For once, the Washington Nationals have several candidates for the All-Star Game. Here are the top five for the July 10 game in Kansas City, Mo.
5. Ian Desmond » At shortstop, the competition is stiff with Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), Starlin Castro (Cubs), Jose Reyes (Miami), Rafael Furcal (Cardinals) and Jimmy Rollins (Phillies) all having solid though unspectacular years. Jed Lowrie (Astros), however, is putting up career numbers.
4. Bryce Harper » If he was any other rookie hitting .286 with seven home runs, he wouldn’t warrant consideration. But Harper clearly isn’t any other rookie as he has proved to be the Nats’ most complete position player.
3. Gio Gonzalez » He has nice numbers (9-3, 2.55 ERA), but is there room for three Nats pitchers? Though he has cut down his walks, one negative for Gonzalez has been his high pitch counts. He has yet to work more than seven innings in a game this year.
2. Tyler Clippard » Since becoming the closer, Clippard has allowed just one hit in 131Ú3 innings while walking five and fanning 16. A month ago, the question was whether the Nats could sacrifice their setup man to close. Now the question is how Drew Storen will feel about losing his job.
1. Stephen Strasburg »
With a 9-1 record, a 2.46 ERA and a major league high 110 strikeouts, Strasburg is a lock to make the team. The only question is whether he or Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey will be the starting pitcher for manager Tony La Russa.
– Kevin Dunleavy
