2016 MLB All-Star picks loaded with Red Sox

Pitchers

Starter – Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox

SP – Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians

SP – Steven Wright, Boston Red Sox

SP – Rich Hill, Oakland Athletics

SP – Marco Estrada, Toronto Blue Jays

SP – Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox

SP – Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

SP – Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

RP – Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles

RP – Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals

RP – Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox

RP – Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays

RP – Andrew Miller, New York Yankees

RP – Will Harris, Houston Astros

Sale’s league-leading 10 wins isn’t the reason he earns the starting spot, as I find wins to be a highly overrated way of measuring a pitcher’s worth. He gets the nod because he’s been among the best pitchers in the league for years, has a 2.87 ERA, he’s second among starters with a 1.01 WHIP and fifth in strikeouts.

Salazar makes a strong case for that starting spot with a 2.24 ERA that is second in the league, while ranking first among pitchers with 3.5 WAR. He doesn’t quite have Sales track record though and has pitched about 23 fewer innings.

Several high-profile starters are having down seasons, as Red Sox fans will quickly point out has been the case with David Price. He’s not the only one, as Dallas Keuchel has been a shell of the pitcher that took home the Cy Young last year and Chris Archer‘s league-leading strikeout total is offset by an ugly 4.61 ERA and far too many walks. Those guys aren’t making my roster, so some new faces may make the All-Star team this year.

Knuckleball pitcher Steven Wright leads AL starters with a 2.09 ERA. He hasn’t given up an earned run in either of his last two starts and has given up more than 3 earned runs in a start only once all season. Old friend Rich Hill is proving last year’s epic run to end the season in a Red Sox uniform was no fluke, Estrada leads all starters in WHIP and Quintana is tied for 4th in pitching WAR.

Britton has been the best reliever in the league this year and it’s not because he has the most saves. Davis remains one of the game’s most dominant closers and Colome is a surprise appearance, as the Rays’ fill-in closer has produced a sub-1.00 ERA while racking up the second most saves in the league. Kimbrel has to make the team in order for me to justify in my mind the bounty of prospects the Red Sox gave up for him. He’s been great after a rocky start and still has an outstanding 13.5 K/9 rate. Miller was great as the Yankees closer while Aroldis Chapman served his suspension and remains an elite setup man. Harris gets the last reliever spot because his ridiculous 0.63 ERA is even better than his impressive 0.80 WHIP.

Next: Bogaerts helps Boston sleep at night

So there you have it, these are my picks for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game. Who did I miss? Who is on the list that shouldn’t be? Let us know in the comments!