Gonzalez. As for the starting pitchers …

National League: Dickey. Plenty of good options here, as you could make strong cases for Hamels, Lynn, Cain, Gio Gonzalez, Cueto and Strasburg among others, but Dickey has been that good and it would be fun to see a knuckleballer start.

American League: Verlander. I expect Verlander to start, but Chris Sale would be a very close second.

Matt Smith: National League starting pitcher: Stephen Strasburg. I suspect the Nationals wouldn’t be overly pleased with him using up an inning of his 2012 season in the All-Star Game, but in terms of form this season and ‘star’ quality, Strasburg would be my starter.

American League: Can’t look past Verlander, particularly as it seems as though the game would fit within his normal rotation schedule and so he should be fine to actually take the mound.

Over to you:

If you have cast your ballot, feel free to pass on your picks, or to comment on ours, in the Comments section below.