Eckstein an All Star

[LALion]

Not only that, but a starting All Star! And you know the guy we brought in to replace Eckstein? Yeah, Cabrera. The guy we picked up to give us a little more offense at SS? He has 19 rbi. Eckstein has 23. So far I don't think we won an advantage on that move. In his defense, Cabrera has better range and a better arm. On the other hand: he isn't an All Star.

[Treypops]

While Eckstein doesn't have Renteria's cannon, he does have a better arm than advertised. I actually can't remember a time where it has hurt the Cards this year.

[Zero]

While Eckstein doesn't have Renteria's cannon, he does have a better arm than advertised. I actually can't remember a time where it has hurt the Cards this year.
His game against KC with the 3 errors wasn't too helpful. But, he has helped 50 times more than he has hurt.

[LALion]

His game against KC with the 3 errors wasn't too helpful. But, he has helped 50 times more than he has hurt.
That game was an aberration. The only time the arm is a factor is when he has to range far to his right, deep in the hole. I HAVE seen Cabrera make some very impressive plays going away from first base.

[ryr8828]

That game was an aberration. The only time the arm is a factor is when he has to range far to his right, deep in the hole. I HAVE seen Cabrera make some very impressive plays going away from first base.
When Rolen's in the lineup, Eck hardly ever has to go in the hole to make a play. I think Jocketty took that into consideration.

[Enyalois]

Not only that, but a starting All Star! I wouldn't know if him being the starting SS would make it better to take, as the best player doesn't always get voted in. The guy we picked up to give us a little more offense at SS? He has 19 rbi. Eckstein has 23. Cabrera does have 22 RBI's to his credit, though his OPS is .648 compared to Eck's .742. So far I don't think we won an advantage on that move. In his defense, Cabrera has better range and a better arm. On the other hand: he isn't an All Star. Eh, it's still early in the year, though it seems as if Cabrera will be missing a little bit of time coming up, but again you never know how it will end up. It's not like it was a horrible decision or has turned out horribly.

[LALion]

When Rolen's in the lineup, Eck hardly ever has to go in the hole to make a play. I think Jocketty took that into consideration.
Whereas Cabrera has MacPherson, who is okay on D, but he's no Rolen.

[dabulls85]

Cabrera is the better player and would have made the team in the NL. There weren't too many choices at SS in the NL and as you can tell by who is starting there is a pretty large contingent of Cardinal fans who like to vote ALOT compared to fans of other teams.

[Zero]

Cabrera is the better player and would have made the team in the NL. There weren't too many choices at SS in the NL and as you can tell by who is starting there is a pretty large contingent of Cardinal fans who like to vote ALOT compared to fans of other teams.
That's interesting since the "large contingent" couldn't get Pujols the start at first.

[dabulls85]

That's interesting since the "large contingent" couldn't get Pujols the start at first.That large contigent lost to a group of fans for the nation rather then just one teams fans. They also got Rolen into the starting lineup which he didn't deserve to be in. I voted Eck as well since there are not exactly a large number of good SS this year in the NL and I like the way that Eck plays the game.

[Zero]

That large contigent lost to a group of fans for the nation rather then just one teams fans. They also got Rolen into the starting lineup which he didn't deserve to be in. I voted Eck as well since there are not exactly a large number of good SS this year in the NL and I like the way that Eck plays the game.
There are fans from 30 teams that vote for the All Stars. If StL was the size of NY or LA I would agree with you.

[dabulls85]

There are fans from 30 teams that vote for the All Stars. If StL was the size of NY or LA I would agree with you.
The number of votes that Molina got leads me to this conclusion more then anything else. The casual fan has no idea who he is and most people that don't watch the central division would not have seen him enough to pick his name when they voted.

[Zero]

The number of votes that Molina got leads me to this conclusion more then anything else. The casual fan has no idea who he is and most people that don't watch the central division would not have seen him enough to pick his name when they voted.
One thing that helped both Molina and Eckstein is that their names ARE known by fans of at least one other team, the Angels. Eckstein was their SS for four years and Yadier is the brother of BOTH of their catchers. So, if you're a fan of the Angels you'd probably vote for a guy you rooted for before or their brother! Also, the casual fan isn't as ignorant as you claim. If they were Nomar would have won.

[weisguy]

i dont think eck would have been an all star had he still been in the al though

[Zero]

i dont think eck would have been an all star had he still been in the al though
No doubt. The AL clearly has superior SS to the NL. But, Eckstein was voted by fans as the guy they wanted to see represent them in Detroit.

[LALion]

No doubt. The AL clearly has superior SS to the NL. But, Eckstein was voted by fans as the guy they wanted to see represent them in Detroit.
That's all the more amazing because it's Eckstein's first year in the NL. The fans tend to vote with their memories, often voting for guys who are having a poor season or are injured and can't play, because they've been great in the past, or because they're in a lot of commercials. Eckstein made it quickly because the fans like his style of play. He plays baseball the way it's supposed to be played. Eck performs better than people expect.
Cabrera, on the other hand, is not living up to expectations. He underperforms. In spite of his superior defense. All the "could have" or "would have" made the team is idle speculation.