The best of the very best: The all-time All-Stars

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Just a few words before we begin. This is not supposed to be an All-Time baseball team.

That’s why you won’t find some iconic names such as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson or Honus Wagner.

This team was selected based on performance in the All-Star Game itself.

Who were the All-Stars among the All-Stars? That was the exercise here.

The first All-Star Game wasn’t played until 1933. And many of the sport’s greatest heroes never played in an All-Star Game. Others, like The Babe, played in an All-Star Game at the end of their careers. But Ruth had only six at-bats in the game, so obviously there were better choices.

Also, our selections aren’t based on a singular moment. Bo Jackson hit a memorable, monster home run and put on a superb all-around show in the 1989 All-Star Game, but that was his lone appearance. He never played in another one.

In 1971, Reggie Jackson hit a titanic homer off the light tower above the upper deck at the old Tiger Stadium, but that blast was his only homer in the All-Star Game. He batted .269 and struck out nine times in 26 at-bats.

I made the selections based on track record. There were many tough calls to make, and extra consideration was given to a more extensive body of work rather than one or two games.

I could have picked about 50 players. There were that many outstanding candidates. But I narrowed the list to a 25-man roster.

Now let’s meet the team, with the starters listed first at each position:

Catchers

Johnny Bench – In 12 games, the Reds’ Hall of Famer batted .357 with three homers and a slugging percentage of .679.

Gary Carter – In 10 games, Carter batted .300 with three homers and a .750 slugging percentage and won two MVPs.

First base

Stan Musial – I put The Man here to ease the logjam of outfielders. And this is no gimmick; Musial did start four All-Star Games at first base. In 24 games, he batted .317 with six homers, 10 RBIs and 11 runs.

Steve Garvey – In 10 games, Garvey batted .393 with a .433 on-base percentage, .821 slugging percentage and seven RBIs – and he was a two-time MVP.

Second base

Nellie Fox – Fox sustained his very good play over 13 games, batting .368 and scoring seven runs, with five RBIs. Only Mays (23) and Musial (20) had more All-Star Game hits than Fox (14).

Charlie Gehringer – In 29 All-Star plate appearances, he reached base 19 times, on 10 hits and nine walks, for an on-base percentage of .655.

Shortstop

Derek Jeter – In 9 games (5 starts), he is batting .474 with a .684 slugging percentage. He was the MVP in 2000.

Cal Ripken – He started 13 games and twice was named MVP. The batting average wasn’t great (.265), but this iron man had eight RBIs, which is tied for fifth – and he hit two homers, including a memorable shot in his final appearance.

Third base

Brooks Robinson – He started 11 games and batted .289. His 13 hits are tied for fifth, his total bases rank sixth, and he is tied for the most career triples (three) in All-Star history. And we don’t have to mention his glove work, do we?

Utility

Jackie Robinson – He can play second, third, first, corner outfield and even a little shortstop in a pinch. He can also steal a base for you. In six All-Star Games, the Dodgers’ icon batted .333, slugged .611 and scored seven runs.

Alfonso Soriano – He has three homers and a .357 average in only 14 All-Star at-bats.

Left field

Ted Williams – The Splendid Splinter batted .304 with a .439 on-base percentage and a .652 slugging percentage in 18 games. His 12 RBIs are the most in All-Star history and he’s tied for second with four homers. He ranks first in walks (11), third in runs (10), and third in total bases (30).

Center field

Willie Mays – The Say Hey Kid had 75 All-Star at-bats, the most of any player. He hit .307 with a .533 slugging percentage. He has the most hits (23), the most stolen bases (six) and most runs (20) of any All-Star. He also homered three times, drove in nine runs and is tied with Musial for the most extra-base hits (8). Mays had two or more hits in six All-Star Games.

Right field

Ken Griffey Jr. – In 9 All-Star Games, Junior batted .444 in 25 at-bats with seven RBIs and a .640 slugging percentage. He was named MVP in 1992.

Outfield

Fred Lynn – A terrific All-Star performer, Lynn batted .300 with four homers and 10 RBIs (both second in All-Star history) and a .900 slugging percentage in nine games. He was the MVP in 1983.

Dave Winfield – In 12 games (8 starts), Winfield batted .361 with a .556 slugging percentage, five RBIs and six runs scored. No All-Star has more doubles (7).

Starting pitchers

Juan Marichal – We’ll give him the start. He was 2-0 in the big game, allowing one earned run in 18 innings for an ERA of 0.50. He was the MVP in 1965.

Randy Johnson – Started four games, pitched 12 innings, struck out 12, with an ERA of 0.75.

Don Drysdale – Two wins and a save with 19 Ks in 19 1/3 innings, with an ERA of 1.40.

Jim Bunning – In 18 innings, he allowed seven hits with 13 Ks and an ERA of 1.00.

Bob Feller – This fireballer struck out 13 in 12 1/3 innings with an ERA of 0.73.

Relief pitchers

Ewell Blackwell – He was 1-0 with a save in six games. He struck out 12 in 13 2/3 IP and had an ERA of 1.32.

Carl Hubbell – In 5 games, he had a save and 11 Ks in 9 2/3 innings with an ERA of 2.79. In the 1934 game, he struck out five consecutive Hall of Famers: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin.

Mel Harder – This underrated righty had two saves and a win and didn’t allow a run in 13 IP.

Bruce Sutter – He had two wins and two saves, didn’t allow a run in four appearances, and struck out seven in 6 2/3 IP.

Mariano Rivera – Perhaps the greatest closer ever, it also holds true in the All-Star Game. Rivera has three saves and hasn’t permitted a run in 7 appearances.