The 2014 MLB All-Star teams have been announced! All recipients of this honor are very much deserving of it for the performance they have given this season and we congratulate them. That’s enough real-life talk for now; the Heavy Hitters Blog is going to analyze each star’s fantasy impact in the first half of the season. Here is a look at the American League starting lineup.
Miguel Cabrera, Nine-Time All-Star
Let’s start of with the big, the bad, the Miggy. Cabrera is the two-time reigning American League MVP and has been on a totally different playing field than the rest of the major leaguecounterparts. On top of that he also received the Triple Crown in 2012. Miguel has looked somewhat mortal this season, but is still slashing .308/.367/.535. Miggy is not on pace for his third straight season with 44 homers, with only fourteen at this point in the season, but no fantasy owner can complain about this guy. He is the most consistent rotisserie player out there and will be that way for years to come.
Jose Bautista, Five-Time All-Star
Joey Bats was the leading vote receiver in this year’s All-Star voting. Entering July 4 weekend play, Bautista had reached base safely in 77 of his 82 starts this season. He leads the American League with 60 walks, which goes to show that his plate discipline has improved almost every season. He is currently slashing .293/.414/.517 with 17 long balls and 52 RBIs. Injuries have been a problem for Bautista and he has not played more than 118 games the past two seasons. Let’s hope he can continue to stay healthy and continue to have an amazing season!
Mike Trout, Three-Time All-Star
Trout is the only player over the past few seasons that has been remotely close to Miggy’s level. Trout is the fourth A.L. outfielder to receive three All-Star nods before his 23rd birthday. That statement needs to be reiterated, three All-Star nods before his 23rd birthday. Wow! He’s on pace to break his career high of home runs and RBIs as he currently sits at 20 home runs and 64 RBIs and is slashing .304/.399/.596 this season. Trout is amazing and will be a mainstay in your fantasy lineup for years to come.
Adam Jones, Four-Time All-Star
Jones, making his second consecutive All-Star appearance, beat out Yoenis Cespedes in the final week of AL voting. He is slashing .305/.329/.496 on the season and has helped the O’s take the lead in the AL East standings. The Orioles have desperately needed Jones’ production thanks to other stars not performing as they did last year. Jones is not much help in an OBP league as he does not draw many walks with his free-swinging ways, but he makes a whole lot of contact. He has 16 homers so far this season and is on pace to hit 30 bombs in consecutive seasons.
Derek Jeter, 14-Time All-Star
Derek Jeter has been the face of baseball over the past decade and will be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. His days of elite level offensive production are behind him, but he’s still racking up hits. He is currently eighth on the all-time hit list with 3,397 hits following the weekend. His current season slash line sits at .272/.324/.327, which is not bad for a 40-year-old. There are definitely better shortstops out there to have in fantasy, quite a few actually, but give it up for the man in what is likely his last year in the big leagues.
Robinson Cano, Six-Time All-Star
The coolest part about Cano being selected is that it reunites him with Jeter to relive the glory days one last time. Cano has played a huge part in making the Mariners a winning team. He currently has a .373 batting average with runners in scoring position, helping him tally 51 RBIs at this point in the season. Cano will not hit as many home runs playing his home games at spacious Safeco Field, with only six so far this season, but he still owns a healthy .320/.383/.442 slash line and is one of the best second baseman out there.
Josh Donaldson, First-Time All-Star
Donaldson broke onto the scene last year by hitting 24 bombs with 93 runs batted in. Donaldson has played a pivotal role in making the A’s one of the AL’s best teams. He is slashing .242/.321/.458 through 86 games and is well on his way to breaking his career high 24 bombs. He has 19 already. Donaldson is in his prime, at only 28 years old, and will be a highly sought after fantasy third baseman for the next several years.
Salvador Perez, (replacing Matt Weiters due to injury)
While Perez is replacing Weiters in this year’s All-Star game, he is definitely deserving of the honor. Perez had his own coming out party last year after he hit .292 and drove in 79 runs. He has not disappointed through 79 games this season. Perez owns a great slash line of .284/.330/.439 and has already launched 10 home runs. Look for him to break his own home run record of 13 by seasons end and possibly bat in more runs than his career high 79.