My 2017 NL All-Star team features Murphy, Harper, Rendon, Scherzer, and Strasburg

Each year I select an All-Star team based on objective formulas and post it here.

The basic criteria is wins above replacement (WAR), giving roughly equal weight to performance in 2017 and 2016, with a small weight given to career performance (mostly serving as a tie breaker). Because my criteria are objective and use the same methods year after year, these results are not subject to fan bias. My team has five Nationals selections, with Murphy and Harper starting. Here’s the team:

Starters

C –  Buster Posey – Giants

1B – Paul Goldschmidt – Diamondbacks

2B – Daniel Murphy – Nationals

3B – Kris Bryant – Cubs

SS – Corey Seager – Dodgers

LF – Marcell Ozuna – Marlins

CF – Charlie Blackmon – Rockies

RF – Bryce Harper – Nationals

DH – Joey Votto – Reds

SP – Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers

Reserves

C – J.T. Realmuto – Marlins

C – Yasmani Grandal – Dodgers

1B – Anthony Rizzo – Cubs

1B – Wil Myers – Padres

2B – Josh Harrison – Pirates

3B – Justin Turner – Dodgers

3B – Anthony Rendon – Nationals

SS – Brandon Crawford – Giants

LF – Cody Bellinger – Dodgers

CF – Ender Inciarte – Braves

CF – Christian Yelich – Marlins

SP – Max Scherzer – Nationals

SP – Jon Lester – Cubs

SP – Carlos Martinez – Cardinals

SP – Zack Greinke – Diamondbacks

SP – Johnny Cueto – Giants

SP – Stephen Strasburg – Nationals

SP – Alex Wood – Dodgers

RP – Kenley Jansen – Dodgers

RP – Corey Knebel – Brewers

RP – Pat Neshek – Phillies

RP – Addison Reed – Mets

A few other notes:

• The roster size is 32 players, down from 34 in recent years.
• Nats fans may wonder about the absence of Ryan Zimmerman from the roster, but once you consider that I’m weighting both 2016 and 2017, the reason should be clear. However, even if we’re just looking at 2017 statistics, Zimmerman’s WAR trails Goldschmidt and Votto and is about equal to Rizzo’s. While Zim’s statistics are good, he trails them in on-base percentage, which is the most important single statistic.
• Note that Wil Myers was selected in order for the Padres to be represented; otherwise, he would not have made the team.
• For picking the starting pitcher, Scherzer and Kershaw were essentially even based on the last two year’s statistics, with Scherzer having a small advantage for 2017 and Kershaw having a small advantage last season. Kershaw’s superior career record wound up being the tie-breaker.