#ASGWorthy: Machado vs. Donaldson

Among the tougher decisions on your 2016 All-Star ballot is right there at third base in the American League: Josh Donaldson or Manny Machado.

Are these the only choices? Absolutely not. If your favorite team is the Rangers, Tigers or Red Sox, you’ve got a legitimate argument to make for your guy.

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Adrian Beltre, Nick Castellanos and Travis Shaw have played their way squarely into the conversation. Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas would have been there too if he hadn’t gotten hurt.

On the other hand, let’s not overthink it.

Machado and Donaldson have outplayed those others, and this likely will be the choice for a lot of fans. Also, regardless of how the voting goes, both of them will be members of the AL squad in San Diego this summer.

As for starting the game, that’s an important, separate and defining honor in itself. In this case, the decision is about as clear-cut as an All-Star vote can get.

It’s Machado’s turn. Since Alex Rodriguez made the last of his five consecutive starts in 2008, the starting nod has gone to five different players in seven years — Michael Young in 2009, Evan Longoria in 2010, Beltre in 2011-12, Miguel Cabrera in 2013 and Donaldson in 2014-15.

Even though Donaldson is only 30 years old, and even though he’s the defending AL Most Valuable Player Award winner and still one of the 10 best players in the league, Machado has …

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