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Now that the draft is behind us, we're moving onto the All-Star Game. Dave Cameron over at FanGraphs has his annual look at what the team SHOULD look like. He also comments on who the Astros representative should be.
The Team Representative
These guys are mostly worthy candidates anyway, but they are also the best choice to represent the three franchises that did not have a player listed above.
Carlos Santana, CLE, C: +1.7 WAR
Jason Castro, HOU, C: +1.4 WARChris Sale, CHW, SP: +1.9 WAR
Castro would be one of three catchers on the roster, joining Santana and starter Joe Mauer.
What's interesting is that I've already been coming around to the thought that Castro will be the pick. While we all assumed it will be Jose Altuve, since he's probably the best hitter on the team right now. He's also having a bounce-back defensive season.
However, Altuve's offense has lagged behind it's great pace in the first half of last season. In his place, we've got another guy at an important defensive position who has made some noise lately. Castro hit .292/.356/.573 in May, but has slumped badly in June to the tune of a .176/.243/.324 in nine games so far.
If we are betting on it, Altuve probably has a slight edge, as he's got the reputation of already being there, he's got the national notoriety for his size and he's got a hitting streak right now, so he could improve his stats in the next few weeks.
Who's your choice right now? Do you think Castro will be Houston's representative in New York next month?
