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The 2012 All-Star game is on July 10 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, and the selection show will be held Sunday July 1. 

With the game and the selection show quickly approaching, let’s take a glance at each MLB team and determine which players have earned a trip to Kansas City. 

Of course, not every team deserves to have an All-Star representative, but since the MLB requires that each team is represented, we’ll take a shot at picking the top player from each club. 

A.L. East

New York Yankees: Derek Jeter, SS

Derek Jeter is the most popular Yankee, which means he’s automatically one of the more popular players in baseball. His .303 average will be more than enough for an All-Star nod. 

Baltimore Orioles: Jason Hammel, P

The Orioles are playing solid baseball despite the lack of true star power. With that in mind, Jason Hammel deserves the nod with his 8-3 record. 

Boston Red Sox: Will Middlebrooks, 3B

Will Middlebrooks has been consistent at the plate with a .307 average, but the rookie has also added some pop with 10 home runs on the year. 

Tampa Bay Rays: David Price, P

The Rays have been lacking at the plate, but David Price has been solid on the mound with an 11-4 record and a 2.92 ERA. 

Toronto Blue Jays: Edwin Encarnacion, DH

Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacian have a combined 48 home runs on the season, but Encarnacian has the better average at .289. 

A.L. Central 

Chicago White Sox: A.J. Pierzynski, C

A.J. Pierzynski has been solid behind the plate, but unlike most catchers, he is an offensive weapon as well. 

Cleveland Indians: Asdrubal Cabrera, SS

Cleveland’s starting pitching has been lacking, so we’ll have to turn to position players to find an All-Star. Asdrubal Cabrera has been serviceable in the middle and is leading the team with a .292 average. 

Detroit Tigers: Justin Verlander, P

Justin Verlander is one of the best pitchers in the game and has maintained a 2.69 ERA. 

Kansas City Royals: Alcides Escobar, SS

The Royals are typically lacking in talent, but Alcides Escobar has been a pleasant surprise in the middle with a .318 average. 

Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer, C

The former MVP’s long-ball has been lacking this year, but Joe Mauer is still producing with a .324 average and a .415 on-base percentage. 

A.L. West

Texas Rangers: Josh Hamilton, CF

Josh Hamilton is currently the best player in the league and will eventually win A.L. MVP, barring any unforeseen disasters. 

Los Angeles Angels: C.J. Wilson, P

Albert Pujols had a slow start, which might not sit well with some fan voters. Meanwhile, C.J. Wilson is 9-4 with a 2.36 ERA. 

Oakland A’s: Brandon McCarthy, P

Brandon McCarthy has the lowest ERA on the team at 2.64 and is sitting with a 6-3 record. 

Seattle Mariners: Kyle Seager, 3B

Kyle Seager is hitting a modest .253, which happens to be the second-best average on the woeful Mariners. Seager also has 10 homers and 46 RBIs. 

N.L. East

Washington Nationals: Gio Gonzalez, P

The Nationals are a talented team ready to make the first serious run of their short history. Leading the way on the mound is Gio Gonzalez, who has already accumulated 10 wins. 

New York Mets: David Wright, 3B

If David Wright’s MLB-leading .359 average isn’t enough to get him in, his popularity in a big market is. 

Atlanta Braves: Jason Heyward, RF

Jason Heyward is leading the team with 12 homers and has put together a respectable .272 average. He’s not spectacular, but he’s one of their best hitters. 

Miami Marlins: Hanley Ramirez, 3B

The Marlins do not have a single pitcher with a winning record, so Hanley Ramirez is the best they have to offer

Philadelphia Phillies: Carlos Ruiz, C

Carlos Ruiz has the second-best average in baseball at .358 and has provided 11 homers and 43 RBI’s. 

N.L. Central

Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto, 1B

The former MVP is having another solid year with a .354 average and 14 home runs. And with Albert Pujols out of the picture, he’s finally the dominant first baseman of the National League. 

Pittsburgh Pirates: Andrew McCutchen, CF

If a .344 batting average and a .399 on-base percentage isn’t enough, the star center fielder also has 15 homers and 51 RBI’s. 

St. Louis Cardinals: Carlos Beltran, OF 

The defending World Series champs are trailing Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the division, but Carlos Beltran is certainly carrying his weight with 20 home runs on the season. 

Milwaukee Brewers: Ryan Braun, LF

Ryan Braun’s steroid acquisitions are troubling, but that won’t keep the reigning N.L. MVP out of the All-Star game.  

Houston Astros:  Jed Lowrie, SS 

The Astros are struggling with a 32-45 record, but Jed Lowrie has been a pleasant surprise on offense with 14 home runs and 33 RBIs. 

Chicago Cubs: Bryan LaHair, 1B

It’s tough to find an All-Star on a team that could eventually lose 100 games, but Bryan LaHair gets the pity vote for 13 home runs and a .288 average (both team highs). 

N.L. West

San Francisco Giants: Matt Cain, P

With former Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum struggling, Matt Cain has stepped up with nine wins and a 2.53 average. 

Los Angeles Dodgers: Chris Capuano, P

Clayton Kershaw gets all the publicity, but Chris Capuano is leading the team with a 2.69 ERA and nine wins. 

Arizona Diamondbacks: Wade Miley, P

Rookie starting pitcher Wade Miley is riding high with a 9-3 record and a 2.19 ERA in 90.1 innings. Miley will start off a promising career with a rookie All-Star appearance. 

Colorado Rockies: Carlos Gonzalez, LF

Carlos Gonzalez is hitting with a remarkable .338 average, and he also has 17 bombs and has batted in 58 runners. 

San Diego Padres: Chase Headley, 3B

San Diego is greatly struggling with only 28 wins on the season. They have no worthy players, but Chase Headley is the top candidate for the pity vote. 

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The St. Louis Cardinals‘ impressive hot streak on offense came to an abrupt stop as the team entered a pitching battle today against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chris Carpenter started the game for the Red Birds, facing off against the Dodgers’ Chad Billingsley. Carpenter gave up zero runs in his seven innings, and Billingsley responded with eight scoreless innings of his own.

The only person that hit well at all for the Cardinals today was outfielder Matt Holliday. Holliday got three of the team’s four hits against the Dodgers, including a 9th inning double against closer Jonathan Broxton. Third baseman David Freese got the team’s fourth hit following Holliday’s double. It was a blooper into shallow right field that scored Holliday, making the score 1-0.

Mitchell Boggs entered the game for Carpenter to handle the eighth inning. Boggs had a great appearance, as he faced three batters up and three down.

Most were probably hoping to see Boggs finish the game after the Cardinals took the lead in the 9th inning. However, manager Tony LaRussa sent in Trevor Miller to face Andre Ethier, who was the first batter of the 9th. Ethier answered back with a lead off double into right field.

LaRussa then brought in Ryan Franklin. It was a nail biting moment for fans, who were right to be nervous, as Matt Kemp ended the game with a two run walk-off home run.

It was a questionable move to begin with, as Franklin has appeared in only one inning in nine days. But what was even more concerning was that Franklin has blown three out of his four save opportunities before today.

Now, LaRussa is going to have to think long and hard about the facts at hand. In six appearances Franklin has blown four out of his five save opportunities, has given up three home runs, has an 0-2 record and is sitting with a 9.64 ERA.

At some point, the team has to realize that Franklin is not the closer he once was. Mitchell Boggs and Eduardo Sanchez are both very appealing options for the job. The team can not continue to lose close games due to blown saves. If the season comes down to a close division race, then these missed opportunities could mean everything.

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After the disappointing headlines that fans endured during the off-season regarding Albert Pujols and Adam Wainwright, and the woeful 2-6 start to the 2011 season, most fans were probably beginning to assume that they were about to witness 2010 version 2.0.

However, the team’s current West Coast road trip has injected the fan base with a large dose of hope.

Berkman has two multiple home run games and six total home runs in the past week. Pujols seems to have snapped out of his cold streak. He hit two homers during Friday night’s game against the Dodgers, and three total on the road trip; his recent hot streak has increased his average from less than .150 to a respectable .289.

The rest of the team has been doing its share as well. 

David Freese has been on a tear, raising his average to .370. Colby Rasmus has had a hit in every game of the road trip, including two home runs. And Yadier Molina had a four-hit night against the Dodgers on Friday.

The Cardinals‘ offense had potential that it never lived up to in 2010, so the team still has that potential; we just never thought it would emerge based on the poor 2010 performance, combined with the pitiful start to 2011.

Still, it has to be cautious optimism. The depth behind the current batting lineup is paper thin, so one or two injuries to key guys could ruin the team.

Also, the starting pitchers have done a remarkable job stepping up and filling the void left by Wainwright. So it’s uncertain whether or not an aging veteran like Chris Carpenter can be effective all season, or if a young player like Jaime Garcia can stay consistent.

The season is very young, and it will likely be a roller coaster ride, but fans have to be thrilled to see the elevated moods in the dugout, as well as the elevated offensive production.  

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Following a horrendous spring training in which Jamie Garcia gave up 37 hits and 15 earned runs in his final 17 innings, many questioned whether or not Garcia would be able to build on top of his impressive rookie campaign, where he accumulated 14 wins.  

But Garcia took to mound against the San Diego Padres on April 3rd for his first start of the 2011 season and struck out nine batters in nine innings. It was an undeniably impressive effort by Garcia to start the season and it earned him his first win of 2011, as the Cardinals beat the Padres 2-0. It was a quick reminder to us that spring training is not always a telltale sign for things to come.  

However, it was not just his first win. It was the team’s first win. Their only win of the season, actually, which begs the question–Are the baseball gods taking shots at the Cardinals early on?  

The Albert Pujols contract dispute was bound to haunt the team all season. It would not be surprising if the situation is mentioned by the commentators at least once every single game and the players will obviously say that it has no effect on them. Then again, how could it not?  

Luckily, Pujols is the type of player to put that aside and focus on business. Although, he has not been getting down to business so far, as he is batting with a .125 average. He does have a home run though, although it came during the Cardinals’ 11-3 loss to the Padres on Saturday, April 2nd.   

Then, there is Adam Wainwright. His Tommy John’s surgery will keep him out of action for the entire 2011 season and it may even affect his performance in 2012.  

With Garcia’s impressive performance the other night, there may be some that believe he can fill the void left by Wainwright. But the “glass half empty” kind of fans might look at Garcia’s success as even more reason to be disappointed with Wainwright’s injury, as they may find themselves thinking of what could have been with Chris Carpenter, Wainwright and Garcia all in the line-up.  

Then, of course, there is the disaster in the middle infield. Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker are playing terrible defensively. There has to be some agreement amongst the front office that the middle infield needs to be addressed at some point, especially since the team has a pitching philosophy that tries to get the hitter to make contact, which forces ground balls. That philosophy probably doesn’t do a lot of good when the middle infield can’t field ground balls.   

If only the front office had as much faith in Ryan Ludwick as they do in Skip Schumaker and the failed attempt to make a second baseman out of him, then the Cardinals’ might at least be in decent shape at the plate.  

Then there is Matt Holliday. Holliday played in the first game of the season, and he even hit a home run. But he has been absent from every other game, as he was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy (Come on, really? The gods hate the 2011 Cardinals that much?). But if Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel’s situation has any correlation, then Holiday should be back before Cardinal fans know it.  

Not an ideal start to the 2011 season for the Red Birds, but it wasn’t exactly an ideal offseason and spring training either, so what did anyone expect?

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