Which Diamondbacks deserve to be All-Stars?

Only two Diamondbacks were on the radar in the most recent fan voting update. As of right now Cubs fans are out in strong force, as five of the eight positions are led by Cubs. Despite this, there are a few D-Backs worthy of consideration.

Deserving of the starting vote

We will certainly find out on June 30 if “America’s First Baseman”, Paul Goldschmidt, is actually America’s first baseman. He started very slow by his own lofty standards, but has risen his slash to .261/.421/.462 to go along with 10 homers and 34 RBI.

He deserves to be the starter mainly because none of the NL first basemen are playing up to their standards. Rizzo, the current vote leader, is driving the ball with 13 HRs and 42 RBI, but he’s only batting .260. Goldschmidt’s on-base percentage is much better at .422 compared to Rizzo’s .392. Goldschmidt’s league-leading 55 walks would ideally put him over the edge as starter.

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Brandon Belt and Adrian Gonzalez are having solid seasons as well, and the California fan bases will presumably keep their votes up.

Most Recent Vote Update
1. Anthony Rizzo- 874,471
2. Brandon Belt-271,670
3. Adrian Gonzalez- 253,529
4. Paul Goldschmidt- 217,186

Chance at winning the vote

Welington Castillo is putting together a solid year behind the plate. He hasn’t slowed from his post-trade performance in 2015. Castillo’s biggest issue will be getting votes. He has been fantastic, but Jonathan Lucroy has been the best offensive catcher in the NL this year, with a .316/.372/.539 slash. Unfortunately for him, the Milwaukee fanbase only has so much pull.

Wilson Ramos is another catcher that is having a overlooked season. He is hitting .350/.392/.569 with eight homers and 31 RBI’s. This start to the season makes it look like it is finally the year that Ramos breaks out and plays to his full potential. I give Lucroy the slight edge because he is more of an everyday catcher as he has played in 6 more games than Ramos this year.

It might seem like a positive to see Castillo in fourth right now, but it is probably going to hurt him in reality. Posey or Molina is going to end up winning the vote because of their large fan bases. This is unfortunate, but Castillo really isn’t too far behind. A surge in votes for Beef could get him on this team that he really deserves to be on as the third catcher behind Lucroy and Wilson Ramos.

Yadier Molina- 517,825
2. Buster Posey- 439,239
3. Miguel Montero- 286,494
4. Welington Castillo- 249,149
5. Wilson Ramos- 209,949

Possible Bench Spot/Coaches’ Pick
Jean Segura has had the best year so far on the D-Backs. He has slowed down recently, but he is still hitting .290/.325/.436. If he picks it back up in June, he has a serious shot at being an All-Star. Daniel Murphy should be the starting at second base, but Zobrist is getting the Chicago vote and is ahead. Zobrist is deserving of an All-Star nod, so Segura looks like the third-best option here.

Segura seems to be a long shot to make the team, because it will probably only need two second basemen, but that doesn’t take anything away from Segura’s great start. Right now, Segura isn’t even in the most recent update for voting, so he has a slim chance at starting.

Ben Zobrist- 732,519
2. Daniel Murphy- 488,468
3. Neil Walker- 269,125
4. Joe Panik- 192,141
5. Josh Harrison-163,314

Pat on the Back

These guys have zero shot at being All-Stars unless they have a monster Jackie Bradley Jr.-like June, but they should be recognized nonetheless because of their surprising play. Brandon Drury might be one of the few reasons that D-Backs aren’t in Braves territory. He completely carried the offense for about two weeks while the pitching staff was also struggling.

Chris Owings has been a pleasant surprise at the plate while trying to figure out how to play centerfield. He has played nicely in centerfield considering he is a middle infielder by trade.

Jake Lamb has carried the offense at rough points too. He is hitting for power with 11 homers with a slash line of ..268/.350/.531 . He is definitely going to have to keep playing at this level, or Drury will take his place once he is booted out of the outfield with the return of Peralta.

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