Tom Verducci's NL All-Stars

SI Staff | Jun 28, 2006

Tom Verducci's NL All-Stars

Michael Barrett

Jerry Lai/US PRESSWIRE

A 10-game suspension (for punching White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski) and a sore back could deter him, but Barrett is on pace to exceed 20 homers, 75 RBIs and a .300 average for the first time.

Albert Pujols

Bob Rosato/SI

He leads the majors in homers (26) and is second in the NL in RBIs (67) despite missing 15 games with a pulled muscle. When he was injured on June 3, he had been kept off base only five times in 53 starts.

Chase Utley

Al Tielemans/SI

Despite a slim build, the 27-year-old Utley has surprising power (14 homers). He's also winning fans in high places. Says commissioner Bud Selig, "He plays the game the way it's supposed to be played."

Edgar Renteria

Brad Mangin/SI

Back in the NL and more comfortable in a less pressurized environment than Boston's, Renteria, 30, opened the season with a 23-game hitting streak and regained his All-Star form.

Scott Rolen

Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated

At the deepest position in the major leagues, the honor goes to Rolen, 31, whose glove is the gold standard and who is hitting .391 on the road and .348 overall (.351 while Pujols was out).

Jason Bay

AP

The best player you've never seen, Bay ranks fifth among NL outfielders in OPS (.969). Says one NL scout, "Just imagine what he'd be if he had some protection in the lineup."

Carlos Beltran

Chuck Solomon/SI

A relaxed and healthy Beltran has already hit more homers (20) than he did last year (18). "With the surrounding cast he's got now, there's a lot less pressure on him," says an NL scout.

Matt Holliday

AP

Holliday reached May 1 with a .255 batting average. Since then, however, he has hit .398, vaulting him into the league lead for hits while ranking him third in batting and fourth in slugging.

Brandon Webb

Robert Beck/SI

Webb, 27, has grown into an ace with the world's nastiest sinker and a marksman's control. He walked only 17 of 468 batters with the game's highest ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio (3.87 to 1).

Trevor Hoffman

Robert Beck/SI

Of the first 100 batters he faced this year, Hoffman walked only three (he struck out 23) and allowed one home run. With 18 saves in 19 chances, Hoffman is 24 short of Lee Smith's record of 476.