The Over-Achievers: AL Roster

Every year, a few players play above their pay grade/expectations and it makes for a wonderful story. However, there are always a few people who's numbers go unrecognized due to the lack of a big name franchise or not being a well known player.
This is my all-over-achiever team, made up of players who are exceeding expectations and still might end up getting snubbed at the all-star break.
I will select two players per position, per roster (with the exception of outfield and pitcher)--one AL roster, and one NL roster.
For the AL:
1st Base - Billy Butler, KC; Paul Konerko, CWS.
> Butler is 3rd in AVG among AL first basemen, leads them in doubles, hits and at-bats, and also has the fewest strikeouts among those with 200+ at-bats.
> Konerko leads all AL first basement in HR per AB and is second in HR with 17, all while boasting a .304 average.
2nd Base - Ty Wigginton, BAL; Mike Aviles, KC.
> Wigginton is second among AL second basemen in HR and slugging percentage, and is one of the few bright spots on the majors' worst team.
> Aviles is hitting .323 with only 20 strikeouts in his 163 AB so far this season and has played a very solid second base for the Royals; however I'm not sure if his lack of at-bats or the resurgence of Red Sox second baseman, Dustin Pedroia, will keep him from playing in Anaheim.
3rd Base - Adrian Beltre, BOS; Kevin Kouzmanoff, OAK.
> Beltre's bat has caught fire since April, much like all the Red Sox hitters. He is hitting .340 with 10 homers and is on pace for just his second career 200-hit season.
> Kouzmanoff has played a solid third base for the Athletics and has helped some of the fans forget about not having former all-star Eric Chavez for the first time in years.
Shortstop - Alex Gonzalez, TOR; Marco Scutaro, BOS.
> Gonzalez, who's normally known for his glove, has emerged as the AL's top power hitting shortstop. He has 13 homers already and is on pace to hit, a career-high, 30 by season's end.
> Scutaro has sured up the Red Sox starting shortstop position for the first time since the franchise parted ways with former all-star, Nomar Garciaparra. He's batting over .280 while hitting lead-off for the injured Jacoby Ellsbury and is playing solid defense.
Catcher - John Buck, TOR; Kurt Suzuki, OAK.
> Buck is another one of the surprise, power hitting Toronto Blue Jays; his 12 HR leads all AL catchers. He's also one of MLB's top defensive catchers leading all back-stops in fielding percentage and has allowed the 3rd fewest stolen bases among catchers in the AL.
> Suzuki has been a bright spot offensively for the reeling A's. He's in the top 5 among AL catchers in HR, RBI and triples.
Outfield (top 5 players) - Brennan Boesch, DET; Vernon Wells, TOR; Delmon Young, MIN; Brett Gardner, NYY; Alex Rios, CWS.

> In his true rookie year, Boesch has emerged as a leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year. His 11 home runs and .343 batting average have made him this year's version of Ryan Braun.

> Wells has been an all-star in the past and deserves the nod again as he has restored his offensive fire power to the tune of 16 home runs and, a league leading, 23 doubles.
> Delmon Young said, before the start of this season, that he wanted to show the Twins that he was worth their investment. His stat line has shown that he was right so far (.310 BA 8 HR 45 RBI).
> With the departure of Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, Gardner has been able to man LF in Yankee Stadium on a regular basis and is making Hank Steinbrenner look like a smart man. The speedy outfielder has racked up 23 stolen bases in 66 games this season.
DH - Vladimir Guerrero, TEX; David Ortiz, BOS.
> The LA Angels let Guerrero go in the off-season believing the former all-star outfielder's best years were behind him. Now his Texas Rangers sit atop the AL West, 3.5 games ahead of the LA Angels.
> Big Papi is back, at least with the power numbers. Since April, Ortiz has been one of the major league's most dangerous hitters as he re-claimed his regular third spot in the Sox' batting order.
Pitchers (5 starters, 3 closers) - Clay Buchholz, BOS; Jered Weaver, LAA; Ricky Romero, TOR; Francisco Liriano, MIN; Jeff Niemann, TAM...Jose Valverde, DET; Jon Rauch, MIN; Neftali Feliz, TEX.
> Buchholz has finally harnessed control over the game as well as his nasty stuff and the result is going from near bust to best in the AL.
> Jered Weaver is leading the AL in Ks (107) and has a 7-3 record to go along with it. He's been, easily one of LA's most consistent pitchers.
> Romero has built upon a successful rookie season and his stats are definitely providing visual evidence. 6-3 with a 3.08 ERA and one of the best change-ups in the game.
> Liriano has made a full recovery from Tommy Johns surgery in '07 and his numbers are back to the stellar level they once were in '06. His comeback alone makes him deserve the nod.
> Jeff Niemann is having a stellar sophomore campaign, posting a 6-1 record with a minuscule 2.84 ERA, the 6'9 righty is making a strong bid to be an all-star this season.
>Valverde has given up only 2 earned runs for the Tigers this season and has converted 16 of 17 save opportunities. How can he not be an all-star.
>Rauch was just another arm out of the bullpen until the Twins' all-star closer Joe Nathan went down with a severely torn ulnar collateral ligament in spring training. Now Rauch is 3rd in the AL in saves with 17.
> Neftali Feliz is tops among AL closers in saves and strikeouts, and in just his second year in the bigs--his 1st as a closer--Feliz has one of the best arms among all AL pitchers.

by Aaron Hilton

*All images provided by Google.com
**Look for my NL Overachievers roster coming soon...