With fan voting for 2012 MLB All-Star starters ending next week, two Bay Area players appear in good position for selection.
Melky Cabrera and Buster Posey, both stars for the San Francisco Giants, would be starting July 10 in Kansas City if the final results matched the most recent totals announced earlier this week.
Cabrera, one of the best hitters in the majors, vies for one of three starting outfield spots and his numbers should get him there.
Entering Wednesday, he ranked near the top of the National League with a .369 batting average. His six home runs, seven triples and 35 RBIs are also impressive.
Even if he can”t beat Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun and other recognizable NL outfielders in the voting, a healthy Cabrera is assured of a spot on the All-Star roster.
The same can”t be said of Posey.
San Francisco”s young catcher is probably a top-25 hitter in his league but arguably only the fourth-best offensive player at his position.
Carlos Ruiz, Yadier Molina and A.J. Ellis all have better numbers than Posey (who has a .294 batting average, eight homers and 36 RBIs).
San Francisco fans better vote for Posey if they want to be sure he”ll play in the Mid-Summer Classic.
Two other Giants” hitters have potential All-Star credentials but will fall short.
Angel Pagan is having a solid season, batting better than .300, but he”ll likely get lost in the outfield-reserve shuffle.
Third baseman Pablo Sandoval had a dominant offensive start derailed by injury, and as a result, won”t have played enough games to garner serious consideration.
On the pitching side, Matt Cain (9-2, 2.34 ERA and 0.91 WHIP) was a guaranteed pick before his perfect game last week.
Madison Bumgarner (8-4, 2.92 ERA with 78 strikeouts) will be the other San Francisco starter to make the team. He ranks in the top 15 in most NL pitching stats.
Relievers Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla have been almost lights-out this year but might get shut out of an initial selection. Either one has a good chance of making the roster as a replacement pick though.
Look for the Giants to have at least four All-Stars.
Their neighbors to the east, however, will have just one.
The Oakland Athletics seem destined to have their lone All-Star come off the pitching roster. The A”s haven”t had a position player selected to the game since catcher Ramon Hernandez in 2003.
Things looked promising for two of Oakland”s young outfield talents earlier in the season.
Cuban rookie Yoenis Cespedes got out to a quick start offensively, but he hardly played in May because of an injury and more pains cost him some games in June. Cross him off the list.
Josh Reddick seemed on the path to breaking Oakland”s drought after belting 14 home runs through May, but he has run out of gas in June – just one homer and six RBIs as of Wednesday. He could probably use a week off come mid-July.
With many starting pitchers facing injuries and most relievers being marred by inconsistency, one name boils up to the top.
Newly named closer Ryan Cook has been the A”s best player by far this season. He posted 0.59 ERA and 0.85 WHIP and had yielded just two earned runs in 29 appearances entering Wednesday.
Both earned runs came in a May 28 outing in Minnesota amid Oakland”s nine-game losing skid, meaning Cook”s essentially had one bad performance in nearly three months.
Since the A”s are a bottom-tier team in the American League, they”re all but assured of having a sole All-Star – and frankly, deserve it based on how the rest of the players have performed individually.
