The first half of the 2015 DTBL season has been dominated by the Jackalope, so it is no surprise that they have been rewarded with a whole slew of All-Star selections. In the last couple weeks, the Mavericks have reduced the Jackalope lead a bit, and many of the players responsible for that are on the list below as well. Examining the full standings, the balance of power between the American and National Divisions seems relatively even. The American squad boasts the first place squad, but two of the bottom three as well.
As has been the case for the last several years, pitchers have continued to dominate all across the league. The current league-wide ERA of 3.24 is well below the record full season low of 3.31, set just last year. So it is not a huge surprise that some pitchers with incredibly strong resumes won’t be part of this year’s All-Star Game. Just to name a few, Felix Hernandez, Jake Arrieta, David Price and Johnny Cueto didn’t make the cut. Nor did some relievers with out-of-this-world numbers like Wade Davis and Dellin Betances. Overall, the American Division seems to have the stronger pitching staff, but I’ll give a slight edge to the National Division on offense.
The 22nd annual DTBL All-Star Game is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. PDT. Due to their top two finishes last season, Nick and Dom will be the managers for the All-Star squads. Nick’s Naturals will be the host for the game, which will once again be played out using OOTP. The managers were responsible for breaking all ties in the vote and for selecting the 23rd player on each roster. Here are the 2015 DTBL All-Stars.
American Division
Starters:
- Pitcher - Dallas Keuchel, Moonshiners (1st All-Star appearance)
- Catcher – Evan Gattis, Jackalope (2nd)
- First Base – Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope (3rd)
- Second Base – Brian Dozier, Moonshiners (1st)
- Third Base – Josh Donaldson, Jackalope (2nd)
- Shortstop – Troy Tulowitzki, Naturals (4th)
- Outfield – Nelson Cruz, Gators (3rd)
- Outfield – Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope (3rd)
- Outfield – Starling Marte, Gators (1st)
Reserves:
- Catcher – Derek Norris, Choppers (1st)
- First Base – Miguel Cabrera, Naturals (9th)
- Second Base – Dee Gordon, Gators (1st)
- Third Base – Nolan Arenado, Naturals (1st)
- Outfield – Ryan Braun, Jackalope (6th)
- Outfield – Brett Gardner, Jackalope (1st)
- Pitcher – Sonny Gray, Jackalope (1st)
- Pitcher – Gerrit Cole, Jackalope (1st)
- Pitcher – Chris Sale, Choppers (4th)
- Pitcher – Zack Greinke, Moonshiners (4th)
- Relief Pitcher – Glen Perkins, Naturals (1st)
- Relief Pitcher – Mark Melancon, Jackalope (1st)
- Relief Pitcher – Huston Street, Gators (3rd)
- Relief Pitcher – Zach Britton, Gators (1st)
National Division
Starters:
- Pitcher – Max Scherzer, Kings (2nd)
- Catcher – Buster Posey, Demigods (4th)
- First Base – Albert Pujols, Mavericks (8th)
- Second Base – Jose Altuve, Demigods (2nd)
- Third Base – Todd Frazier, Darkhorses (2nd)
- Shortstop – Hanley Ramirez, Mavericks (5th)
- Outfield – Bryce Harper, Darkhorses (1st)
- Outfield – Mike Trout, Mavericks (4th)
- Outfield – J.D. Martinez, Demigods (1st)
Reserves:
- Catcher – Brian McCann, Darkhorses (3rd)
- Second Base – Jason Kipnis, Cougars (3rd)
- Third Base – Manny Machado, Mavericks (1st)
- Outfield – Charlie Blackmon, Cougars (1st)
- Outfield – Joc Pederson, Mavericks (1st)
- Outfield – Lorenzo Cain, Mavericks (1st)
- Pitcher – Chris Archer, Cougars (1st)
- Pitcher – Jacob deGrom, Darkhorses (1st)
- Pitcher – Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks (5th)
- Pitcher – Madison Bumgarner, Cougars (3rd)
- Relief Pitcher – Trevor Rosenthal, Demigods (2nd)
- Relief Pitcher – Jeurys Familia, Kings (1st)
- Relief Pitcher – Aroldis Chapman, Mavericks (2nd)
- Relief Pitcher – Andrew Miller, Mavericks (1st)
All-Stars per team:
- 9 – Jackalope, Mavericks
- 5 – Gators
- 4 – Cougars, Darkhorses, Demigods, Naturals
- 3 – Moonshiners
- 2 – Choppers, Kings
Miguel Cabrera and Lorenzo Cain were selected as the 23rd players for each roster. The rosters feature 22 first time DTBL All-Stars, including an incredible group of young superstars like Bryce Harper, Joc Pederson, Sonny Gray and Chris Archer. Over half of the American team will be making their DTBL ASG debuts. Another interesting item is the number of All-Stars who were involved in trades just this past March: Josh Donaldson, Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke, Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez and Aroldis Chapman. So all of these top performers are paying big dividends for their new squads. Here are the full voting results. Much more All-Star Game coverage will be coming soon.