American Association SUNDAY Insider: Let's get ready to pick the stars

Sometimes an Insider topic falls in your lap. Around this time every year I know I can use picking the All Stars to fill a blog, sometimes two. I'm not privy to an All Star ballot as like with most leagues with credibility, the opinions of Bob the Blogger from Bumpkinville are not requested in picking a team. So I may have guys selected in positions in which they are not listed on the league ballot, my apologies in advance. Stats will be through Friday's games. 



East Division

Catcher- Jaxx Groshans (Chicago). In what has been a widely disappointing first half for the Dogs, Groshans has been a bright spot. Even without having Chance Sisco for protection in the batting order, Groshans has managed to be a force hitting  .305 with 10 home runs and 33 runs batted in and a 413 on base percentage.

First base- Griffin Doersching (Milwaukee). Doersching made headlines earlier this season with three home run 10 RBI game. Doersching has become the middle of the lineup force the Milkmen have not seen since Adam Walker III. For the season, Doersching is hitting .292 with 10 home runs and 27 runs knocked in.

Second base- Jack Blomgren (Lake Country). Buried in the power show that has been the DockHounds in 2026 is Blomgren. Blomgren is hitting. 328 with five home runs and 24 runs batted in to go with a .412 on base percentage. Blomgren had his best night of the year on Friday night going 4-4 with five runs driven in. I would like to see Josh Allen of Kane County make the team as he's had a great first half and we don't know when his last season will be, so a nod to the All Star Game would be a nice touch.

Third base- Michael Hallquist (Milwaukee). Just a name that was having a decent season in 2025 when dealt from Fargo-Moorhead to Milwaukee for current baseball entertainer Erik Ostberg, Hallquist has bloomed in Milwaukee. Hallquist has found a home on the hot corner and has flourished, hitting 11 home runs, driving in 27 hitting .327 with a .411 on base percentage. Caleb McNeely with a .328 average with a .413 on base percentage also deserves a nod, but since this isn't T-Ball, we can't have two third basemen.

Shortstop- Ripken Reyes (Lake Country). I wanted to go with Ethan Wilder of Chicago who's hitting .317, and everyone seems to be in love with Gary's Elvis Peralta. I however went with Reyes who is hitting .285 has an eye popping .431 on base percentage at the top of the Lake Country order as a table setter for the feared meat of the order for the Dockhounds. Mears has walked 21 times with only 11 strikeouts.

Outfield: Joshua Mears (Lake Country) Mears currently leads active East hitters with 12 home runs and 35 runs batted in. Mears has helped make the middle of the DockHounds order one of the most feared in the American Association. 

Outfield: Matt Bottcher (Kane County). Bottcher who played against his current club in the Miles Wolff Cup Final last season, has enjoyed a stellar first half with the Cougars. Bottcher, playing center field in the cavernous Northwestern Medicine Field does not have a home run to his record this season, but is hitting .336 and has driven in 24 runs. 

Outfield: Ray Zuberer III (Lake Country) Zuberer III an unheralded member of the DockHounds lineup has gone about his business hitting six home runs and driving in 30 runs while sporting a .328 batting average with a .423 on base percentage. 

Designated hitter: Andy Blake (Milwaukee) Blake has been a steady force for the Milkmen. Blake has eight home runs and 30 runs batted in while batting .287 with a .380 on base percentage in helping the Milkmen surge to first place. 

Starting pitchers:

Davis Welch (Milwaukee) 5-0 1.95 ERA

Peyton Long (Gary SouthShore) 5-1 2.59 ERA

Konnor Ash (Kane County) 3-4 2.44 ERA

Matt Reitz (Gary SouthShore) 3-1 2.57 ERA

Relievers:

Jacob Coats (Gary SouthShore) 8 Saves, 0.57 ERA

Brendan Hardy (Milwaukee) 5 Holds, 0.57 ERA

Art Warren (Kane County) 1.20 ERA 29 K 15 IP

West Division

Catcher: Juan Fernandez (Fargo-Moorhead) In his third season with the RedHawks, Fernandez keeps doing what he does best, hit and get on base. The power numbers won't wow you, but the batting average, .344 and on base percentage of .417 are both in the top ten for active players. 

 First Base: Jose Sermo (Fargo-Moorhead) The Serminator as he's been dubbed in Fargo has enjoyed his first season with the RedHawks. Sermo leads the league in home runs by active players with 13 and is fourth in runs batted in with 35. Josh Rehwaldt deserved consideration until missing twelve days with an injury. 

Second base: Sahid Valenzuela (Kansas City) Remember that dumb blogger that said in the first week or two in the season that Kansas City may be more of a pitching team? Here's the first of many deserving Monarchs hitters. Valenzuela is batting .329 with a .398 on base percentage. Valenzuela finds himself in the middle of the Monarchs order now where he may need to build upon his 12 runs batted in, but there's no shame being on base as often as he has to score runs himself. 

Third Base: Ramon Bramasco (Winnipeg). The third year Goldeye has been a table setter for the Winnipeg offense. Bramasco is hitting .291 with a .409 on base percentage. 

Shortstop: Michael Curialle (Sioux Falls). The man in charge of filling Jordan Barth's shoes. He may not have the power numbers that Barth put up before he retired from the Canaries to join baseball entertainment, but he has had a nice first half hitting .284 with three home runs and 27 runs batted in while taking on a bigger role with Jabari Henry out and Rehwaldt out for 12 days before returning last week. 

Outfield:

Noah Marcelo (Winnipeg). The Goldeyes centerfielder has established himself as one of the best all around players in the league. Marcelo has 10 home runs and 36 runs batted in, batting first for a good chunk of the first half. Marcelo has a .314 batting average to go with a .394 on base percentage.

Dillon Thomas (Fargo-Moorhead). Thomas in his third season with the RedHawks has put up his usual consistent good numbers thus far in 2026. Thomas, forming a 1-2 punch with Jose Sermo has hit eight home runs while driving in 37 runs. Thomas has been on base machine too with a .410 on base percentage and a .289 batting average. 

Zac Vooletich (Sioux City). This is a spot where if there is a utility spot on the ballot, Vooletich would fit comfortably as he's also played second and third base. Vooletich is seventh in runs batted in with 32, hitting .329 with a .410 on base percentage. The Texas Tech Red Raider has played his entire pro career for the Explorers and is making his mark with other longtime Explorers such as Nate Samson and Michael Lang. Teammate Henry George and  Adam Hall of Winnipeg deserve consideration as George is hitting .338 with a .443 on base percentage and Hall is hitting .356.

Designated Hitter: Braulio Vasquez (Sioux City) Vasquez has been the power force that the Explorers have not enjoyed since John Nogowski. There is a lot of competition for this spot on the All Star team and the reserves may be first base heavy. Vasquez has had a flare for the dramatic with two walk off home runs of his seven for the season. Vasquez is hitting .358, good for second for active players, and a .418 on base percentage. 

Starting pitchers

Dakota Hudson (Kansas City) 6-1 2.09 ERA (on inactive list so will likely not pitch)

Ryan Garcia (Kansas City) 5-2 2.67 ERA

Peniel Otano (Sioux City) 3-2 3.06 ERA

Ryo Kohigashi (Winnipeg) 2-1 3.13 ERA

Relievers:

Tyler Stasiowski (Lincoln) 5 SV, 3.38 ERA

Trey Morrill (Sioux City) 1.84 ERA, 13 K, 14.2 IP

Zac McCleve (Lincoln) 0.63 ERA 14.1 IP 15 K















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