Meet the 2012 All-Stars: Diamond Conference!

The ballots are in, and the 2012 All-Star Team has been announced. It's an exciting year as it's the first time since 1996 with a change in format. Instead of each seven-team conference sending their All-Stars, now we're drawing from each four-team division! The Kruk and Van Slyke divisions make up the Diamond Conference, and the Drabek and Fisk divisions comprise the Micro Conference.

First up, let's take a look at the Diamond Conference, drawing from the Kruk Division (Newark Sugar Bears, Bridgewater Mallers, Hopatcong Floating Fish, and Philadelphia Endzone Animals) and Van Slyke Division (Marietta Mighty Men, Rowdy Roddy's Pipers, Hoboken Cutters, and St. Louis Farrakhans). The four best records in baseball come from the Diamond Conference (Marietta, Newark, Rowdy, Bridgewater), so we expect the "DC" to be loaded with talent!

The Batters

Behind the plate, and tied for the most votes received (10 out of 12) by a position player, is Marietta's Mike Napoli. Drafted in the 6th round of the 2011 draft, Napoli has blossomed into the top hitting catcher in the league, hitting .273/.349/.521 (.870 OPS) with 19 HR and 64 RBI. Napoli leads the league in RBIs and is in the top 10 in homers, total average (.862), and AB/HR (15.1). He previously made the All-Star Team in 2009.

The other two ballots were split between Hopatcong's A.J. Pierzynski (.254 BA, .616 OPS) and Bridgewater's Brian McCann (.274 BA, .720 OPS), but in a somewhat controversial choice, the Commissioner's Office stepped in and awarded the backup catcher slot to St. Louis's Nick Hundley (.302 BA, .863 OPS). Although he didn't receive any votes, Hundley is clearly having a better season, both offensively and defensively, than Pierzynski or McCann -- and he's also the only representative of the Farrakhans. It's the first time Nick has been elected to the All-Star team, but Todd Hundley -- no relation -- made the team each year from 1996 through 1998.

Anchoring the Diamond infield is Rowdy first baseman Prince Fielder, the choice on 9 of the 12 ballots cast. The beefy basher has to be considered the favorite for the Kevin Mitchell Most Valuable Batter Award -- he's hitting a healthy .317/.429/.630 (1.060 OPS), with 24 HRs and 63 RBIs, and leads the league in OBP, SLG, OPS, runs (63), runs created (83.9), RC/27 (10.4), isolated power (.314), total average (1.177), total bases (191), secondary average (.505), and TB+BB (250), and is just one behind the leader in RBIs, HRs, walks (59), and intentional walks (11). He's also in the top 10 in batting average, extra base hits (46), AB/HR (12.6). He's even doing damage against LHP, with a .834 OPS vs southpaws -- good enough for 8th in the DMBL. It's Fielder's second appearance, but his first since 2008.

He will be backed up by Philly's Albert Pujols, elected for the 9th time after receiving two votes. Pujols's reputation may have helped him a bit in securing the spot -- he's hitting just .256 with an .821 OPS, not exactly the production one has come to expect from this future Hall of Famer. But he can still hit the long ball -- his 24 HRs are tied with Fielder for 2nd most in the DMBL. A better choice might have been Hoboken's Miguel Cabrera, who was left off the team after picking up just one vote despite hitting .295 with an .866 OPS, 23 2B, 10 HR, 41 R and 43 RBI.

At second base, for the third year in a row and fourth time overall, is Hopatcong's Robinson Cano. A no-brainer choice, Cano is hitting .301 (.885 OPS) with 30 2B, 16 HR, 55 R, 49 RBI, and is a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases. He leads the league in doubles and extra base hits (50), and is just one behind the leader in total bases (190). He's also in the top 10 in SLG (.551), hits (104), runs, runs created (63.3), RC/27 (6.9), isolated power (.249), total average (.866), and OPS. Cano tied for the most votes received by a batter as the choice on 10 of the 12 ballots; the other two ballots were cast for Hoboken's Ian Kinsler (.228 BA, .721 OPS) and one for Rowdy's Dustin Pedroia (.246, .726), but neither was deserving this season.

Jose Bautista will man the hot corner for the second straight year. The Hoboken third baseman was an easy choice with 7 of the 12 ballots cast. Although he's hitting just .262, his .380 OPB, .543 SLG and .923 OPS more than make up for it. He's also leading the league in homers (25), walks (60), and AB/HR (12.1), and is just two off the RBI lead with 62. He's in the top 10 in OBP, SLG, OPS, runs created (68.2), RC/27 (8.0), isolated power (.281), total average (1.013), total bases (164), and secondary average (.497).

Backing up Bautista -- and also Cano and Fielder -- will be Rowdy's Michael Young, who tied with Marietta's Adrian Beltre as the choice on two of the five ballots that didn't go to Bautista. Young is hitting a healthy .326 (second best in the DMBL) with a .361 OBP and a .406 SLG (.767 OPS); he also has 16 2B, 45 R, and 37 RBI. This is Young's second straight year as an All-Star and fourth overall. Beltre was a curious choice for two votes, as he's hitting just .243 (.726 OPS). But he was a better choice than the final vote, which went to Philly's David Wright (.234 BA, .722 OPS). Compare their numbers to Hopatcong's Chase Headley, who didn't receive a single vote despite hitting .280 with a .762 OPS (23 2B, 43 R).

At shortstop will be Bridgewater's Jose Reyes, who received seven of the 12 ballots cast. Reyes is hitting a respectable .301/.335/.431 (.766 OPS) and leads the league in hits (113); he's also in the top 10 in runs (56), triples (7), stolen bases (14), SB% (.778), and had the league's third-longest hit streak at 19 games. Surprisingly, it's Reyes's first All-Star appearance, coming in his seventh DMBL season. Newark's Jhonny Peralta, who received two votes and makes the game as Reyes's backup, is hitting .304 with a .356 OBP, .421 SLG, and .777 OPS. It's Peralta's second All-Star appearance, but his first since 2006. Also getting two votes, but not making the cut, is Rowdy's Troy Tulowitzki. The two-time All-Star is hitting just .257 (.741 OPS), but his 21 2B, 11 HR, 56 R, and 58 RBI made him worthy of consideration. The final vote went to Philly's J.J. Hardy (.237, .671), possibly out of sympathy.

There was no shortage of qualified outfielders in the Diamond Conference, led by Rowdy's Lance Berkman. After playing the first 10 years of his career for the Golden Falcons, "Fat Elvis" had apparently left the building after hitting just .210 in 366 AB last year. But he's come back with a vengeance, hitting .278/.371/.522 (.893 OPS) with 17 2B, 18 HR, 51 R and 61 RBI. Berkman, selected on six of the 12 ballots cast, leads the league in intentional walks (12) and is in the top 10 in OBP, SLG, OPS, RBI, walks (47), runs created (60.0), RC/27 (7.1), total average (.928) and secondary average (.401). It's Berkman's third All-Star appearance, but his first since 2007.

The other outfield corner will be manned by another veteran bouncing back from a disastrous 2011 -- Bridgewater's Carlos Beltran. An All-Star for the fifth time, Beltran looked absolutely lost last season after hitting just .223 with a .691 OPS, but has rebounded with .306/.369/.476 (.845 OPS), with 22 2B, 10 HR, 51 R, and 42 RBI. Beltran is in the top 10 in BA, OBP, hits (104), and runs created (59.1), and was named on five of the 12 ballots cast.

In a surprise, centerfield will be manned for the second straight year, and third time overall, by Bridgewater's Josh Hamilton. Hamilton is hitting a surprisingly empty .274 (.296 OBP, .420 SLG, .716 OPS), with just 7 HRs in 287 PA. He's not in the top 10 in any offensive categories, and he's barely average defensively aside from his outstanding arm. A far more deserving player will be Hamilton's backup -- Marietta's Nyjer Morgan, who is hitting .325/.380/.542 (.923 OPS) with 13 2B, 9 HR, 42 R, and 33 RBI, and is a very good defender. However, the knock on the first-time All-Star is he has just 237 plate appearances after missing 18 games due to an injury; maybe that's why he only received four votes to Hamilton's six. Maybe that's also why Newark centerfielder Peter Bourjos received just two votes and won't make the team, despite hitting .310/.371/.521 (.892 OPS) in 237 PA.

The fifth outfielder, with five votes received, is Hoboken's Giancarlo "Don't Call Me Mike" Stanton. After hitting .224/.285/.482 as a rookie, Stanton the sophomore is hitting just .225 -- but a .320 OBP and .517 SLG make it a lot more palatable. He's just 1 HR off the league lead, and his 58 RBIs are 6 behind the league leader. He's also in the top 10 in extra base hits (43), isolated power (.292), secondary average (.422) and AB/HR (13.1). It's the first time any Stanton, whether he goes by Giancarlo or Mike, has made the All-Star team.

Other outfielders receiving consideration, but not enough to make the team: Philly's Jay Bruce received three votes, despite hitting just .235 (.729 OPS); St. Louis's Jeff Francouer received two but probably deserved more after hitting .282 (.830 OPS) with 25 2B, 15 HR, 47 R, and 49 RBI; Rowdy's Adam Jones (.251, .794 OPS) was in the centerfield mix after receiving two votes; and Newark's Nick Swisher was just happy to be remembered with one vote after hitting .233 (.720 OPS) in the first half.

The Diamond DH, appearing on half the ballots cast, is Marietta's Paul Konerko. An All-Star for the first time in his 13th season, Konerko is hitting .323/.380/.606 (.986 OPS) with 19 HR and 53 RBI. Konerko is second in SLG, OPS and RC/27 (9.0) and third in BA, and also is on the top 10 in OBP, HRs, runs created (60.5), isolated power (.283), total average (1.034), secondary average (.390) and AB/HR (13.4). Konerko was on half the ballots; second place went to Bridgewater's Victor Martinez, who also is having a marvelous season (.346/.392/.473, .865 OPS, 15 2B, 7 HR, 41 RBI). Martinez leads the league in batting average and is in the top 10 in OBP, hits (98) and RC/27 (7.0), and has even seen some time behind the plate this season. V-Mart, who received two votes, is probably the Diamond Conference's biggest snub among batters. Tied with Martinez, somehow, was Hoboken's David Ortiz (.237 BA, .733 OPS). The final two votes were split between Rowdy's Vlad Guerrero, who is having a fine season (.318 BA, .782 OPS) and Philly's Ryan Howard, who is not (.227 BA, .722 OPS).

The Pitchers

The starting pitcher for the Diamond Conference will be Bridgewater's Brandon Beachy, who appeared on 10 of the 12 ballots cast. The 25-year-old rookie was a hot commodity in this year's draft, with the Mallers trading up to the #2 spot to take him. So far he's been everything they could have hoped for, going 10-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 11.9 R/9. Beachy leads the league in wins, winning percentage (.833)... but also run support (6.6 runs per game). He ranks 10th in ERA (2.97) and isn't in the top 10 in R/9, QS%, or OPS allowed.

Perhaps a more deserving choice to start the game would have been Philly's Roy Halladay, who made the team for the fifth straight year and seventh time overall. Halladay appeared on 9 of the 12 ballots after going 8-3 with a 2.28 ERA and 10.7 R/9. He leads the league in shutouts (3) and HR/9 (0.2), ranks 2nd in complete games (4), SLG allowed (.305) and OPS allowed (.589), and is 3rd in ERA; he's also is in the top 10 in wins, W% (.727), and Ks (102).

The third-most votes, 7 out of 12, went to Marietta's R.A. Dickey. Selected in the 6th Round (#88 overall) of this year's draft, the knuckleballer had an outstanding debut season with Hillsborough last year (18-9, 3.42 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) but was not selected to the All-Star team. This year he's been even better, going 10-3 witha  3.05 ERA and 10.5 R/9; he's tied for the league lead in wins and ranks 2nd in W% (.769). He's also in the top 10 in R/9, complete games (3), innings pitched (124.0), double plays (16) and OPS (.644).

The fourth starter elected is another first-timer, Hoboken's Clayton Kershaw. The 24-year-old lefty was picked on 5 ballots after going 7-3 with a 3.16 ERA and 11.2 R/9; he doesn't lead the league in any categories, but he is in the top 10 in Ks (112), W% (.700), QS% (.722), innings (128.0).

The final spot was heavily contested, with four pitchers on four ballots each. The Commissioner's Office broke the tie and gave it to Newark's James Shields, who is 9-7 with a 2.80 ERA and 9.1 R/9. Shields leads the league in innings (132.0) and complete games (7) and leads the Diamond Conference in BA allowed (.204), OBP allowed (.257) and is in the DMBL top 10 in wins, ERA, R/9, Ks (121), shutouts (2), QS% (.706), and OPS allowed (.616). The two-time All-Star is on the team for the first time since 2008.

Even with five starters selected, there are still quite a few pitchers who deserved a roster spot. Newark's Brandon McCarthy, part of the four-way tie with four votes, leads the league in ERA (2.08) and is in the top five in W% (.750), R/9 (9.1), QS% (.727), HR/9 (0.5). The only problem is he missed six starts due to an injury. Another Sugar Bear, Scott Baker, also has a gripe after posting a 2.83 ERA and 9.4 R/9 over the first half, ranking him in the top 10 in ERA, wins, R/9, OPS (.604), QS% (.706), innings (124.0), complete games (4) and HR/9 (0.7); his only problem is his 8-7 record, thanks to Newark scoring him just 4.2 runs per game. And a former Sugar Bear, Hopatcong's Josh Tomlin, can rejoin them in a "what were the voters thinking?" bitch session. Tomlin is 9-3 with a 2.80 ERA and 9.7 R/9 and ranks among the league leaders in ERA, wins, W% (.750), R/9, QS% (.706), and OPS (.647). Also snubbed was Philly's Matt Garza (5-2, 2.76 ERA, 10.2 R/9) and Hopatcong's Matt Cain (7-3, 3.70 ERA, 11.4 R/9). Baker and Tomlin each received three votes, while Garza got two and Cain got four.

Inexplicably, Rowdy's C.C. Sabathia (7-5, 4.76 ERA, 13.9 R/9) received four votes; Marietta's David Price (9-7, 4.12 ERA, 12.0 R/9) got two; and one vote went to each of Marietta's Ian Kennedy (7-3, 4.63 ERA, 13.2 R/9), Rowdy's Tim Hudson (6-3, 5.01 ERA, 14.8 R/9), St. Louis's Ivan Nova (7-4, 4.17 ERA, 11.8 R/9), and Rowdy's C.J. Wilson (7-5, 4.37 ERA, 13.5 R/9). Why did the owners vote for these guys, but not cast a single ballot for Hopatcong's Josh Collmenter (6-6, 3.88 ERA, 11.0 R/9)?

On to the bullpen, where the top vote getter from the Diamond Conference was Bridgewater's David Robertson, on 11 of the 12 ballots cast. Robertson, a first-time All-Star, has a 1.41 ERA and 8.3 R/9 in 38 games this season, and is 3-1 with 10 saves (3 blown saves). Most impressively, he's struck out 82 men in 51.0 innings -- an outstanding 14.5 K/9 ratio.

Joining Robertson in the bullpen, and extending his DMBL record to a 14th All-Star Game, is Marietta's Mariano Rivera. The choice on nine of the 12 ballots, Mo is 5-2 with 22 saves, a 2.45 ERA and 9.4 R/9; he leads the league in saves and ranks 3rd in SV% (.846).

Two relievers from Hopatcong were selected as well -- closer Jonathan Papelbon (2.93 ERA, 9.8 R/9, 18 SV), with eight votes, and setup man Tyler Clippard (1.71 ERA, 7.0 R/9, 2-0, 4 saves, 4 holds), who received five. It's Papelbon's fifth All-Star appearance and Clippard's first.

Just as with the starting rotation, the last spot was a battle between two Newark pitchers, each receiving five votes. The choice is middle reliever Steve Cishek, beating out closer Al Alburquerque. Cishek, a rookie, has probably been the league's best reliever over the first half, having allowed just 5 earned runs in 47.2 innings (0.94 ERA), with 7.0 R/9; he's also allowed just 3 out of 20 inherited runners to score (.150 IR%). But Alburquerque has been excellent as well, going 6-1 with 14 saves (2.38 ERA, 9.5 R/9, .125 IR%, 46 K in 34.0 IP). Another deserving candidate, though he received just two votes, is Hoboken's LaTroy Hawkins (1.93 ERA, 7.5 R/9, .176 IR%). Perhaps an even better case can be made for Newark's Glen Perkins (1.25 ERA, 7.5 R/9, .286 IR%), who got just one vote.

Just missing the cut, with four votes, is Hopatcong's Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has had a roller coaster of a season, posting a 3.48 ERA and a sky-high 15.7 R/9; on the other hand, he's struck out 27 men in 20.2 IP and is a perfect 15-for-15 in stranding inherited runners. Two owners voted for Philly's Rafael Soriano (3.38 ERA, 11.0 R/9), two for Rowdy's Antonio Bastardo (3.02 ERA, 12.1 R/9), and one for Hopatcong's Santiago Casilla (3.12 ERA, 11.2 R/9) and St. Louis's Andrew Bailey (4.14 ERA, 12.2 R/9).

With all the excellent relievers in the Diamond Conference, it's somewhat of a surprise that three owners voted for Rowdy's Heath Bell (4.21 ERA, 15.6 R/9).

The Totals

It's no surprise that Marietta, with the league's best record, is tied for the most All-Stars in both the Diamond Conference and the DMBL with five representatives. But it's a bit of an upset that the team right behind them in the standings -- Newark -- comes in tied for third in the Conference (and seventh overall!) with just three. Bridgewater also has five representatives; Hoboken has four; Rowdy joins Newark at three; Philly and Hopatcong have two; and St. Louis has one.