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And before anyone mentions "three-time All-Star Starlin Castro," it's pretty clear that Castro's 2015 season isn't All-Star caliber.
But the Cubs do have at least two players who should qualify for the National League All-Star team, even if they don't win the fan vote.
Anthony Rizzo is hitting .321/.444/.572 with 16 doubles, nine home runs and 30 walks through Thursday's game. He's also raised that OBP by getting hit by pitches a MLB-leading 13 times. Unfortunately, he's having that year in a season when two other first basemen in the league, Adrian Gonzalez and Paul Goldschmidt, are having better seasons. Both A-Gon and Goldschmidt lead Rizzo in the fan voting and one of them will be elected. In my view, both of the others should be named to the team -- Gonzalez, Goldschmidt and Rizzo are all having 2015 seasons that are MVP-caliber.
The other Cub who ought to make the All-Star team is Kris Bryant. In the last voting, released Tuesday, Bryant trailed Matt Carpenter by a little less than 900,000 votes at third base. No one else was close to those two. Through Thursday, Bryant is hitting a solid .272/.385/.457 with seven home runs and 28 walks in 44 games. Carpenter's numbers (.314/.401/.545, 18 doubles, eight homers, 28 walks in 49 games) are better, but Bryant stacks up pretty well among N.L. third basemen. It would be great if Bryant got hot and people started voting for him and he could be the starter. But he will almost certainly be named to the team as a reserve.
Do any Cubs pitchers deserve the All-Star nod? Based on his performance so far, I think Jason Hammel has pitched at All-Star level. He's been the most consistent Cubs starter so far and his 0.869 WHIP currently leads the National League. He's posted 1.5 bWAR, which is tied for 11th in the league. At age 32 and now consistently healthy, Hammel appears to be poised for the best year of his career.
So that would be three Cubs All-Stars, which would be the largest Cubs contingent since 2008, when the playoff-bound Cubs sent eight representatives to Yankee Stadium.
What do you think? Do you agree? Did I leave a deserving Cub out? Post your thoughts in the comments.
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