It’s just under a month away, the 80th All-Star Baseball game. This year it’s being hosted in St. Louis, Missouri, home of the Cardinals and of course Busch Stadium.
But it’s not going to be easy getting in to the “Show Me” state. The all-star players are picked by the players, managers and the fans themselves. Voting began on April 22nd and each fan gets 25 votes. If you haven’t voted your players in yet, head on over to www.mlb.com
Here are my top 3 catchers.
1. Matt Weiters – Baltimore Orioles
Wieters has been at the top of the news when it comes to new players. His draft pick in 2007 was so highly anticipated, they announced the news two days early. The talk about his career has gotten so big, he’s competing with the Chuck Norris hyperbole, though one site believes he’s already surpassed the legend.
“Facts So Good They Make Chuck Norris Cry Like A Little Girl”
http://www.mattwietersfacts.com/
But this is one player who is living up to the hype. He’s played only 12 major league games so far, and has gotten 59 putouts in 95 innings. While he’s yet to make an error, his catching abilities were never questioned. The biggest improvement for Wieters is his improvement at the plate. Batting only a .182 in May, he’s since improved to a .233 average. It appears that Wieters is becoming a dual threat and deserving of a spot on the All-Stars team.
2. Joe Mauer – Minnesota Twins
Speaking of dual threats, Joe Mauer is another. With a batting average of .429 and a superior defensive catching record, Joe Mauer could possible be one of the best players in baseball. At only 26 years old, he’s changing the way baseball looks at catchers.
Not surprisingly, he has a large fan base that follows his career, even his own fan club;
www.joemauerfanclub.com
Mauer is a shoe in for the All-Star team. After all, he already is one.
3. Jeff Mathis – Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim
When Mathis was brought up to the major leagues he had a disappointing season in 2006, batting only .108. The team lost 7 out of 9 games and he was demoted back to the Minors.
He continued to play for the team, with 59 games in 2007, and split catching duties with Mike Napoli in 2008 ending on a .340.
This is one player who’s shown marked improvement, “Like day and night from last year,” says manager Mike Scioscia.
This is one player who shows that hard work will take you far. With his devotion and new found confidence, he’s earned a place on the All-Stars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070115&content_id=1779665&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/05/26/matt-wieters-will-start-for-orioles-friday/
http://www.examiner.com/x-1526-Minneapolis-Sports-Examiner~y2009m6d17-Joe-Mauer-is-making-a-mockery-of-Major-League-pitching
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Mathis
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/06/sports/sp-angels-fyi6
