I just came across this piece from 2008 and all of a sudden it's relevant again. It's a prediction of theoretical 2012 All-Star teams based on their careers through the beginning of 2008.
There are some players that simply didn't continue the way they could have. Russell Martin, Grady Sizemore, Scott Kazmir, and Brandon Webb are all on the team. And there are other names that are right on the money. Albert Pujols, David Wright, Evan Longoria, Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Braun, and Justin Upton have grown into elite players.
Perhaps the most interesting part is seeing who just missed the cut. Brian McCann is one of the best catchers in the game today but he is only mentioned as part of the "Best of the rest." Lars Anderson is mentioned as a "sleeper" and he hasn't even made an impact in the majors yet. Matt Antonelli is also mentioned in "Best of the rest" but injuries have slowed his progress and he also hasn't had much of a chance in the majors yet. Alex Gordon had a much improved 2011 season so seeing him mentioned is cool, but he's listed with the third baseman because nobody could've predicted his move to the outfield. Troy Tulowitzki is described as a "real risk" and I'll leave it at that. And I love the Justin Masterson and Chris Perez mentions as they proved this year that they can keep up with the best.
It's really cool seeing how the Major Leagues panned out. I wonder how 2015 will look.
There are some players that simply didn't continue the way they could have. Russell Martin, Grady Sizemore, Scott Kazmir, and Brandon Webb are all on the team. And there are other names that are right on the money. Albert Pujols, David Wright, Evan Longoria, Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Braun, and Justin Upton have grown into elite players.
Perhaps the most interesting part is seeing who just missed the cut. Brian McCann is one of the best catchers in the game today but he is only mentioned as part of the "Best of the rest." Lars Anderson is mentioned as a "sleeper" and he hasn't even made an impact in the majors yet. Matt Antonelli is also mentioned in "Best of the rest" but injuries have slowed his progress and he also hasn't had much of a chance in the majors yet. Alex Gordon had a much improved 2011 season so seeing him mentioned is cool, but he's listed with the third baseman because nobody could've predicted his move to the outfield. Troy Tulowitzki is described as a "real risk" and I'll leave it at that. And I love the Justin Masterson and Chris Perez mentions as they proved this year that they can keep up with the best.
It's really cool seeing how the Major Leagues panned out. I wonder how 2015 will look.
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