Around the NL: Western revival

Just two years ago the West Division was the laughing stock of the National League. The 2005 NL West champion San Diego Padres won 82 games, the seventh-best total in the league. Three teams with better records did not make the playoffs that season. That season all five teams in the NL East finished at .500 or better, but the wild-card team was the Houston Astros from the Central division. Last season the tide began to turn as it was the Central that became anemic. But in 2007, the West has unleashed its power and dominated the NL. The West is a whopping 34 games over .500 with a 27-game edge over the Central.

Over the past couple of seasons, key figures in St. Louis and Houston have begun to age, and the division has gotten old pretty quickly. While the Cubs have thrown some cash at the problem, Chicago hasn’t become a consistent contender yet. Milwaukee is the only franchise in the division with an optimistic present and future.

Out west, four teams — San Diego, Los Angeles, Arizona and Colorado — have bright futures. And all but Colorado of that group have a bright present as well. Only San Francisco has lagged behind, easily leading the division in key players age 37 or older. So expect the Western domination of fly-over land to continue over the next few seasons.

First All-Star Ballot
A quick visit to mlb.com or any team website exposes viewers to MLB’s passion for All-Star voting. Most likely the most promoted event that MLB does. I don’t understand fans infatuation with voting before the end of June, but I guess that’s just me. I understand that this is a popularity vote, and the game is for fans to see their favorite players. (Why home field for the World Series is tied to this game is a question for another column.) Looking at the voting results released by mlb.com, it is clear that the voting masses know or care very little about deserving candidates.

So, in the interest of educating fans, here’s my current ballot. I’ll register my 25 official votes with MLB on June 28, the final day of voting.

1B    Prince Fielder, Milwaukee
2B    Chase Utley, Philadelphia
3B    Miguel Cabrera, Florida
SS    Jimmy Rollins, Philadephia
C    Russell Martin, Los Angeles
OF    Matt Holliday, Colorado
OF    Aaron Rowand, Philadelphia
OF    Carlos Lee, Houston

Let the arguments begin. But before you begin your ranting, let me explain a few things.

At first base, there is little room for argument. Fielder has been consistent with his power numbers and is batting near .300.

Obviously having a surname beginning with U must carry some magic to being a major league second baseman. Dan Uggla of Florida would be second on my list, but ranks behind Utley in average by 30 points, RBIs by 10 and OBP by 30 points.

I will not entertain any arguments for anyone other than Cabrera at third base.

However, I will listen long and hard to any arguments for Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Edgar Renteria or J.J. Hardy at short. That race will go down to the wire. Rollins heads that list in runs produced, but his OBP is 60-70 points behind Reyes, Ramirez and Renteria. I find it puzzling how Rollins has scored more runs than Reyes (50-45), given the disparity in OBP and the big hitters behind Reyes in the Mets’ lineup. So stay tuned for the final verdict in a couple of weeks.

I’m glad to see the fans respond to the work Martin has done in Los Angeles. It almost renews my confidence in this system. But if Martin played in Colorado or Houston or Pittsburgh, his name would not be atop the list of vote getters.

The fact that Holliday isn’t running away with the voting for outfield, clearly exposes this voting process for what it isn’t. It does not select players having seasons worthy of being All-Stars. Batting .352 with 46 RBIs and 35 runs shouldn’t be shunned. The second and third outfield spots are not as clear-cut. But Holliday is not an established star or playing in a big market. But we noticed what he has done.

Rowand carried the Phillies through some rough water early in the season. But defensively he separates himself from the list of candidates by a wide margin.

Sentimentally, my choice would be Ken Griffey for the third spot. Trying to win the game on Tuesday, July 10, Barry Bonds would be my choice. He affects a lineup more than any hitter in the game. But Lee is more deserving based on what his has done this season. (And isn’t that what the All-Star Game should be about?) Lee has a higher average, more RBIs and scored more runs than either Bonds or Griffey. Alfonso Soriano is showing signs of getting hot for the Cubs and has time to play himself into this argument by the time the polls close. Eric Byrnes of Arizona is well-rounded with good numbers, but nothing stands out as with the others.

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