One of things that's always annoyed me about the MLB's All-Star selection is that discussion of it completely ceases after mid-July. Now I understand why you play a game with the fan favorites in the middle of the season, but why does discussion of who's legitimately the best at each spot cease after half a season? This weekend, the Notebook will rectify that. We'll do an American League All-Star review and MVP vote today and a National League review on Sunday.

A few things to note before we jump in. The stats I look at are on-base percentage and slugging percentage for hitters and zone rating for fielders. The latter measures range and can be found on ESPN.com. I give special consideration to this for the positions up the middle. And when choosing the outfield, I don't just pick the generic top three. It's a true LF-CF-RF choice.For pitchers, we build a true staff of five starters, two setup men and a closer.

C: Joe Mauer (Minnesota) Why do I get the feeling I just can write these columns in advance for the next five years and just pencil Mauer's name in? He's not having an MVP year this time out, but he's still far and away the gold standard behind the plate.

1B: Miguel Cabrera (Detroit) He's having an extraordinary year with the bat, slugging .625 in a big ballpark that eats up flyball hitters. And while his defense isn't a strength, nor is it as bad as it can be made out by the media. He's a manageable defender at a position where a player's primary job is to hit. Cabrera is the best, and doesn't need the benefit of injuries to Justin Morneau and Kevin Youkilis to win this honor.

2B: Robinson Cano (NYY) I really would prefer to choose a better defender at this spot. Cano can look very athletic as you watch him on TV, but the numbers say his range is just not that good for a second baseman. But his bat is excellent and he's the best hitter on a powerful lineup. And the players with the best shot at unseating him for this award--Dustin Pedroia in Boston and Brian Roberts at Baltimore have each seen their seasons derailed with injuries.

3B: Adrian Beltre (Boston) Check the numbers. He's basically even with Evan Longoria in on-base percentage and far exceeds him in slugging. A-Rod and Michael Young are lagging at the plate this year. Both are better defenders than either Beltre or Longoria and could make a run at this spot with good hitting streak in the final seven weeks. Or Longoria could win it if he carries the Rays to the division title. But right now, Beltre is the man at third base.

SS: Derek Jeter (NYY) Much has been made of Jeter's offensive decline this year, and that's true. But he's still one of the best, if not the best offensive shortstop in the American League. And his defense is still right up there at the top. It has to be emphasized just how well Jeter has played defensively these last three years. I was one of those who often argued his D was grossly overrated through his career, and I stand by that. But his ratings on range have decisively improved under the Girardi regime and therefore the commentary should as well.

LF: Josh Hamilton (Texas) Just having a huge year. On-base percentage is .411. Slugging percentage is .633. He's the best hitter on a team running away with its division. He carried the lineup when Nelson Cruz was hurt. There's no analysis required here.

CF: Tori Hunter (LAA) The best balanced package at the position. Gets on base and hits for power. While his defense is somewhat overrated, he's still pretty good out there. Vernon Wells in Toronto is a contender, but needs to be on base more consistently.

RF: Jose Bautista (Toronto) The best hitter, the best defender and the major league leader in home runs. Case closed.

DH: David Ortiz (Boston) His comeback this year has been a great story and he's helped keep afloat a Red Sox offense wracked by injuries. Honorable mention to another comeback story, Vlad Guerrero, who is still close enough to win this spot by season's end.

STARTING PITCHING:
Felix Hernandez (Sea) The collapse of the Mariners has obscured how good King Felix has been. He's fourth in the league in ERA, with substantially more innings than any of the three ahead of him. I'd like to vote him the Cy Young Award right now, but he is 8-9. While the record isn't his fault, I would prefer to see him over .500 before giving him the game's top pitching honor.
Cliff Lee (Tex) Another great year. Only the month he missed at the start of the year keeps the Cy Young race competitive.
Jon Lester (Boston) Slumped a bit recently, but still a sub-3.00 ERA pitching against tough lineups in New York, Tampa and Toronto.
C.C. Sabathia (NYY) Chews up the innings, and has 15 wins. That 3.14 ERA in Yankee Stadium looks awfully good too.
Jered Weaver (LAA) He's done his part to keep the Angels in contention. Weaver has 11 wins and a 2.87 ERA.
*Honorable mention goes to Clay Bucholz (Bos), Trevor Cahill (Oak) and David Price (TB). They have the ERA and the wins, but I'd like to see a few more innings pitched. Price in particular isn't that far from penetrating the top five.

SETUP MEN
Darren O'Day (Texas) & Daniel Bard (Boston). Both have put in a good workload with 53 games. O'Day's ERA is a buck-fifteen, with Bard at 2.01, the one bright spot in the Red Sox bullpen this year. Watch for a strong finish from Joaquin Benoit in Tampa. He's got the stats and stuff to be on this list by September, but he started a little late.

CLOSER: Mariano Rivera (NYY) Maybe the best year of his Hall of Fame career in a situation where the rest of the Yankee bullpen is in tatters. That's what great ones do.

MVP: Hamilton is an easy leader right now. I'd give some consideration to Rivera, for the way he's held up the Yankee bullpen, but the closer's workload isn't really heavy enough to put him at the top of the list. Cabrera is also close to the top and let's also keep an eye on Chicago's Paul Konerko. He was my MVP pick in late June, before slipping behind Cabrera at first base in this installment. He's still close to the top though and could be both an All-Star and an MVP with one final push. At the end of the regular season, we'll check back in on the American League All-Stars. And be sure to check back tomorrow for the National League's August review. 

Dan Flaherty is the editor of the Notebook Family of sports blogs, published through the Real Clear Sports blog network, offering daily commentary on baseball and previews in college football and the NFL.