American League All-Star Second Basemen: Top Three

The choice for second basemen to represent the American League in the 2009 All-Star Game, to be held in St. Louis, is an interesting one. The debate raises the question of what should merit an All-Star selection - performance over the first half of a year, performance over the last calendar year, or the level of a player's popularity as the definition of "star."

The top contenders are:

Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

What a remarkable start to his career Pedroia has enjoyed. In 2007, he burst onto the baseball scene in his first full season. After a horrible start to the season that almost saw him demoted to the minor leagues, Pedroia came on strong to win the Rookie of the Year Award. His Red Sox team left any thoughts of a franchise curse far behind by winning its second World Series in four years. In 2008, Pedroia followed up his debut season by becoming the first second baseman in almost a half century to win the American League's Most Valuable Player Award. He led the American league in hits, finished second in batting average, and his performance during the last half of the year carried the Red Sox into the playoffs. This season, however, has been a bit of a disappointment for Pedroia. His offensive numbers - particularly his power numbers - are down significantly. A month away from this year's All-Star break he'd hit just 2 home runs and had just 25 RBI.

Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers

Pedroia's college teammate, Kinsler has more impressive offensive numbers mid-way through June. With 15 homers, he's closing in on his total of 18 for all of last year, when he missed 40 games with injuries. Kinsler has also been an offensive force for a surprising Rangers team that finds itself in first place in the AL West. Kinsler is delivering on the promise that he's exhibited in his first three seasons in the big leagues.

Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays

With a far larger fan base, the New York Yankees Robinson Cano has garnered more votes, but Hill is having the best offensive season of any American League second baseman in the first half of the 2009 season. He has kept his batting average right around .310 for the entire year. That's 30 points higher than Kinsler and 15 points better than Pedroia. Plus, he's almost exactly matched Kinsler's power numbers with 14 home runs and 44 RBI by the middle of June - and he's accomplishing this in a tougher hitters' park - the Rogers Centre in Toronto.