Athlon Sports' AL All-Stars

1B    Justin Morneau, Minnesota
At a relatively weak position, Morneau nudges out Youkilis with a strong June.

2B    Ian Kinsler, Texas
Kinsler leads the AL in runs, batting and has stolen 23 of 24 bases.

3B    Alex Rodriguez, New York
Easily the best in the AL.

SS    Derek Jeter, New York
Jeter is not having a terrific season, but who’s better? And how can we have the final All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium without the Yankee Captain?

LF    Carlos Quentin, Chicago
Would the D’backs still give up Quentin for Christopher Carter like they did last winter?

CF    Josh Hamilton, Texas
This great story is driving in runs for baseball’s best offense.

RF    J.D. Drew, Boston
A terrific June squeezed Drew into the starting lineup.

DH    Milton Bradley, Texas
With Big Papi ailing, Bradley is now the premier DH in AL.

SP    Cliff Lee, Cleveland
Scott Kazmir and Justin Duchscherer are just as deserving, but Lee carried the Indians staff while his teammates struggled.

AL Reserves

C    Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay
Second in batting and OPS among AL catchers.

1B    Kevin Youkilis, Boston
Youk has 24 doubles, 53 RBIs and a .926 OPS.

2B    Dustin Pedroia, Boston
Capped this selection with his four-extra-base performance at Tampa Bay.

3B    Carlos Guillen, Detroit
Prior to a recent slip, Guillen had been around .300 all season with an .820+ OPS. He also brings flexibility to the field to play first or third, and even shortstop in a pinch.

3B    Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
The former Dirtbag is the NL's top rookie, hitting .281 with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs for the Rays.

SS    Michael Young, Texas
With numbers similar to Jeter’s, Young is no stranger to All-Star heroics.

OF    Jermaine Dye, Chicago
With most of the hitters around him struggling, Dye has scored and driven in more than 50 and has.900+ OPS.

OF    Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle
Ichiro continues to prove he is baseball’s best leadoff hitter.

OF    Manny Ramirez, Boston
If Manny delivers the game-winning hit on Tuesday night, will fans in the Bronx cheer?

OF    Grady Sizemore, Cleveland
The Tribe’s center fielder has been one of the few bright spots in a dismal season in Cleveland.

P    Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay
Although he began the season on the disabled list, Kazmir has been the leader of the Rays’ young staff.

P    Roy Halladay, Toronto
The Blue Jays’ horse has logged 130.1 innings already this season. His 9-6 record and 2.90 ERA are impressive enough, but we’re most impressed by his 106 Ks and just 19 walks.

P    Justin Duchscherer, Oakland
Duchscherer is the only starter who qualifies with a sub-2.00 ERA. Imagine what a little run support would do for the former reliever.

P    Joe Saunders, Los Angeles
A 12-game winner can’t be omitted.

P    Ervin Santana, Los Angeles
The comeback story in L.A., Santana has similar numbers to Saunders, but twice as many Ks.

P    John Lackey, Los Angeles
The third Angel ace carries a 1.93 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 6-2 record in just 10 starts.

P    Scott Linebrink, Chicago
Prior to the season we pegged Linebrink’s contract as “Dollar Foolish” by the White Sox. Looks like we were the ones foolish for thinking a setup man couldn’t be that valuable.

P    Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles
K-Rod continues torrid pace for saves. The record of 57 is well within reach.

P    Mariano Rivera, New York
With 46 punchouts, 23 hits allowed and just three walks, Rivera may be having his best season yet.

P    George Sherrill, Baltimore
The “emergency” closer is the only Oriole worthy of selection.

P    Joakim Soria, Kansas City
Soria has been everything the Royals could have hoped for in a closer. He’s saved 23 of 24 and has a WHIP of 0.75.

P    Jonathan Papelbon, Boston
His numbers aren’t the most intimidating, but his presence on the mound is. Terry Francona should look to him in the ninth inning to protect a lead.