FanNation - The Republic of Sport

    Yesterday the All Star teams' rosters were released. Albert Pujols was the highest vote getter overall, and Derek Jeter was the top vote getter in the AL. If you want to see the entire roster, follow this link: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9772280. You might want to look at this to verify my complaint. My complaint is that only one Atlanta Braves player made the All Star Game.

   The one Brave that is heading to St. Louis is catcher Brian McCann, and he's only a reserve! McCann became the first Braves player since Greg Maddux to gain four consecutive selections. Last year, he became the first player in franchise history to earn three selections in his first three full seasons. In 63 games this year, McCann has 65 hits, 8 HRs, and a batting average of .304. His fielding percentage this year behind the plate is .989.

   There are three more Braves that I believe should have made this game. The first is a Braves legend who no doubt is a Future Hall of Famer. Of course, is Larry, otherwise known as Chipper, Jones. Compare Chipper's stats with McCann's. Chipper has played in more games, has more hits, more HRs, more RBIs, and a higher on base percentage. The only major stat that McCann has a higher number is batting average, and it's only by .013. Chipper is a living legend at third, and it's the All Star Game's loss if he's not playing.

   The second Braves player that should have made the Game is reliever Rafael Soriano. In 38.2 innings of relief, Soriano has 50 strikeouts. His ERA of 1.63 is the lowest on the Braves roster. I believe he did not make the team due to the fact that he really isn't just one type of pitcher. This year he has been utilized as a setup man and a closer on days when Mike Gonzalez has been used a lot the previous games. But that doesn't matter, and Soriano should have went to his first All Star Game.

   My final choice for the All Star Game would have been Javier Vasquez. Don't judge Vasquez on his record (6-6), because you can blame that on the Braves offense. Vasquez is really having a great year, with a 3.05 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 112 innings. If he keeps his strikeouts going, he will set a career high. As a matter of fact, he's only 70 behind his strikeouts last year, which was an even 200. He's tied for second in the majors with strikeouts, only behind Giants' pitcher Tim Lincecum, who has 141. Vasquez is having a resurgence in Atlanta, and hopefully he keeps it up.