Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members this summer. This submission is from Member #031, Andy Vandergriff.

Here at Prayers for Blowouts, we love hearing stories about the underdog finally getting some recognition (maybe because we are a bit of an underdog in the sports blogging world, but anyway) for their long years of struggle and labor, and what better time to do that than baseball’s upcoming All-Star Game?

Voting is already over, and people have voted for popular players that may or may not have deserved a chance to play in the Midsummer Classic, and likely left these guys at the altar for the pitiful reason of their playing in a small market. Hopefully you’ll hear of some guys you haven’t had a chance to yet, and hopefully you’ll get to see them in the All-Star Game after being voted in by their peers.

American League

1B: Russell Branyan, Seattle

Branyan has quietly put together an All-Star worthy season in Seattle this year, with a
.303 BA, 40 RBI, 19 HR and an OPS of 1.006, but it’s a little hard to get noticed on a barely above .500 team in the AL West.

2B: Aaron Hill, Toronto

Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia are getting all the attention, but Hill is having one monster year at the plate, racking up a .305 BA, 56 RBI, 19 HR and an OPS of .855 for a surprisingly competitive Toronto team.

SS: Marco Scutaro, Toronto

In a thin position dominated by Derek Jeter, Scutaro is also having a season worthy of taking a look at in Toronto, with a .279 BA, 53 BB, 33 RBI, and an OPS of .794.

3B: Scott Rolen, Toronto

There are a lot of players from the Blue Jays on this thing, aren’t there? He’s not hitting for power yet, but he is spraying the ball all over the Skydome, riding a 19 game hitting streak to a .333 BA, and a .888 OPS.

C: Victor Martinez, Cleveland

Martinez has split his time between 1B and catching and has been one of the few bright spots for a suddenly anemic lineup, turning in first half totals that include a .313 BA,
.916 OPS, 14 HR and 57 RBI.

OF: Jermaine Dye, Chicago

Jermaine Dye just keeps on hitting the ball, powering a surging White Sox team to 2.5 games back of the division leading Tigers with first half totals of: .294 BA, 48 RBI, 18 HR, and an OPS of .926.

OF: Johnny Damon, New York

It pains my soul as a Red Sox fan to admit this, but Johnny Damon is playing like an All-Star right now. After all, it is very hard to argue with the stats he’s been putting up in left for the Yankees: .292 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI, and a .910 OPS.

OF: Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay

The husband of CCM artist Julianne Zobrist (remember, the one with the strange fake feathery eyelashes) has been turning in a solid 2009 as a utility player for the Rays, playing 6 different positions this year and hitting .297 with 16 HR, 46 RBI and an AL leading OPS of 1.051.

National League

1B: Todd Helton, Colorado

Helton had a horrendous (“How horrendous was it?” “It was so horrendous, we almost started remembering him as a former UT quarterback!”) year last year, but seems to have turned it around this year, although his power has yet to make its reappearance in a 2009 first half campaign that has him hitting .312 with 53 RBI and a .895 OPS.

2B: Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburgh

Non-residents of the Steel City are probably wondering how anyone from the Pirates even made an “Underdog” team, but even through the ineptness of their front office, they still have some talent there, and Sanchez is a perfect example of that, with a batting average of .315, and an OPS of .831 with 6 homers thrown in for good measure.

SS: Yunel Escobar, Atlanta

In his second full year, Escobar is continuing to be a solid at shortstop for the Braves, making them very glad that Rafael Furcal left them at the free agency altar this offseason by hitting .293 with 40 RBI and 7 HR.

3B: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco

Sandoval is looking like he wants a Rookie Of The Year award a little more than he wants another cheeseburger (which at 246 lbs and just 5’11”, might be a considerable amount) with a first half where he’s hitting at a .332 clip (6th in the NL) with 10 HR and 40 RBI and a .940 OPS.

C: Bengie Molina, San Francisco

The Molina family is having a very good year catching in 2009. Yadier is the one who won the NL All-Star starting spot this year, but it’s Bengie who is really tearing it up at the plate for the Giants this year, with 10 HR, 46 RBI and a .263 average.

OF: Brad Hawpe, Colorado

By now, you’ve probably heard that Raul Ibanez is tearing it up in Philly with an OPS of 1.027, leading all NL outfielders. But do you know who’s in second place? Brad Hawpe, with an OPS of 1.008. Hawpe is also in the top 10 in BA(.333 for 5th) and RBI(56 for 7th).

OF: Justin Upton, Arizona

After an injury-shortened 2008, no one knew quite what to expect from Upton this year, but he has shown himself to be the class of the league during the first half, batting .315, with 14 HR, 45 RBI, 49 R, and a .961 OPS.

OF: Hunter Pence, Houston

Pence is having a great first half so far for a not quite stellar Astros team, hitting .310 with 10 HR, 32 RBI, and an .884 OPS.

Now, we’re done with the position players, but there’s still plenty of underappreciated pitchers out there, so we’ll put together a pitching staff for The PFB All-Underdog Team in a couple of days.