Neifi an All-Star?

Ok, so I've never been a Neifi fan and I still cringe every time I see him come up in an important situation. That said, I have to grudgingly admit that he's been very solid thus far and without him the Cubs would be in even worse shape (why they still hold on to Jose Macias and Enrique Wilson is another matter).

But does that make him an All-Star? Derrek Lee and Nomar Garciapara seem to think so. In this article on MLB.com it was noted:

"Neifi's been unbelievable all year," Chicago first baseman Derrek Lee said. "In that leadoff spot or No. 2 spot, he's been on base the whole time. He makes the plays, he's won a Gold Glove. The way he's swinging the bat, he's an All-Star right now."

I hate to disagree with Derrek but Neifi's OBP thus far is .331, hardly impressive in the leadoff spot where he's walked just 7 times in 232 plate appearances. He's been more impressive with his .449 SLUG.

Derrek and Nomar also noted...

"He deserves it," Lee said. "Look at his numbers. I don't think there's a shortstop with better offensive numbers."

"There should be a Cubs shortstop there, and it's the guy who's playing there right now," Garciaparra said of Perez. "He's been unbelievable. He definitely deserves it."

Well, in looking at the numbers Neifi is 9th among NL shortstops in OBP, 4th in SLUG, and 5th in batting average. In OPS he's fourth at 779 behind Felipe Lopez (917), Clint Barmes (886), and Bill Hall (848). If I were voting for NL shortstops I'd have to go with Lopez at this point.