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ESPN Projects 4 Phillies All Stars

ESPN, using their player ratings (based on percentages that are based on statistical rankings), projected four Phillies would make the National League All-Star team: Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge.

Their ratings:

Chase Utley – 78.2 (2nd in baseball [Lance Berkman])
Pat Burrell – 53.5 (highest among NL outfielders)
Cole Hamels – 53.4 (3rd in NL [Tim Lincecum, Edinson Volquez])
Brad Lidge – 36.9 (highest among NL relievers)

Ryan Howard’s 51.5 rating would’ve put him on the team above Adrian Gonzalez, but the Padres needed a representative.

On second glance, I grossly underrated Burrell. He’s tops all outfielders in HR (21) and OPS (1.005). That OPS is sick, by the way. He’s one of five players in baseball with an OPS over 1.000. He definitely deserves to be an all-star.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.