No. 2: Ian Kinsler
Pedroia settling for 4th at his position goes to show how much depth there is at second base in the AL. Jose Altuve is an MVP candidate and deserving starter in the All-Star Game, while Robinson Cano is back to putting up prolific numbers after his Seattle Mariners debut got off to a slow start a year ago. If we had to select another second baseman for the All-Star roster, it would have to be Kinsler.
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The Detroit Tigers second baseman is just ahead of Pedey with a 3.2 WAR. Kinsler is hitting .294/.354/.494 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI, both of which rank second behind Cano among AL second basemen.
Kinsler has been a bit above average defensively, but his track record shows he should be considered better than that. His range may be slipping at age 34, but he’s still solid in the field.
The gap in power and run production gives Kinsler an edge that Pedroia can’t overcome with superior defense and a marginal advantage in batting average and OBP. That leaves Kinsler as the top second baseman on this ballot.
But not the top candidate overall…
Next: George Springer