This week, part two of a three-part series looking at
the All-Star candidates, we discuss catchers,
outfielders and designated hitters. Last
week reviewed infielders, and next week looks at
starters and relievers.
Catcher: Looking Past Piazza, Pudge Darren Daulton
Most people are just going to check off Hoboken's
Mike Piazza without even looking at the other
names on the ballot. After all, Mike leads catchers in
both divisions in almost every category, including
slugging percentage (.621), OPS (.959), home runs (24)
and RBIs (62), plus a .305 batting average, 13 doubles
and 35 runs. But don't forget Stanhope's Shawn
Wooten (.307, 3 HR, 23 RBI), who not only leads
all catchers with 43 runs scored, but hasn't made
an error all season and has gunned down nearly half
(12 of 26) baserunners this season, leading the league
in both categories. Another backstop worthy of
consideration is Harrison's Javier Lopez,
hitting .308 with 9 doubles, 5 HR, 23 R and 24 RBI.
Newark's Paul Lo Duca would surely be a
candidate if not for a pair of lengthy injuries in the
first half; since being acquired from Brooklyn, Lo
Duca has hit .364 with an 1.120 OPS, but has played in
just 19 games.
The voting for the man behind the mask for the Morris
Division will be even closer. The biggest name is
Columbia's Ivan Rodriguez, but Pudge is having
a so-so season (.263, 3 HR, 15 RBI). That could open
the door for Tijuana's Ramon Hernandez, who
leads Morris Division catchers in batting average
(.286), slugging percentage (.491), OPS (.808), HRs
(9) and RBIs (32). His competition will come from
Philadelphia's Robert Fick (.239, 17 doubles, 4
HR, 26 R, 14 RBI), Carolina's A.J. Pierzynski
(.255, 17 doubles, 4 HR, 15 R, 24 RBI) and Arkansas's
Ben Molina (.250, 20 R, 15 RBI), second in the
DMBL with with 10 HBP. The division's best defensive
catcher, Wanaque's Joe Girardi, is hitting .261
with a division-best .327 OBP as a part-time player
(11 R, 11 RBI in 92 AB).
Darren Daulton played for the Newark Crimewave,
Vancouver Iron Fist and Toledo Mutthens, hitting .268
with an OBP of .396 over his four-year career. Playing
for Vancouver in 1993, "Dutch" hit .289 with 36 HRs
and 119 RBI and was the All-Star Game's co-MVP. He's
now the team bus driver for the Triple-A Tacoma Rusty
Gauntlets.
Hanover Outfielders: Only Three? Albert Belle
While the Morris Division boasts the big bats of Sammy
and Barry, the Hanovers have at least a dozen
candidates worthy of roaming the outfield in Newark
the night of May 27.
Luis Gonzalez appears guaranteed of a
third-straight appearance in the mid-summer's classic.
Phoenix's left fielder is hitting .312 with 50 runs
and 56 RBIs, leads Hanover outfielders in OBP (.408),
SLG (.668), OPS (1.076) and intentional walks (16),
and is tied for the division lead in HRs (25)...
Another returning All-Star could be Stanhope's
Bernie Williams, who leads Hanover OFs in
batting average (.340), hits (98) and doubles (23),
and leads the league in assists (11), with a .398 OBP,
.912 OPS, 48 R, 43 RBI and 9 HR... Phoenix rookie
Ichiro Suzuki (.304, 39 R, 15 doubles, 92 hits)
leads the division with 16 SBs.
Newark's Manny Ramirez (.291, .985 OPS), who
shares the Hanover HR title with 25, also leads
division OFs with 56 runs and 61 RBIs, and Bob
Abreu (.274, .982 OPS, 20 HRs, 41 R, 54 RBI in 219
ABs) would love to play in front of the home crowd...
Their former teammate, Brian Jordan, is hitting
.294 (.500 SLG) for Brooklyn, with 17 doubles, 14 HRs,
45 runs and 42 RBIs... Speaking of teammates, a case
could be made for Hoboken's Garret Anderson
(.281, .561 SLG, 21 HR, 42 R, 40 RBI), Brian
Giles (.268, 14 HR, 41 R, 52 RBI) and Mark
Kotsay (.288, 12 HR, 41 R, 34 RBI); Honolulu's
Dmitri Young (.298, 10 doubles, 36 runs) and
Shawn Green (.223, but 18 HR, 51 RBI); or
Harrison's Frank Catalanotto (.311, .374 OBP,
16 doubles, 41 runs) and Gary Sheffield (.275,
9 HR, 34 R, 37 RBI).
Albert Belle, the heart of the Austin Outlaws
lineup for seven seasons, retired after the 2001
season due to a degenerative hip condition. His best
season was 1996, when he hit .310 with 67 doubles, 63
homeruns and 199 RBIs, and was named MVP of the
All-Star Game. He's now director of public relations
for the Harrison Rats.
Morris Outfielders: Sosa, Bonds and...? Kirby Puckett
Two names should appear on every All-Star ballot:
Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa. Arkansas's
Bonds leads the DMBL in almost every statistic: OBP
(.532), SLG (.928), OPS (1.460), runs (72), RBIs (83)
and HRs (32). Vancouver's Sosa is second in every
category (.430 OBP, .766 SLG, 1.1196 OPS, 30 HR, 68 R,
75 RBI), leads the league himself in batting average
(.354) and total bases (210), and had the league's
second-longest hitting streak at 20 games. Bonds, who
was co-MVP of the 1993 All-Star Game, also is on pace
to tie the all-time record in walks, with 76 (19
intentional) in 70 games.
So if those two are first and second, where to look
for the third? Maybe no further than their teammates.
Vancouver's Ken Griffey Jr. is rebounding from
an off-year, hitting .298 with 12 HR, 28 R and 33 RBI
in 191 ABs, while Roger Cedeno (.280, 42 R, 25
SB) is benefiting from all that offense. In Arkansas,
Larry Walker (.297, .912 OPS, 23 doubles, 12
HR, 54 R, 30 RBI) and Lance Berkman (.281, 22
doubles, 13 HR, 52 R, 43 RBI) aren't letting Bonds do
all the work.
Other All-Star outfields: Columbia's Trot Nixon
(.291, 1.002 OPS, 15 HR, 34 R, 37 RBI in 179 ABs) and
Magglio Ordonez (.291, 17 doubles, 11 HR, 34
RBI, 8 SB); Philly's Carlos Beltran (.337, .961
OPS, 96 hits, 20 doubles, 34 HR, 54 R, 43 RBI, 9 SB)
and J.D. Drew (.291, .960 OPS, 12 HR, 45 RBI);
and Tijuana's Shannon Stewart (.304, 18
doubles, 37 R, 33 RBI, 5 SB), Ellis Burks
(.270, 16 doubles, 9 HR, 45 R, 38 RBI) and Vladimir
Guerrero (.267, 18 doubles, 9 HR, 39 R, 38 RBI, 8
SB).
Kirby Puckett was in the DMBL for five seasons,
playing for four teams -- all in the Morris Division.
He retired in 1996 with a lifetime batting average of
.305. The MVP of the 1992 All-Star Game topped 230
hits, 45 doubles, 20 homers and 100 RBIs in two
separate seasons. He is now retired and lives in
Duluth, Minnesota.
Designated Hitters: No Glove Required! Chili Davis
Designated hitter has become the place to stick that
extra first baseman every team seems to carry
nowadays, with six first basemen listed at the DH
slot. Only two guys after my own heart -- professional
hitters who don't play the field any more -- made the
ballot this year.
In the Hanover, Newark's Jim Thome hung up his
glove to lead all DHs with a .950 OPS and .382 OBP,
with 18 HRs, 40 runs and 40 RBIs. Stanhope's Tino
Martinez (.244, 18 HR, 45 RBI), Harrison's Fred
McGriff (.260, 15 HR, 43 RBI) and Brooklyn's
Ruben Sierra (.246, 16 HR, 35 RBI) also dig the
long ball. If you're looking for lightning instead of
thunder, Phoenix's Jason Tyner is hitting .290
with 20 runs and is a perfect 8-for-8 on the
basepaths. Honolulu's Jose Cruz Jr. provides
both, hitting 17 HRs with 11 SBs (42 R, 45 RBI)
despite hitting just .235.
Over in the Morris Division, it may finally be time
for Edgar Martinez (.253, 9 HR, 35 RBI) to pass
the torch: Maybe to Philly's Troy Glaus (.254,
.876 OPS), who leads all DHs with 20 doubles, 19 HRs
and 49 RBIs, or Wanaque's Brad Fullmer (17
doubles, 5 HRs, 32 R, 25 RBI), who has the top batting
average among DHs (.299). Other possibilities are
Columbia's Vinny Castilla (.267, 4 HR, 17 R, 24
RBI), Arkansas's Juan Gonzalez (.270, 16
doubles, 14 HR, 33 R, 43 RBI) or Tijuana's Rafael
Palmeiro (.225, 15 HR, 39 R, 36 RBI).
Chili Davis played for five teams in five DMBL
seasons before retiring in 1998, racking up 1,640
career at-bats -- and never taking the field. "Leather
gives me a rash," the professional DH once quipped. In
his two best seasons, 1996-1997, Chili hit .324 with
73 doubles, 55 homers and 239 RBIs, with a .936 OPS.
He's now a roving minor league hitting instructor for
the Tijuana Banditos.
Remember, the All-Star Ballots are due Monday, May
20, and the game will be played in the Cereal Bowl
in Newark on Monday, May 27.
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