Hurry! All-MLB Team voting ends today, 2 PT
Ken Gurnick
@kengurnickLOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers placed five players on the ballot for the 2019 All-MLB Team released on Monday, topped by National League Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger.
Joining Bellinger on the ballot are starting pitchers Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu as well as second baseman Max Muncy.
The selection process for the 2019 All-MLB Team began Monday and runs through 2 p.m. PT on Dec. 3, with 50 percent of the vote coming from fans and 50 percent coming from a panel of experts.
You can vote right here, and may do so once every 24 hours between now and when voting ends next Tuesday. The inaugural All-MLB Team will be announced on Dec. 10 at baseball’s annual Winter Meetings in San Diego.
There will be a first and second All-MLB Team, and voters are asked only to consider performance during the regular season when casting their ballots. Each team will include one selection at each position (including designated hitter and three outfielders, regardless of specific outfield position), five starting pitchers and two relievers.
The best case for Bellinger was made by manager Dave Roberts leading up to MVP voting when he called Bellinger “the best player on the best team” in the league. Since then, Bellinger won the MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards.
The 24-year-old recorded career highs in runs (121), hits (170), doubles (34), home runs (47), RBIs (115), walks (95) and stolen bases (15), while slashing .305/.406/.629 with a 1.035 OPS. He finished fourth in the Majors with 47 homers and broke the franchise home record for home runs previously held by Gil Hodges and Duke Snider.
Bellinger was the first Dodger with more than 100 RBIs since Adrián González in 2014. On Aug. 2, Bellinger reached 100 career home runs, passing Mike Piazza as the fastest player in Dodger franchise history to hit the mark. He also set the franchise record for the most home runs before the All-Star break with 30.
Buehler, emerging as the ace of the rotation, finished the season going 14-4 with a 3.26 ERA in a career-high 30 starts, limiting opponents to a .223 average while posting a 1.04 WHIP. He struck out 200 batters for the first time in his career, leading Dodgers pitchers with 215 strikeouts, 10th in the NL. His five games with double-digit strikeouts and no walks were the most in the NL, and only second to Justin Verlander (6) and Gerritt Cole (7) in the Majors.
According to STATS, Buehler's five such games were the most in a season by any MLB pitcher 25 years or younger in the live-ball era. He joined Pedro Martinez and Doc Gooden as the only MLB pitchers with multiple starts of 15 strikeouts and no walks in the same season (June 21 vs. Colorado and Aug. 3 vs. San Diego). Buehler ranked among the NL’s best in wins (14, T-6th), ERA (3.26, 9th), opponents’ batting average (.223, 9th), WHIP (1.04, 6th), strikeouts per nine innings (10.61, 7th) and home runs allowed per nine innings (0.99, 7th).
Kershaw led the Dodgers with 16 wins and ranked among NL leaders in wins (T-3rd), winning percentage (.762, 3rd), ERA (3.03, 7th), opponents’ batting average (.222, 8th) and WHIP (1.04, 7th). He recorded 22 quality starts, tied for 3rd-most in the National League, and he pitched six or more innings in 26 of 28 starts, including his first 23 starts of the year, which matched the longest run of his career in 2015.
In 16 starts at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw posted a 10-2 record with a 2.89 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He held hitters to a .222 average, including a .225 mark against right-handed hitters, and he limited hitters to a .196 average with runners in scoring position. Kershaw made his eighth All-Star appearance after going 7-2 with a 3.09 ERA while recording 91 strikeouts with 16 walks and a 1.05 WHIP in 14 first-half starts.
Muncy showed his 2018 breakout season was no fluke as he slugged 35 home runs for the second consecutive season. He added career highs in games (141), runs (101), hits (122), doubles (22), RBIs (98) and walks (90).
Ryu, runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award, had a career year, starting Opening Day and the All-Star Game, amassing a 14-5 record and winning the MLB ERA title (2.32). He ranked among NL leaders in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd, 6.79), WHIP (3rd, 1.01), opponents’ OBP (3rd, .263), fewest home runs allowed per nine innings (2nd, 0.84) and baserunners allowed per nine innings (3rd, 9.26).
Ryu was nearly perfect in 14 starts at Dodger Stadium, going 10-1 with a 1.93 ERA (20 ER/93.1 IP), striking out 94 batters against 15 walks while posting a 0.94 WHIP and holding opponents to a .214/.251/.326 slash line. He led Major League starters in home ERA and ranked among top NL pitchers in WHIP (7th, 0.94), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4th, 6.27) and walks per nine innings (5th, 1.45).