{ The All-Star game is about a month away. We’ll post occasional articles about the contenders for participation in the mid-season classic. These are written “as of now,” so the final selections may vary dramatically, but hopefully these will add to the ongoing flavor of the league. }
#AL Shortstops – Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions
It’s a two man race for the starting position between Los Angeles’ George Wright (290/342/500) and Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace (314/412/436). Both of them should make it.
Behind them, it gets trickier. The pool probably contains Memphis’ Vern Stephens (273/349/439), the House of David’s Ernie Banks (289/306/440), and Ottawa’s Freddy Parent (263/336/432). Banks has 27 RBIs, which leads the group by quite a bit.
Eugenio Suarez of the New York Gothams is slashing 338/378/574, but has probably not played enough to warrant an all-star selection.
But, these are shortstops, so their defensive performance should count for something. Here, Parent has the clear edge, with Wright and Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith (who at 265/349/325 just hasn’t hit enough to force his way into the conversation) being the dominant fielders in the AL.
So, let’s call it Wright, Wallace, and Parent. The AI agrees, but avoids the difficult question by selecting Wright and Wallace.
#NL Shortstops – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions
Portland’s Jim Fregosi (275/350/450) is the only clear selection, and therefore the starter.
Offensively, you could argue for the Black Yankees’ Derek Jeter (289/338/407). But he’s really the only other candidate with a decent OPS.
Defensively, Homestead’s Arky Vaughan has probably been the best shortstop in the WBL to date (it’s either him or Detroit’s George Davis), so in this weak of a division, he could get a nod.
I’ll go with Fregosi, Jeter, and Vaughan at this point, but I wouldn’t be surprised if San Francisco’s Dick Lundy or Birmingham’s Troy Tulowitzki forced their way into the conversation by the end.
The AI punted on this one, selecting not a single shortstop to the NL squad.