The MLB All So Far Team

Hey now you’re an All Star, get your game on, go play.  Hey now you’re a rock star, get the show on get paid.  And all that glitters is gold.  Only shooting stars break the mold.  -Smashmouth

Public Service Announcement:  Ok, here we go! Seventy-seven games in the books.  Time to do this.  Like we always knew this.  I do the Smurf, the Popeye, and the Jerry Lewis.  I also hand out awards.  Midseason awards.  If you pleasin’ awards.  Grade A guaranteesin’ awards.  Today I’m handing out the All So Far Awards.  That’s right, the All So Far Team.  Who’s been simply the best?  Who’s been better than all the rest?  Who’s been better than anyone, anyone I’ve ever met?  Take a peek after the jump to find out:    

C- Joe Mauer:  If you can find me a better catcher in baseball today, I’d like to see him.  I’d like to see another catcher who has a legitimate shot of hitting .400.  I’d like to see another catcher with the poise this guy has both in front of the plate and behind it.  I’d like to see one, but I won’t.  There’s only one Joe Mauer.

1B- Albert Pujols:  Tony LaRussa once said, Albert Pujols is  “the perfect player.”  Tony LaRussa just may be right.  Albert Pujols is, and has been for some quite time, the National League’s best player.  Baseball’s best player.  Slavador Dali once said, “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.”  Slavador Dali never saw Albert Pujols play the game of baseball.  And just so you know, Phat Albert just he became the first player to reach the 30-HR mark before his team’s 80th game since Barry Bonds hit 30 home runs in the Giants’ first 57 games on his way to 73 homers in 2001.

2B- Aaron Hill:  You can Ian Kinsler me.  You can Dustin Perdroia me.  Heck, you can even Chase Utley me.  You can, but it won’t do you any good.  The Toronto Blue Jays Aaron Hill has been playing the best 2nd base in all the land.  If he were toiling in Boston, New York or Los Angeles rather than up in Canada, this would not even be a debate.

3B- Mark Reynolds:  Chicks dig the long ball and so do I.  Mark Reynolds hits the long ball.  Reynolds has 21 homers and 56 RBI on the season.  He may have 103 strikeouts but who cares with that type of run production?  And in case you haven’t noticed, he’s stealing some bases too.  Stealing his way into our hearts.

SS-  Hanley Ramirez:  Honestly?  Is there even a question?  Just a little insight to how good this cat is.  Last night, Hanley drove in four runs in the Marlins’ 7-5 win over the Nationals.  Last night, Hanley extended his streak to nine consecutive games with at least one RBI.  That’s the longest RBI streak by a National League shortstop since Arky Vaughan of the Pirates posted a nine-game streak in September 1940.  That’s how good Hanley Ramirez is.

LF- Carl Crawford:  I like Jason Bay as much as the next guy, but this Carl Crawford character is having an MVP-like season.  CC is the heart and soul of these new look Rays.  CC is the best baseball player on these new look Rays.  Like my main man Yaz always says, “I think about baseball when I wake up in the morning.  I think about it all day and I dream about it at night.”  Carl Crawford thinks about it when he wakes up in the morning.   Carl Crawford thinks about it all day and dreams about it at night.  He’s improved his stats every year, but what I like most about Crawford is his approach to the game.   He’s a leader by example and rarely makes off-base comments.  He plays hard.  He plays smart.  He plays hurt.  He plays right.  He is the straw that stirs the Rays drink. 

CF-  Torii Hunter:  Right now, Hunter is ranked fourth among American League outfielders.  It’s a travesty.  It’s a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.  Right now, Torii Hunter is the best center fielder in the game.

RF- Justin Upton:  I wanted to put Ichiro here.  I wanted to, but I could not.  Not the way Justin Upton is playing.  His play may be inconsistent at times, but if that inconsistency means he ranges from phenomenal to merely very good, I’ll take it.  I’ll take Justin Upton.

SP- Roy Halladay:  Roy Halladay is the hardest working man in the big show business.  There’s no business like big show business, like no business I know.  Roy Halladay is a throw back.  A go back.  An Adrianne Barbeau back.  Like my main man Leo Mazzone always says, ”We pay attention to pitch counts, but there are a bunch of priorities ahead of pitch counts…What if a guy’s out there, he’s got a hundred pitches and he isn’t tired?”   Ya what about that?  What about Roy Halladay?  

CL- Heath Bell:  Who’s better?

And just for kicks:  The Boys of Summer: 2009 Movie All-Stars

Peace out homies.  Six two and Even!

Need More? Aaron Hill, Albert Pujols, Arizona Diamondbacks, Carl Crawford, Floriida Marlins, Hanley Ramirez, Heath Bell, Joe Mauer, Justin Upton, Los Angeles Angels, MLB, Mark Reynolds, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Tori Hunter, Toronto Blue Jays