The 2015 Cover Those Bases All-Star Ballot

Here are my All-Star selections for the 2015 All-Star Game.

National League:
First Base: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks, 4.1 fWAR
Second Base: Joe Panik, San Francisco Giants, 3.1 fWAR
Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, St. Louis Cardinals, 1.9 fWAR
Third Base: Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds, 3.9 fWAR
Catcher: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants, 2.2 fWAR
Outfield: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals, 5.0 fWAR
Outfield: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins, 3.3 fWAR
Outfield: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers, 3.5 fWAR

Notes:

• I omitted Dee Gordon from my ballot at second base, as he is beginning to cool off after an extremely hot start. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was high at the beginning of the season and thus he was getting lucky. As that begins to regress, the real Dee Gordon is finally beginning to show. And that Dee Gordon is not All-Star worthy. 
• In the latest All-Star voting update, Reds' third baseman Todd Frazier was behind Cardinals' third baseman Matt Carpenter by over one million votes, despite the fact that he has been the most valuable third baseman in baseball (even better than Josh Donaldson) via fWAR.
• Joc Pederson is my only "sleeper" pick on this ballot, and my reasoning behind it is simple. Pederson not only has been good through sabermetrics (Pederson is third in ALL of baseball in fWAR), but in counting stats too. He's hitting .248/.388/.542 with 19 home runs and 36 RBI. 

American League:
First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers, 3.3 fWAR
Second Base: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians, 4.6 fWAR
Shortstop: Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers, 1.9 fWAR
Third Base: Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays, 3.8 fWAR
Catcher: Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays, 2.9 fWAR
Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners, 1.9 fWAR
Outfield: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels, 4.0 fWAR
Outfield: Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals, 2.9 fWAR
Outfield: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays, 2.7 fWAR 

Notes:

• Three Blue Jays made my ballot, and it's no coincidence that they've got some of the best position players in baseball. The team has averaged almost an entire run per game more than the next best team in the entire league. Donaldson and Martin have the most fWAR for the AL at their positions, while Bautista's low BABIP and crazy high walk rate solidified his spot as the third outfielder. 
• Only one Royals player made the ballot, as it should be. Lorenzo Cain is the only player, in terms of fWAR, that is actually deserving of a spot on the All-Star ballot. I could see Alcides Escobar get the nod at shortstop, considering how poor the AL shortstop crop is, but other than those two, no Royals are that deserving of their leads in the voting. 
• Lastly, the fact that Jason Kipnis was No. 4 in the latest All-Star update just blew my mind. The guy is hitting an absurd .354/.428/.523 in 322 PA and his 4.6 fWAR easily leads all second baseman. In fact, by fWAR, Kipnis is the second best player in baseball right now, behind just someone named Bryce Harper. 

--Devan Fink