This is Aaron Hill’s year, this is Inge’s year, this is Edwin Jackson’s year, this is Zack Grienke’s and Ibanez’s year. This is not David Ortiz or Magglio or Dontrelle’s year or Manny’s year.

To me that just makes sense.

You don’t want to give out the MVP every year to Arod do you? Although I like the guy and think he is excellent, I think the 2009 MVP ideally should go to the best performing player overall in 2009. Same with Gold Gloves or Silver Sluggers. If Pudge has lost a step in the field do you want him winning the Gold Glove every year until retirement just because he was one of the best defensive catchers all time?

I guess you could say you want to see the game’s star players, but I think the best performances of ’09 should be rewarded.

It doesn’t make much sense to me to reward has-beens, or so-sos, or once-was…

This type of stuff (excluding the HOF) is what have you done for me lately IMO.

I kinda understand going back to last ASG stats, but Inge isn’t terrible in that respect. I guess this all boils down to what you think is right. I’m guessing that the majority of people either

A) Agree with me and go on recent performance (Opening day of said year to whenever they vote)
B) Vote for stars – guys who have done well over the last 3ish + years
C) Vote for all the hometown players
D) Combo of all three

Whatever you want to do is fine. I mean I voted for Ichiro. I like him a lot, think he has done well this year and would love to see him in the Hr derby.

In any event it’s all over.

08/09: 70 Runs / 24 HR / 82 RBI

A 24/82 3B who is among the top 3 fielders at his position may not be hall of fame bound or make anyone say A-rod who? but certainly isn’t an unreasonable all-star sub selection.

(He spent more of the 2nd half of ’08 at 3rd than catcher, where the baddest of his bad offensive stats come. If you isolate his offensive stats to when he is playing 3rd he comes out better).

The ASG is meant to reward fantastic first half players of the year it is in. Is that too hard a concept to understand?

Being that there is no criteria for the ASG, I don’t know how anyone can argue it so vehemently. I have no problem with someone who chooses to vote based on a broader body of work than 4 months. I weight the current year more heavily and I happen to vote along your lines of thinking, but there is nothing wrong with a belief that the best players should be in the game.

Inge isn’t better than A-Rod and there is no debating it. Inge has done better than A-Rod this year in terms of total value (due in part to playing time). It doesn’t mean that either isn’t deserving, it’s all about the criteria an individual uses.

As an aside, one of the more interesting criteria that I’ve seen some people use is the last calendar year, so there performance post break last year through pre break this year. A bigger sample but one that also rewards a strong first half.

Isn’t there a trend of home-run derby participants going into a slump after?

And psst, Brandon, don’t forget how you do BETTER when you’re NOT trying to hit home runs…

The May numbers are very similar. You’re proving my point.

As for trends, again, I’d point to a bigger sample of data if my intent was to project performance.

Finally, in regard to convincing others, my way (stars) is the way most fans pick. So, I wouldn’t say its my role to be the convincing body here.

Inge may be an exception…or Inge may indeed be becoming a star, as often happens with hitters who have a lot of homeruns. Though he’ll have to maintain it over a full season. If he is hitting 30-40 homeruns a season and playing this kind of D over multiple seasons he may indeed become a legitimate star.

That would be nice.

Of course you could make a similar argument, especially if you were not paying any attention.

(season totals, not monthly)
Shelton ’06
End of April: 10 HR and 20 RBI
End of May: 11 HR and 28 RBI

Inge ’09
End of April: 7 HR / 18 RBI
End of May: 12 HR / 33 RBI

I mean, who doesn’t look at that and say, “yeah looks very similar, especially how they trend”.
Huh?
No, no, you’re right. The Inge / Shelton comparison is valid. They’re essentially clones, both offensively and defensively. Sorry for arguing.

Last night I watched French outpitch Greinke. If thats all I need to do to decide my all-stars I know who I’d pick.

Shelton’s numbers indicate the folly of selecting a sports “stars” based on short period of time.

Yes, its just my opinion. As for convincing others of who is more or less deserving…if it was easy it wouldn’t be much fun. But I view looking at a small sample size and drawing conclusions from it as pretty obviously questionable. As you said…just an opinion. But taking a small sample size and acting on dubious conclusions has a long history.

If I look at all-star roster from the 1950s I’m interested in seeing a lineup with the stars of the era, not who had a good first half in 1954.