First guesses: NL All-Star team

June, 8, 2012

6/08/12

10:15

AM ET

By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com

After two months of the season, there are already some clear and obvious choices for the 2012 All-Star Game. But there are also some intriguing names as possible first-time All-Stars, too.

The fans will vote the starters in; managers will pick their favorites. So while the best players in baseball are supposed to be representing both leagues, due to the process, some great players often don’t start or even make the team.

So free from any variables like that, here are my first-guess picks for the National League All-Star team. This includes the starting lineup, the bench and the pitching staff. To view my first-guess picks for the American League roster, click here. On Saturday we will follow up with the 10 most intriguing possible All-Stars from both rosters.

Leave a comment and tell me who you think should be on the 2012 All-Star teams.

National League starting lineup

First base: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
With the departures of Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez to the AL the last few years, Votto has separated himself as clearly the best in the NL both offensively and defensively.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.