The 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game is fast approaching and there are plenty of players worthy of manning first base for the American League.
With the regular season already into June, the time to cast votes for ballots is starting to wane down.
In the American League, there is a glut of talent at first base and plenty of players are deserving of the honor to start the 86th annual Summer Classic on July 14 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
Here is a rundown of the top deserving candidates in alphabetical order from their last name.
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: Miggy is once again having an MVP-caliber season. The Tigers first baseman is fourth in the AL with a .323 batting average and ranks first in on-base percentage (.427), second in OPS (.985), third in walks (37) and fifth in slugging percentage (.558). Cabrera is also tied for first among AL first baseman with 31 walks.
Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers: Fielder leads the AL and is second in the entire MLB with a .356 batting average while he ranks first in the AL in hits (80), second in RBI (40, tied) and on-base percentage (.414, tied) and third in OPS (.960). His 13 doubles are also tied for the league lead among AL first baseman. On the down side, Fielder is tied for the AL lead among first baseman with four errors.
Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals: Hosmer is a wildcard as he doesn't have the gaudy numbers to lead the league in any categories, but he is still putting together a great year for the defending American League champions. He's tied for the AL lead among first baseman with 31 runs, 13 doubles, three stolen bases and two triples while hitting a solid .302 with seven homers and 34 RBI.
Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees: The Bronx Bombers' first baseman leads all players at his position in homers (17) and RBI (45) while he ranks third and first in the AL in those respective categories. Teixeira also leads AL first baseman and ranks third in the AL with a .565 slugging percentage thus far this season. Teixeira also fields his position well and has no errors on the campaign in 445 total chances.
Last Call: It's a tough field thus far, and it should rightfully boil down to Cabrera and Fielder, but since Fielder has only seen 10 games defensively at first and already has four errors, Cabrera gets the nod.
The Pick: Miguel Cabrera.
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