BY RONALD BLUM (AP)
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- No matter the names, the AL dominates the All-Star Game in the 21st Century and starts the World Series at home.
Back in 2003, when a "This Time It Counts" sign was put up in right at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, the stars included Roger Clemens and Hank Blalock. This year, the key names were baseball Royalty: Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez.
And because they came up big Tuesday night, Kansas City would open the World Series at home again if it wins a third straight AL pennant - a big if.
"It just brings that sense of comfort to the team and gives you a jump-start for the whole Series," Hosmer said after homering, driving in two runs and earning the MVP Award in the American League's 4-2 win over the Nationals.
The Game 1 Series host has won six of the last seven titles and 24 of the last 30.
"I would have loved to have that seventh game last year in San Francisco," manager Dusty Baker said in 2003, thinking back to when his Giants lost Game 7 at Anaheim the previous fall.
Home teams have taken a 2-0 Series lead in six of the last 13 years. No visiting team has won the first two games since the 1999 New York Yankees, who swept Atlanta.
"Hopefully this is something we can all rally upon for the second half and find a way to use that home-field advantage," Hosmer said
Hosmer and Perez homered in a six-pitch span, and the Kansas City duo drove in all the AL's runs. The defending World Series champion Royals are languishing at 45-43, seven games off the AL Central lead and in the middle of the wild-card race.
Before the game, Royals manager Ned Yost told the AL team of the importance of earning home-field.
"We don't know who is going to be in the World Series. We don't know who is going to be representing the American League, but we know how much that home-field advantage helped us," Hosmer recalled his manager saying.
The AL cut its deficit to 43-42 with two ties - including the infamous 7-7, 11-inning game at Milwaukee in 2002 that sparked baseball officials to link Series home field to the All-Stars the following year.
After two decades of NL domination starting in the early 1960s - 20 wins in 21 games - the AL has nearly caught up. The NL's scoring lead is just 360-359.
Even the three NL players who became All-Star MVPs in the last 13 years now play for the AL - Prince Fielder, Brian McCann and Melky Cabrera.
Of course, home-field isn't everything. Speaking in 2005, then-Cardinals manager Tony La Russa thought back to Boston's Series sweep the previous year.
"I think that if we had started the series in St. Louis," he said, "maybe we would have lost in five,"
This is "The Line Drive", MLB and baseball news brought to you by the UNB! Network!
Showing posts with label 2016 MLB All-Star Game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016 MLB All-Star Game. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Monday, July 11, 2016
Giancarlo Stanton beats Frazier in All-Star home run derby
BY BERNIE WILSON (AP)
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Giancarlo Stanton wore out Petco Park with a record display of power in the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night, peppering every landmark from the left field corner to center field.
Stanton hit 20 homers in the final round to best defending champion Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox.
Overall, the Miami Marlins slugger hit a record 61, shattering the single-night mark of 41 by Bobby Abreu in 2005.
Stanton's impressive shots hit the top level of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left-field corner and the top of the batter's eye in center field. He sent several balls just below the giant scoreboard high atop the left-field stands and several over the bullpens in left-center.
"For sure being on the West Coast and taking the flight out here just for this, you know. I figure it's a waste if I don't bring this bad boy home," Stanton said, hoisting the trophy.
The three-time All-Star is not on the NL roster for Tuesday night's game after batting .233 with 20 homers and 50 RBIs before the break.
"I had a great time. I had a blast."
Literally.
His longest shot was estimated at 497 feet. He hit the eight longest homers of the competition and 20 of the 21 deepest drives.
"When I get a few in a row I would kind of bump it up 5 to 10 percent," he said. "But most the time I stuck at 80-90 percent. I knew I could do it endurance-wise. I was just hoping my swing didn't fall about."
Stanton can defend his title at home next year when the Marlins host the All-Star Game.
"That is where I got my childhood memories, watching the Home Run Derby as a kid," said Stanton, who's from Los Angeles. "Maybe some kids are watching me. I would like to return that."
Stanton is baseball's highest-paid player with a $325 million, 13-year deal. His new hitting coach is home run king Barry Bonds.
Frazier, who's not on the AL All-Star team, hit 13 in the final round. He was a hometown winner last year while with the Cincinnati Reds. He was traded to the White Sox in December.
The Western Metal Supply Co. Building served as one of the better Derby targets, joining the Warehouse at Baltimore's Camden Yards in 1993 and McCovey Cove outside San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2007. Those were both targets for lefty hitters
Stanton hit 24 homers in the first round to eliminate the Seattle Mariners' Robinson Cano (seven) and 17 in the semifinals to knock out Mark Trumbo (14) of the Baltimore Orioles.
Frazier hit 13 in the first round to beat Carlos Gonzalez (12) of the Colorado Rockies, and 16 in the semifinals to eliminate Adam Duvall (15) of the Cincinnati Reds.
Trumbo, who leads the majors with 28 homers, had two of the most impressive shots of the night, off the scoreboard in left field and onto the top of the Western Metal Building in his semifinal matchup against Stanton.
Wil Myers of the San Diego Padres tried to become the second hometown player to win the Derby. With younger brother Beau - an infielder-outfielder at Appalachian State - pitching to him, Myers hit 10 homers in the first round and was eliminated by Duvall with 11.
Beau Myers even hit his brother with a pitch early in the four-minute period, and nearly nicked him another time.
 |
| Associated Press/Lenny Ignelzi |
Stanton hit 20 homers in the final round to best defending champion Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox.
Overall, the Miami Marlins slugger hit a record 61, shattering the single-night mark of 41 by Bobby Abreu in 2005.
Stanton's impressive shots hit the top level of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left-field corner and the top of the batter's eye in center field. He sent several balls just below the giant scoreboard high atop the left-field stands and several over the bullpens in left-center.
"For sure being on the West Coast and taking the flight out here just for this, you know. I figure it's a waste if I don't bring this bad boy home," Stanton said, hoisting the trophy.
The three-time All-Star is not on the NL roster for Tuesday night's game after batting .233 with 20 homers and 50 RBIs before the break.
"I had a great time. I had a blast."
Literally.
His longest shot was estimated at 497 feet. He hit the eight longest homers of the competition and 20 of the 21 deepest drives.
"When I get a few in a row I would kind of bump it up 5 to 10 percent," he said. "But most the time I stuck at 80-90 percent. I knew I could do it endurance-wise. I was just hoping my swing didn't fall about."
Stanton can defend his title at home next year when the Marlins host the All-Star Game.
"That is where I got my childhood memories, watching the Home Run Derby as a kid," said Stanton, who's from Los Angeles. "Maybe some kids are watching me. I would like to return that."
Stanton is baseball's highest-paid player with a $325 million, 13-year deal. His new hitting coach is home run king Barry Bonds.
Frazier, who's not on the AL All-Star team, hit 13 in the final round. He was a hometown winner last year while with the Cincinnati Reds. He was traded to the White Sox in December.
The Western Metal Supply Co. Building served as one of the better Derby targets, joining the Warehouse at Baltimore's Camden Yards in 1993 and McCovey Cove outside San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2007. Those were both targets for lefty hitters
Stanton hit 24 homers in the first round to eliminate the Seattle Mariners' Robinson Cano (seven) and 17 in the semifinals to knock out Mark Trumbo (14) of the Baltimore Orioles.
Frazier hit 13 in the first round to beat Carlos Gonzalez (12) of the Colorado Rockies, and 16 in the semifinals to eliminate Adam Duvall (15) of the Cincinnati Reds.
Trumbo, who leads the majors with 28 homers, had two of the most impressive shots of the night, off the scoreboard in left field and onto the top of the Western Metal Building in his semifinal matchup against Stanton.
Wil Myers of the San Diego Padres tried to become the second hometown player to win the Derby. With younger brother Beau - an infielder-outfielder at Appalachian State - pitching to him, Myers hit 10 homers in the first round and was eliminated by Duvall with 11.
Beau Myers even hit his brother with a pitch early in the four-minute period, and nearly nicked him another time.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Jose Quintana to replace Danny Salazar on American League All-Star roster
American League All-Star manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals announced today his selection of Chicago White Sox left-hander José Quintana to the AL All-Star roster as a replacement for Cleveland Indians right-hander Danny Salazar.
This marks the first career Midsummer Classic for Quintana, who is 7-8 with a 3.21 ERA on the season over 18 starts in his fifth Major League season. In 117.2 innings pitched, the 27-year-old native of Colombia has allowed 42 earned runs on 103 hits with 28 walks and 105 strikeouts. Quintana joins his teammate Chris Sale in representing the White Sox on the AL All-Star roster.
Salazar, an All-Star for the first time in his fourth Major League season, is 10-3 with a 2.75 ERA over 17 starts. In 104.2 innings pitched, the 26-year-old native of the Dominican Republic has permitted 32 earned runs on 77 hits with 46 walks and 118 strikeouts. Salazar is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Sanchez to replace Kimbrel on American League All-Star roster
American League All-Star manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals announced today his selection of Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez to the AL All-Star roster as a replacement for Boston Red Sox reliever Craig Kimbrel, who has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.
This marks the first career Midsummer Classic for Sanchez, a third-year Major Leaguer who is 9-1 with a 2.94 ERA on the season. In his 17 starts this year -- his first as a full-time member of Toronto's starting rotation -- the 24-year-old California native has struck out 99 batters across 113.1 innings, allowing 99 hits and 35 walks. He posted a 4-0 mark with a 2.72 ERA in his six starts in June, in which he logged 39.2 innings. The 6'4" hurler is 18-9 with a 2.79 ERA in his young Major League career. Sanchez joins teammates Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Marco Estrada (DL) and Michael Saunders in representing the Blue Jays on the AL All-Star roster.
Kimbrel, a five-time All-Star who made the Midsummer Classic in his first season with the Red Sox, has a 3.55 ERA and 17 saves on the year. He has fanned 50 batters in 33.0 innings. Kimbrel is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
This marks the first career Midsummer Classic for Sanchez, a third-year Major Leaguer who is 9-1 with a 2.94 ERA on the season. In his 17 starts this year -- his first as a full-time member of Toronto's starting rotation -- the 24-year-old California native has struck out 99 batters across 113.1 innings, allowing 99 hits and 35 walks. He posted a 4-0 mark with a 2.72 ERA in his six starts in June, in which he logged 39.2 innings. The 6'4" hurler is 18-9 with a 2.79 ERA in his young Major League career. Sanchez joins teammates Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Marco Estrada (DL) and Michael Saunders in representing the Blue Jays on the AL All-Star roster.
Kimbrel, a five-time All-Star who made the Midsummer Classic in his first season with the Red Sox, has a 3.55 ERA and 17 saves on the year. He has fanned 50 batters in 33.0 innings. Kimbrel is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
Pomeranz, Marte, Bruce to replace Syndergaard, Cespedes and Fowler on active NL All-Star roster
National League All-Star manager Terry Collins of the New York Mets announced today his selections of San Diego Padres pitcher Drew Pomeranz, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marté and Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce to the active NL All-Star roster as injury replacements for Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, Mets outfielder Yoenis Céspedes and Chicago Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler.
This marks the first All-Star selection for Pomeranz, who will join teammate Wil Myers in front of the hometown fans during the Midsummer Classic at Petco Park. The 27-year-old left-hander is 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA over 17 starts this season. In 102.0 innings pitched, the fifth overall selection in the 2010 MLB Draft (by Cleveland) has allowed 28 earned runs on 67 hits with 41 walks and 115 strikeouts. The six-year veteran, who is in his first season with San Diego, has already set single-season career-highs in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.
Marté, who finished in second place in the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote, becomes an All-Star for the first time in his five-year career. The 27-year-old native of the Dominican Republic joins his Pirates teammate Mark Melancon on the NL roster. Marté is batting .316 on the season with 19 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 32 RBI, 46 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. With his selection, there are now 29 foreign-born players on 2016 All-Star rosters. In addition, there are now 32 players 27-or-younger on All-Star rosters, as well as 32 first-time All-Stars.
Bruce, an NL All-Star for the third time in his career (also 2011-12), joins fellow Reds outfielder Adam Duvall on the NL roster. The 29-year-old slugger is batting .265 on the season with 19 doubles, six triples, 18 home runs, 62 RBI and 46 runs. His 62 RBI on the season are tied for third in the NL.
Syndergaard, 23, is 9-4 on the season with a 2.56 ERA over 18 games (17 starts). In 105.2 innings pitched, the first-time All-Star has permitted 30 earned runs on 96 hits with 18 walks and 128 strikeouts, which ranks sixth in the NL.
Céspedes, an All-Star for the second time in his career (also 2014), is hitting .302 on the season with 16 doubles, a triple, 21 home runs, 52 RBI and 47 runs scored. The Cuban native's 21 home runs are tied for fifth in the NL. Fowler, who has been on the disabled list since June 21st, is hitting .290 on the season with 19 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 28 RBI and 41 runs scored. The 30-year-old is an All-Star for the first time in his nine-year career. Syndergaard, Céspedes and Fowler are invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
Céspedes, who finished second among NL outfielders in fan balloting, and Fowler, who finished third among NL outfielders in fan balloting, will be replaced in the NL starting lineup by Miami's Marcell Ozuna and Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez, the highest ranked NL outfielders on the Player Ballot.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
This marks the first All-Star selection for Pomeranz, who will join teammate Wil Myers in front of the hometown fans during the Midsummer Classic at Petco Park. The 27-year-old left-hander is 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA over 17 starts this season. In 102.0 innings pitched, the fifth overall selection in the 2010 MLB Draft (by Cleveland) has allowed 28 earned runs on 67 hits with 41 walks and 115 strikeouts. The six-year veteran, who is in his first season with San Diego, has already set single-season career-highs in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.
Marté, who finished in second place in the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote, becomes an All-Star for the first time in his five-year career. The 27-year-old native of the Dominican Republic joins his Pirates teammate Mark Melancon on the NL roster. Marté is batting .316 on the season with 19 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 32 RBI, 46 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. With his selection, there are now 29 foreign-born players on 2016 All-Star rosters. In addition, there are now 32 players 27-or-younger on All-Star rosters, as well as 32 first-time All-Stars.
Bruce, an NL All-Star for the third time in his career (also 2011-12), joins fellow Reds outfielder Adam Duvall on the NL roster. The 29-year-old slugger is batting .265 on the season with 19 doubles, six triples, 18 home runs, 62 RBI and 46 runs. His 62 RBI on the season are tied for third in the NL.
Syndergaard, 23, is 9-4 on the season with a 2.56 ERA over 18 games (17 starts). In 105.2 innings pitched, the first-time All-Star has permitted 30 earned runs on 96 hits with 18 walks and 128 strikeouts, which ranks sixth in the NL.
Céspedes, an All-Star for the second time in his career (also 2014), is hitting .302 on the season with 16 doubles, a triple, 21 home runs, 52 RBI and 47 runs scored. The Cuban native's 21 home runs are tied for fifth in the NL. Fowler, who has been on the disabled list since June 21st, is hitting .290 on the season with 19 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 28 RBI and 41 runs scored. The 30-year-old is an All-Star for the first time in his nine-year career. Syndergaard, Céspedes and Fowler are invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
Céspedes, who finished second among NL outfielders in fan balloting, and Fowler, who finished third among NL outfielders in fan balloting, will be replaced in the NL starting lineup by Miami's Marcell Ozuna and Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez, the highest ranked NL outfielders on the Player Ballot.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
Friday, July 8, 2016
Saunders, Belt win Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote
As announced during a special Final Vote-edition of MLB Now on MLB Network and MLB.com, Michael Saunders of the Toronto Blue Jays and Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants were chosen by fans as the winners of the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote. Saunders and Belt earned the final two AL and NL All-Star Team roster spots through online voting on MLB.com, the individual Club sites and Twitter, where custom player hashtags counted during the final six hours of voting today.
On the NL ballot, Belt withstood a whirlwind three-day race that saw him go from last to first on day one, lose the lead to Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte on day two and recapture and hold the lead through the final day of voting. Marte finished second, just behind Belt and ahead of Trevor Story (Colorado), Jake Lamb (Arizona) and Ryan Braun (Milwaukee). Belt garnered 10.4 million votes and is the first Giants player to win the MLB All-Star Game Final Vote.
The AL winner, Saunders tallied 17.7 million votes and held off Houston's George Springer, who led all 10 players in votes from the mobile text ballot, in becoming the second Blue Jays player (Steve Delabar, 2013) to win the MLB All-Star Game Final Vote. Saunders and Springer were followed by Dustin Pedroia (Boston), Ian Kinsler (Detroit) and Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay).
This year's Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote concluded with a dramatic final few minutes, which saw the Twitter voting drawing thousands of tweets per minute. Overall, the top two leading Twitter vote-getters were in the American League, #VoteCaptainCanada and #VoteSpringer, and they were followed by #VoteBelt, #VoteKinsler and #VOTEMARTE in the top five.
On the NL ballot, Belt withstood a whirlwind three-day race that saw him go from last to first on day one, lose the lead to Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte on day two and recapture and hold the lead through the final day of voting. Marte finished second, just behind Belt and ahead of Trevor Story (Colorado), Jake Lamb (Arizona) and Ryan Braun (Milwaukee). Belt garnered 10.4 million votes and is the first Giants player to win the MLB All-Star Game Final Vote.
The AL winner, Saunders tallied 17.7 million votes and held off Houston's George Springer, who led all 10 players in votes from the mobile text ballot, in becoming the second Blue Jays player (Steve Delabar, 2013) to win the MLB All-Star Game Final Vote. Saunders and Springer were followed by Dustin Pedroia (Boston), Ian Kinsler (Detroit) and Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay).
This year's Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote concluded with a dramatic final few minutes, which saw the Twitter voting drawing thousands of tweets per minute. Overall, the top two leading Twitter vote-getters were in the American League, #VoteCaptainCanada and #VoteSpringer, and they were followed by #VoteBelt, #VoteKinsler and #VOTEMARTE in the top five.
Colón to replace Bumgarner on National League All-Star roster
National League All-Star manager Terry Collins of the New York Mets announced today his selection of Mets pitcher Bartolo Colón to the NL All-Star roster as a replacement for San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, who is scheduled to start for the Giants on Sunday.
The 43-year-old Colón is 7-4 on the season with a 3.28 ERA over 18 games, including 17 starts. The three-time American League All-Star (1998, 2005, 2013) has permitted 36 earned runs on 103 hits with 17 walks and 65 strikeouts in 98.2 innings pitched.
Bumgarner, who was named to his fourth All-Star team, is 9-4 on the season with a 2.04 ERA. In 120.2 innings pitched, he has allowed 28 earned runs on 92 hits with 31 walks and 132 strikeouts. The Giants left-hander is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
The 43-year-old Colón is 7-4 on the season with a 3.28 ERA over 18 games, including 17 starts. The three-time American League All-Star (1998, 2005, 2013) has permitted 36 earned runs on 103 hits with 17 walks and 65 strikeouts in 98.2 innings pitched.
Bumgarner, who was named to his fourth All-Star team, is 9-4 on the season with a 2.04 ERA. In 120.2 innings pitched, he has allowed 28 earned runs on 92 hits with 31 walks and 132 strikeouts. The Giants left-hander is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
Scherzer to replace teammate Strasburg on National League All-Star roster
National League All-Star manager Terry Collins of the New York Mets announced today his selection of Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer to the active NL All-Star roster as a replacement for his teammate, Stephen Strasburg, who will not pitch in Tuesday's All-Star Game.
This marks the fourth consecutive Midsummer Classic for Scherzer and his second in as many years as a National. Scherzer, one of the game's top power pitchers, was the American League's starting pitcher at the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York. In 18 starts this season, Scherzer is 9-6 with a 3.21 ERA and a Major League-best 155 strikeouts in his 120.2 innings pitched (85 H, 32 BB). The 31-year-old Missouri native has limited opponents to a .195 batting average and has posted a 0.97 WHIP. After throwing two no-hitters in the 2015 season, Scherzer made more history on May 11th of this season by tying a Major League record with 20 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers. He joined Roger Clemens (twice), Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson as the only pitchers in history to reach 20 strikeouts in a game. Scherzer will join teammates Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Wilson Ramos and Strasburg as NL All-Stars.
Strasburg, 27, has a perfect 11-0 mark with a 2.71 ERA this season, his seventh in the Major Leagues. This year the top overall selection of the 2009 Draft has fanned 123 batters in his 99.2 innings, yielding just 75 hits and 28 walks. The right-hander, who was activated from the disabled list on July 3rd, has a franchise-record streak of winning 14 straight decisions. The last NL starter to begin a season with an 11-0 record was Andy Hawkins of the San Diego Padres in 1985.
Strasburg, a San Diego native who attended San Diego State University and played baseball under Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, is invited to his hometown with full All-Star honors.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
This marks the fourth consecutive Midsummer Classic for Scherzer and his second in as many years as a National. Scherzer, one of the game's top power pitchers, was the American League's starting pitcher at the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York. In 18 starts this season, Scherzer is 9-6 with a 3.21 ERA and a Major League-best 155 strikeouts in his 120.2 innings pitched (85 H, 32 BB). The 31-year-old Missouri native has limited opponents to a .195 batting average and has posted a 0.97 WHIP. After throwing two no-hitters in the 2015 season, Scherzer made more history on May 11th of this season by tying a Major League record with 20 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers. He joined Roger Clemens (twice), Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson as the only pitchers in history to reach 20 strikeouts in a game. Scherzer will join teammates Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Wilson Ramos and Strasburg as NL All-Stars.
Strasburg, 27, has a perfect 11-0 mark with a 2.71 ERA this season, his seventh in the Major Leagues. This year the top overall selection of the 2009 Draft has fanned 123 batters in his 99.2 innings, yielding just 75 hits and 28 walks. The right-hander, who was activated from the disabled list on July 3rd, has a franchise-record streak of winning 14 straight decisions. The last NL starter to begin a season with an 11-0 record was Andy Hawkins of the San Diego Padres in 1985.
Strasburg, a San Diego native who attended San Diego State University and played baseball under Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, is invited to his hometown with full All-Star honors.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
Umpires, official scorers announced for 2016 All-Star Game
Mike Winters, a 27th-year Major League Umpire, will call balls and strikes and will serve as Crew Chief at Baseball's 87th All-Star Game presented by MasterCard on Tuesday, July 12th at Petco Park in San Diego.
Winters, a San Diego area native, will work his fourth Midsummer Classic (previous: 1995, 2007, 2010), including his first as Crew Chief. He has called four World Series, five League Championship Series, 10 Division Series and one Wild Card Game in his career. Winters' crew will include Kerwin Danley (first base), Marty Foster (second base), Bill Welke (third base), Adrian Johnson (left field) and Dan Bellino (right field). This will mark the second career All-Star assignment for Danley (previous: 2007), Foster (2002) and Welke (2003), and the first for Johnson and Bellino. Danley, who is in his 20th year as a Major League Umpire, was an All-American baseball player in 1983 at San Diego State University, where he was a teammate of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. The Replay Official who will be based in the Replay Operations Center at MLB Advanced Media during the 2016 All-Star Game will be Sam Holbrook, a 16th-year Major League Umpire. Holbrook worked the 2004 All-Star Game in Houston.
The Minor League Baseball Umpires who will work the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game are Nestor Ceja (home plate) of the Texas League; Adam Beck (first base) and Brennan Miller (second base) of the Southern League; and Charlie Ramos (third base) of the Eastern League. All four umpires will be on the field for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 11th. Miller and Ramos also will be a part of Sunday's All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game.
The official scorers for the 2016 All-Star Game will be MLB's longtime San Diego-based scorer Bill Zavestovski, as well as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the President of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, and Scott Miller of Bleacher Report, the chairperson of the San Diego chapter of the BBWAA. MLB official scorer Jack Murray will have scoring duties for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
Winters, a San Diego area native, will work his fourth Midsummer Classic (previous: 1995, 2007, 2010), including his first as Crew Chief. He has called four World Series, five League Championship Series, 10 Division Series and one Wild Card Game in his career. Winters' crew will include Kerwin Danley (first base), Marty Foster (second base), Bill Welke (third base), Adrian Johnson (left field) and Dan Bellino (right field). This will mark the second career All-Star assignment for Danley (previous: 2007), Foster (2002) and Welke (2003), and the first for Johnson and Bellino. Danley, who is in his 20th year as a Major League Umpire, was an All-American baseball player in 1983 at San Diego State University, where he was a teammate of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. The Replay Official who will be based in the Replay Operations Center at MLB Advanced Media during the 2016 All-Star Game will be Sam Holbrook, a 16th-year Major League Umpire. Holbrook worked the 2004 All-Star Game in Houston.
The Minor League Baseball Umpires who will work the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game are Nestor Ceja (home plate) of the Texas League; Adam Beck (first base) and Brennan Miller (second base) of the Southern League; and Charlie Ramos (third base) of the Eastern League. All four umpires will be on the field for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 11th. Miller and Ramos also will be a part of Sunday's All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game.
The official scorers for the 2016 All-Star Game will be MLB's longtime San Diego-based scorer Bill Zavestovski, as well as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the President of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, and Scott Miller of Bleacher Report, the chairperson of the San Diego chapter of the BBWAA. MLB official scorer Jack Murray will have scoring duties for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Diaz to replace teammate Carpenter on National League All-Star roster
National League All-Star manager Terry Collins of the New York Mets announced today his selection of St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz to the NL All-Star roster as a replacement for his teammate, infielder Matt Carpenter.
Diaz, a rookie, is batting .319 with 12 home runs, 44 RBI, 22 doubles, 54 runs scored, a .382 on-base percentage and a .534 slugging percentage this season. The 25-year-old native of Cuba ranks among NL leaders in batting average (6th), runs scored (7th) and doubles (6th).
Carpenter, who was named to his third All-Star team, left last night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to injury. The versatile 30-year-old is batting .298 on the season with 14 homers, 53 RBI, 25 doubles, an NL-best .420 OBP and a .568 slugging percentage. The Cardinals' mainstay is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
Diaz, a rookie, is batting .319 with 12 home runs, 44 RBI, 22 doubles, 54 runs scored, a .382 on-base percentage and a .534 slugging percentage this season. The 25-year-old native of Cuba ranks among NL leaders in batting average (6th), runs scored (7th) and doubles (6th).
Carpenter, who was named to his third All-Star team, left last night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to injury. The versatile 30-year-old is batting .298 on the season with 14 homers, 53 RBI, 25 doubles, an NL-best .420 OBP and a .568 slugging percentage. The Cardinals' mainstay is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
Kluber to replace Estrada on American League All-Star roster
American League All-Star manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals announced today his selection of Cleveland Indians right-hander Corey Kluber to the AL All-Star roster as a replacement for Toronto Blue Jays righty Marco Estrada, who has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.
This marks the first career Midsummer Classic for the 30-year-old Kluber, the winner of the 2014 AL Cy Young Award and an anchor for pitching-rich Cleveland. Now in his sixth Major League season, Kluber is currently 8-8 with a 3.79 ERA, striking out 114 batters in his 114.0 innings of work. On the season the Stetson University product has a 1.04 WHIP and has limited batters to a .219 batting average, both of which would be the best marks of his career. Kluber joins teammates Danny Salazar and Francisco Lindor in representing the AL Central-leading Indians on the AL All-Star roster.
The 33-year-old Estrada, who was elected via the Player Ballot, has followed up a career-best 2015 season with the first All-Star recognition of his nine-year Major League career in 2016. The Sonora, Mexico native is 5-3 with a 2.93 ERA (104.1 IP, 64 H, 99 SO) on the season, in which he has fashioned a 0.99 WHIP and a .173 opponents' batting average. The Long Beach State product has been a model of consistency this season, recently posting a record-setting stretch in which he pitched at least 6.0 innings without permitting more than five hits in a Major League-record 12 consecutive starts, eclipsing the previous mark of 10 (Jake Arrieta - 2014; Johnny Cueto - 2013; Johan Santana - 2004). He is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
This marks the first career Midsummer Classic for the 30-year-old Kluber, the winner of the 2014 AL Cy Young Award and an anchor for pitching-rich Cleveland. Now in his sixth Major League season, Kluber is currently 8-8 with a 3.79 ERA, striking out 114 batters in his 114.0 innings of work. On the season the Stetson University product has a 1.04 WHIP and has limited batters to a .219 batting average, both of which would be the best marks of his career. Kluber joins teammates Danny Salazar and Francisco Lindor in representing the AL Central-leading Indians on the AL All-Star roster.
The 33-year-old Estrada, who was elected via the Player Ballot, has followed up a career-best 2015 season with the first All-Star recognition of his nine-year Major League career in 2016. The Sonora, Mexico native is 5-3 with a 2.93 ERA (104.1 IP, 64 H, 99 SO) on the season, in which he has fashioned a 0.99 WHIP and a .173 opponents' batting average. The Long Beach State product has been a model of consistency this season, recently posting a record-setting stretch in which he pitched at least 6.0 innings without permitting more than five hits in a Major League-record 12 consecutive starts, eclipsing the previous mark of 10 (Jake Arrieta - 2014; Johnny Cueto - 2013; Johan Santana - 2004). He is invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
2016 All-Star Game starters announced
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, Major League Baseball's leading vote-getter, and Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who led the National League in voting, will be among the starters in the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game presented by MasterCard, to be played on Tuesday, July 12th at Petco Park in San Diego. The 2016 American League and National League All-Star starters were unveiled earlier this evening during the "2016 Esurance All-Star Selection Show" on ESPN.
The Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot was conducted exclusively online for the second consecutive season. The AL All-Star Team has nine elected starters via the fan balloting program, while the NL All-Star Team has eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads - totaling 25 for the NL and 24 for the AL - are determined through a combination of "Player Ballot" choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers - AL skipper Ned Yost of the defending World Series Champion Royals and NL manager Terry Collins of the reigning National League Champion New York Mets.
Perez, who totaled 4,965,838 votes, joined Hall of Famer George Brett (1981) as the only Royals in history to pace the Majors in All-Star balloting. This marks the fourth consecutive Midsummer Classic selection for Perez, including his second consecutive fan-elected start. The 26-year-old Perez is the first AL catcher to earn consecutive fan elections since Joe Mauer (2008-10), and he joins the aforementioned Brett (11) as the only Royals in team history to receive multiple fan elections. Among AL catchers, he ranks first in batting average (.277), hits (74) and slugging percentage (.483), is tied for first in RBI (37), and is second in doubles (15) and home runs (12).
Rizzo topped the NL with 3,242,670 votes en route to his third straight All-Star selection and first career fan election. The 26-year-old joins Derrek Lee (2005) as the only Cubs first basemen to receive a fan election. Rizzo, who hit 20 homers prior to the break in 2014, clubbed his 20th home run of the season on Saturday. He joins Hall of Famer Billy Williams (1970, 1972) as the only two left-handed hitters in franchise history to reach 20 homers before the break in multiple seasons. In addition, he is the third Cub age 26-or-younger with four consecutive 20-homer seasons, joining Hall of Famers Ron Santo and Williams. The Florida native is hitting .282 on the season with 20 home runs, 61 RBI, 19 doubles and 49 runs scored.
Rizzo is joined among the NL starters by four of his teammates - second baseman Ben Zobrist, third baseman Kris Bryant; shortstop Addison Russell; and outfielder Dexter Fowler. The Cubs will become just the second team in history to have their entire infield start the Midsummer Classic, joining the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals, who had first baseman Bill White, second baseman Julian Javier, third baseman Ken Boyer and shortstop Dick Groat start the 34th All-Star Game. With five players receiving fan-elected starts, the Cubs become just the second team since fan voting was reinstated in 1970 to have five players earn fan elections. The only other instance was the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, who had Johnny Bench, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, Joe Morgan and Pete Rose elected to start.
Zobrist, who was an AL All-Star with the Rays in 2009 and 2013, earns his first career fan election in his first season with the Cubs. The 35-year-old, who garnered 3,013,407 votes, finished just 88 votes ahead of second-place Daniel Murphy of the Washington Nationals (3,013,407). Zobrist becomes the third Cubs second baseman to earn a fan election, joining Glenn Beckert (1970-71) and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg (1984, 1986-93). Zobrist, who has reached base safely in 65 of his 77 games played this season, ranks fourth in the NL with a .404 on-base percentage to go along with a .296 batting average, 11 home runs, 43 RBI and 55 runs scored. His 24 two-out RBI are tied for second in the NL.
Bryant, who received 3,063,929 votes, held off Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies (2,754,191) to earn his second consecutive All-Star selection after making the NL squad as a rookie in 2015. The 24-year-old joins Hall of Famer Ron Santo (1973) as the only Cubs third basemen to earn a fan election. Bryant ranks among NL leaders in runs (1st, 67), home runs (1st, 24) and RBI (2nd, 63). Over his last 18 games, is batting .302 (19-for-63) with five doubles, nine home runs and 18 RBI. His 11 homers in June were his most in any calendar month and tied for the most in the Majors.
The 22-year-old Russell collected 2,115,097 votes, finishing ahead of Colorado's Trevor Story (1,799,853) to seize his first All-Star selection. Russell joins Don Kessinger (1970, 1972) as the only Cubs shortstops to receive a fan-elected start. The Florida native, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft (by Oakland), is batting .238 on the season with nine home runs, 45 RBI, 10 doubles and 32 runs scored. Among NL shortstops, he ranks second with 36 walks and his RBI total is fourth.
Fowler, in his second season with the Cubs, is an All-Star for the first time in his career after finishing third among NL outfielders with 2,767,109 votes. He is joined in the NL outfield by leader Bryce Harper of the Nationals (2,865,095) and second-place Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets (2,816,146). Fowler is the first Cubs outfielder to receive a fan-elected starting assignment since Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome in 2008. The 30-year-old Fowler, who was placed on the disabled list two weeks ago with a sore right hamstring, is hitting .290 on the season with seven home runs, 28 RBI, 19 doubles, 41 runs scored and six stolen bases.
Harper, who led the way in the NL outfield for the second consecutive season after setting a new NL balloting record in 2015, is an All-Star for the fourth time in his career (also: 2012-13, 2015). In addition, this marks the 23-year-old's third career fan-elected start (also: 2013, 2015). He joins Hall of Famers Gary Carter (4) and Andre Dawson (3) as the only players in franchise history (Montreal/Washington) to receive at least three fan elections. The 23-year-old leads the Majors with 66 walks and ranks eighth with a .404 on-base percentage. The Las Vegas native, who has reached base safely in 25 of his last 27 games, is hitting .258 on the season with 17 home runs, 48 RBI, 11 doubles, 47 runs scored and 11 stolen bases.
Cespedes, who becomes an All-Star for the second time in his career after making the AL squad in 2014 while with Oakland, is the first Mets outfielder to receive a fan-elected start since Carlos Beltran in 2009. In his first full season with New York, the 30-year-old native of Cuba is batting .300 on the season with 20 home runs, 50 RBI, 15 doubles, 45 runs scored and a .578 slugging percentage. Cespedes, who is tied for fourth in the NL in home runs and tied for ninth in the Majors, connected for his 20th home run of the season on July 1st, the fastest a Met has reached the mark since Beltran and Carlos Delgado in 2006.
Rounding out the starting NL position players is catcher Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants, who received 2,266,868 votes to edge out St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (2,161,819). Posey, an All-Star for the fourth time (2012-13, 2015), wins his second consecutive fan election and third overall (also 2012). The 29-year-old native of Georgia is hitting .291 on the season with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 19 doubles and 48 runs scored. Over his last 20 games, Buster is hitting .403 (29-for-72). Posey and Molina have now combined to win each of the last five and seven of the last eight fan elections as the NL's starting backstop.
In his 20th and final Major League season, David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox earns his 10th All-Star selection (2004-08, 2010-13) and eighth fan-elected start (2005-08, 2011-13) after finishing with the second-highest vote total in the AL (4,364,746). The 40-year-old, who is the first player in Red Sox history to receive eight fan elections (Manny Ramirez - 7), outpaced fellow AL East designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays (1,543,874). David is hitting .339 on the season with 19 home runs and 66 RBI. He leads the Majors with 34 doubles, a .433 on-base percentage and a .679 slugging percentage. Ortiz is joined among the AL starters by three of his Boston teammates - shortstop Xander Bogaerts (3,681,589) and outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr. (2,682,173) and Mookie Betts (2,499,540). With four players receiving fan-elected starts, the Red Sox become the 11th team in AL history to have four players win fan-elected starting assignments. The others include the 1975 Oakland Athletics, 1981 New York Yankees, 1982 California Angels, 1987 Yankees, 1999 Cleveland Indians, 2001 Mariners, 2005 Red Sox, 2008 Red Sox, 2011 Yankees and 2015 Royals.
In his fourth Major League season, Bogaerts becomes an All-Star for the first time in his career, and he becomes the first Red Sox shortstop since Nomar Garciaparra (1999) to win a fan election. The 23-year-old is batting .336 on the season with nine home runs, 51 RBI, 22 doubles, 62 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. The Aruba native ranks second in the Majors in hits (114) and fifth in batting average. Bogaerts recorded his 100th hit of the season on June 19th in Boston's 68th game of the season, tying Doc Cramer (1939) for the second-fewest team games in which a Sox hitter has tallied his first 100 hits of any season, trailing Hall of Famer Tris Speaker (64 games in 1912).
Bradley becomes an All-Star for the first time in his four-year career. The 26-year-old is batting .294 on the season with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, 20 doubles, six triples, 47 runs scored and seven stolen bases. The Virginia native, who was drafted 40th overall by the Red Sox in 2011, recorded a 29-game hitting streak from April 24th-May 25th. Jackie ranks among AL leaders in triples (2nd), on-base percentage (6th, .381) and slugging percentage (8th, .546). He was caught stealing last week for the first time in 21 career attempts. Among active players with at least 15 career attempts, his 95.2% success rate ranks first.
Betts also earns his first career Midsummer Classic selection in his third Major League season. The 23-year-old is hitting .296 on the season with 18 home runs, 57 RBI, 21 doubles, four triples, 71 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. He joins Manny Ramirez (2003) and Hall of Famer Wade Boggs (1987) as the only Red Sox in the last 100 years with at least 70 runs, 100 hits and 15 home runs before the All-Star break. Mookie leads all Major League leadoff hitters in hits, home runs and RBI. Bradley and Betts are the first pair of Red Sox outfielders to earn fan elections in the same season since Ramirez and Johnny Damon (2005).
Joining the Red Sox duo in the outfield will be Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, who garnered 3,828,794 votes to lead all AL outfielders in voting for the second straight season. This marks the fifth consecutive All-Star selection for the 24-year-old and his fourth straight starting assignment. Trout will become the sixth AL player to start at least four All-Star Games before turning 25, joining 2016 Hall of Fame electee Ken Griffey Jr. (5); Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio (4), Mickey Mantle (4) and Al Kaline (4); and Ivan Rodriguez (4). The New Jersey native is batting .324 on the season with 17 home runs, 54 RBI, 20 doubles, two triples, 59 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. With his 15th home run, he became one of six players all time with four seasons of at least 15 home runs before the Midsummer Classic prior to his age-25 season. The others include Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda and Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx.
Rounding out the starting AL position players are first baseman Eric Hosmer of the Royals (3,355,123), second baseman Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros (3,013,214) and third baseman Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles (2,985,003).
Hosmer, who becomes an All-Star for the first time in his six-year career, topped Detroit's Miguel Cabrera (2,777,857) in voting. The 26-year-old Hosmer is the first Kansas City first baseman to win a fan election since fan voting was reinstated in 1970. The Florida native is hitting .303 on the season with 13 home runs, 49 RBI, 18 doubles and 44 runs scored. Since May 25th, Hosmer is batting .368 (14-for-38) with runners in scoring position.
Altuve earns his second consecutive fan-elected start after topping Seattle's Robinson Cano (1,560,041). An All-Star for the fourth time overall (2012, 2014-15), Altuve joins fellow second baseman and Hall of Famer Craig Biggio (1995-98) as the only players in Astros history to receive multiple fan elections. Altuve, who leads the Majors with 115 hits and a .353 batting average, has 14 home runs, 49 RBI, 62 runs scored and 21 stolen bases on the season. His 14 home runs are already one shy of his career high of 15 (2015). Altuve has played in 174 consecutive team games, marking the longest active games played streak in the Majors.
In his fifth Major League season, Machado has been selected an All-Star for the third time (2013, 2015) while receiving his first fan-elected starting assignment. The 23-year-old topped reigning AL Most Valuable Player Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays (2,130,329) in voting. Manny is the first Orioles third baseman to garner a fan election since Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. earned five straight from 1997-2001. The Florida native is hitting .325 on the season with 18 home runs, 50 RBI, 29 doubles and 58 runs scored. The third overall pick in the 2010 Draft was named AL Player of the Month for April, batting .344 during the month.
After having 10 first-time fan-elected starters in 2015, the American League and National League have combined for 11 first-time fan-elected starters this year, marking the most since there were also 11 in 2005. In addition, 12 of the 17 fan-elected starters, including eight of the nine AL starters, are 26 years old-or-younger.
Fans will begin casting votes for the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com and the Club sites immediately following the Esurance All-Star Selection Show on ESPN and will continue voting until 4 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 8th. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, then will be announced during a Final Vote-themed telecast of MLB Now, featuring commentary from political analyst Jeff Greenfield, live on MLB Network and MLB.com from 4:00-5:00 p.m. (EDT). MLB Network will provide extensive coverage across all of its studio programming during the Final Vote, including interviews with the candidates, hourly updates, heat maps indicating the cities where votes are being cast for each candidate, updates on player and club campaigns and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement.
Baseball fans have cast nearly 600 million online votes for Final Vote candidates since the program's inception in 2002. In addition to MLB.com and the official club websites, fans can use their mobile devices to cast ballots at MLB.com/vote or via text message. To receive the ballot, text the word "VOTE" to 89269. To vote for a specific player, fans can text the choice to 89269. EXAMPLE: Text "A3" to vote for AL Player 3 or "N3" to vote for NL Player 3. Message and data rates may apply. Text "STOP" to end and "HELP" for information. Mobile voting in Canada also is available and fans should text their choices to 101010. For the fifth consecutive year, the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote also will include social balloting, as Twitter support from the 10 candidates' fans over the last six hours of balloting will count toward their final vote totals. From 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 8th, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the AL and NL winners.
This year's final phase of All-Star Game voting again will have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites - online or via their mobile devices - with the 2016 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote presented by Chevrolet, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year's recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
MLB Release.
The Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot was conducted exclusively online for the second consecutive season. The AL All-Star Team has nine elected starters via the fan balloting program, while the NL All-Star Team has eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads - totaling 25 for the NL and 24 for the AL - are determined through a combination of "Player Ballot" choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers - AL skipper Ned Yost of the defending World Series Champion Royals and NL manager Terry Collins of the reigning National League Champion New York Mets.
Perez, who totaled 4,965,838 votes, joined Hall of Famer George Brett (1981) as the only Royals in history to pace the Majors in All-Star balloting. This marks the fourth consecutive Midsummer Classic selection for Perez, including his second consecutive fan-elected start. The 26-year-old Perez is the first AL catcher to earn consecutive fan elections since Joe Mauer (2008-10), and he joins the aforementioned Brett (11) as the only Royals in team history to receive multiple fan elections. Among AL catchers, he ranks first in batting average (.277), hits (74) and slugging percentage (.483), is tied for first in RBI (37), and is second in doubles (15) and home runs (12).
Rizzo topped the NL with 3,242,670 votes en route to his third straight All-Star selection and first career fan election. The 26-year-old joins Derrek Lee (2005) as the only Cubs first basemen to receive a fan election. Rizzo, who hit 20 homers prior to the break in 2014, clubbed his 20th home run of the season on Saturday. He joins Hall of Famer Billy Williams (1970, 1972) as the only two left-handed hitters in franchise history to reach 20 homers before the break in multiple seasons. In addition, he is the third Cub age 26-or-younger with four consecutive 20-homer seasons, joining Hall of Famers Ron Santo and Williams. The Florida native is hitting .282 on the season with 20 home runs, 61 RBI, 19 doubles and 49 runs scored.
Rizzo is joined among the NL starters by four of his teammates - second baseman Ben Zobrist, third baseman Kris Bryant; shortstop Addison Russell; and outfielder Dexter Fowler. The Cubs will become just the second team in history to have their entire infield start the Midsummer Classic, joining the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals, who had first baseman Bill White, second baseman Julian Javier, third baseman Ken Boyer and shortstop Dick Groat start the 34th All-Star Game. With five players receiving fan-elected starts, the Cubs become just the second team since fan voting was reinstated in 1970 to have five players earn fan elections. The only other instance was the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, who had Johnny Bench, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, Joe Morgan and Pete Rose elected to start.
Zobrist, who was an AL All-Star with the Rays in 2009 and 2013, earns his first career fan election in his first season with the Cubs. The 35-year-old, who garnered 3,013,407 votes, finished just 88 votes ahead of second-place Daniel Murphy of the Washington Nationals (3,013,407). Zobrist becomes the third Cubs second baseman to earn a fan election, joining Glenn Beckert (1970-71) and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg (1984, 1986-93). Zobrist, who has reached base safely in 65 of his 77 games played this season, ranks fourth in the NL with a .404 on-base percentage to go along with a .296 batting average, 11 home runs, 43 RBI and 55 runs scored. His 24 two-out RBI are tied for second in the NL.
Bryant, who received 3,063,929 votes, held off Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies (2,754,191) to earn his second consecutive All-Star selection after making the NL squad as a rookie in 2015. The 24-year-old joins Hall of Famer Ron Santo (1973) as the only Cubs third basemen to earn a fan election. Bryant ranks among NL leaders in runs (1st, 67), home runs (1st, 24) and RBI (2nd, 63). Over his last 18 games, is batting .302 (19-for-63) with five doubles, nine home runs and 18 RBI. His 11 homers in June were his most in any calendar month and tied for the most in the Majors.
The 22-year-old Russell collected 2,115,097 votes, finishing ahead of Colorado's Trevor Story (1,799,853) to seize his first All-Star selection. Russell joins Don Kessinger (1970, 1972) as the only Cubs shortstops to receive a fan-elected start. The Florida native, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft (by Oakland), is batting .238 on the season with nine home runs, 45 RBI, 10 doubles and 32 runs scored. Among NL shortstops, he ranks second with 36 walks and his RBI total is fourth.
Fowler, in his second season with the Cubs, is an All-Star for the first time in his career after finishing third among NL outfielders with 2,767,109 votes. He is joined in the NL outfield by leader Bryce Harper of the Nationals (2,865,095) and second-place Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets (2,816,146). Fowler is the first Cubs outfielder to receive a fan-elected starting assignment since Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome in 2008. The 30-year-old Fowler, who was placed on the disabled list two weeks ago with a sore right hamstring, is hitting .290 on the season with seven home runs, 28 RBI, 19 doubles, 41 runs scored and six stolen bases.
Harper, who led the way in the NL outfield for the second consecutive season after setting a new NL balloting record in 2015, is an All-Star for the fourth time in his career (also: 2012-13, 2015). In addition, this marks the 23-year-old's third career fan-elected start (also: 2013, 2015). He joins Hall of Famers Gary Carter (4) and Andre Dawson (3) as the only players in franchise history (Montreal/Washington) to receive at least three fan elections. The 23-year-old leads the Majors with 66 walks and ranks eighth with a .404 on-base percentage. The Las Vegas native, who has reached base safely in 25 of his last 27 games, is hitting .258 on the season with 17 home runs, 48 RBI, 11 doubles, 47 runs scored and 11 stolen bases.
Cespedes, who becomes an All-Star for the second time in his career after making the AL squad in 2014 while with Oakland, is the first Mets outfielder to receive a fan-elected start since Carlos Beltran in 2009. In his first full season with New York, the 30-year-old native of Cuba is batting .300 on the season with 20 home runs, 50 RBI, 15 doubles, 45 runs scored and a .578 slugging percentage. Cespedes, who is tied for fourth in the NL in home runs and tied for ninth in the Majors, connected for his 20th home run of the season on July 1st, the fastest a Met has reached the mark since Beltran and Carlos Delgado in 2006.
Rounding out the starting NL position players is catcher Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants, who received 2,266,868 votes to edge out St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (2,161,819). Posey, an All-Star for the fourth time (2012-13, 2015), wins his second consecutive fan election and third overall (also 2012). The 29-year-old native of Georgia is hitting .291 on the season with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 19 doubles and 48 runs scored. Over his last 20 games, Buster is hitting .403 (29-for-72). Posey and Molina have now combined to win each of the last five and seven of the last eight fan elections as the NL's starting backstop.
In his 20th and final Major League season, David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox earns his 10th All-Star selection (2004-08, 2010-13) and eighth fan-elected start (2005-08, 2011-13) after finishing with the second-highest vote total in the AL (4,364,746). The 40-year-old, who is the first player in Red Sox history to receive eight fan elections (Manny Ramirez - 7), outpaced fellow AL East designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays (1,543,874). David is hitting .339 on the season with 19 home runs and 66 RBI. He leads the Majors with 34 doubles, a .433 on-base percentage and a .679 slugging percentage. Ortiz is joined among the AL starters by three of his Boston teammates - shortstop Xander Bogaerts (3,681,589) and outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr. (2,682,173) and Mookie Betts (2,499,540). With four players receiving fan-elected starts, the Red Sox become the 11th team in AL history to have four players win fan-elected starting assignments. The others include the 1975 Oakland Athletics, 1981 New York Yankees, 1982 California Angels, 1987 Yankees, 1999 Cleveland Indians, 2001 Mariners, 2005 Red Sox, 2008 Red Sox, 2011 Yankees and 2015 Royals.
In his fourth Major League season, Bogaerts becomes an All-Star for the first time in his career, and he becomes the first Red Sox shortstop since Nomar Garciaparra (1999) to win a fan election. The 23-year-old is batting .336 on the season with nine home runs, 51 RBI, 22 doubles, 62 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. The Aruba native ranks second in the Majors in hits (114) and fifth in batting average. Bogaerts recorded his 100th hit of the season on June 19th in Boston's 68th game of the season, tying Doc Cramer (1939) for the second-fewest team games in which a Sox hitter has tallied his first 100 hits of any season, trailing Hall of Famer Tris Speaker (64 games in 1912).
Bradley becomes an All-Star for the first time in his four-year career. The 26-year-old is batting .294 on the season with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, 20 doubles, six triples, 47 runs scored and seven stolen bases. The Virginia native, who was drafted 40th overall by the Red Sox in 2011, recorded a 29-game hitting streak from April 24th-May 25th. Jackie ranks among AL leaders in triples (2nd), on-base percentage (6th, .381) and slugging percentage (8th, .546). He was caught stealing last week for the first time in 21 career attempts. Among active players with at least 15 career attempts, his 95.2% success rate ranks first.
Betts also earns his first career Midsummer Classic selection in his third Major League season. The 23-year-old is hitting .296 on the season with 18 home runs, 57 RBI, 21 doubles, four triples, 71 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. He joins Manny Ramirez (2003) and Hall of Famer Wade Boggs (1987) as the only Red Sox in the last 100 years with at least 70 runs, 100 hits and 15 home runs before the All-Star break. Mookie leads all Major League leadoff hitters in hits, home runs and RBI. Bradley and Betts are the first pair of Red Sox outfielders to earn fan elections in the same season since Ramirez and Johnny Damon (2005).
Joining the Red Sox duo in the outfield will be Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, who garnered 3,828,794 votes to lead all AL outfielders in voting for the second straight season. This marks the fifth consecutive All-Star selection for the 24-year-old and his fourth straight starting assignment. Trout will become the sixth AL player to start at least four All-Star Games before turning 25, joining 2016 Hall of Fame electee Ken Griffey Jr. (5); Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio (4), Mickey Mantle (4) and Al Kaline (4); and Ivan Rodriguez (4). The New Jersey native is batting .324 on the season with 17 home runs, 54 RBI, 20 doubles, two triples, 59 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. With his 15th home run, he became one of six players all time with four seasons of at least 15 home runs before the Midsummer Classic prior to his age-25 season. The others include Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda and Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx.
Rounding out the starting AL position players are first baseman Eric Hosmer of the Royals (3,355,123), second baseman Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros (3,013,214) and third baseman Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles (2,985,003).
Hosmer, who becomes an All-Star for the first time in his six-year career, topped Detroit's Miguel Cabrera (2,777,857) in voting. The 26-year-old Hosmer is the first Kansas City first baseman to win a fan election since fan voting was reinstated in 1970. The Florida native is hitting .303 on the season with 13 home runs, 49 RBI, 18 doubles and 44 runs scored. Since May 25th, Hosmer is batting .368 (14-for-38) with runners in scoring position.
Altuve earns his second consecutive fan-elected start after topping Seattle's Robinson Cano (1,560,041). An All-Star for the fourth time overall (2012, 2014-15), Altuve joins fellow second baseman and Hall of Famer Craig Biggio (1995-98) as the only players in Astros history to receive multiple fan elections. Altuve, who leads the Majors with 115 hits and a .353 batting average, has 14 home runs, 49 RBI, 62 runs scored and 21 stolen bases on the season. His 14 home runs are already one shy of his career high of 15 (2015). Altuve has played in 174 consecutive team games, marking the longest active games played streak in the Majors.
In his fifth Major League season, Machado has been selected an All-Star for the third time (2013, 2015) while receiving his first fan-elected starting assignment. The 23-year-old topped reigning AL Most Valuable Player Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays (2,130,329) in voting. Manny is the first Orioles third baseman to garner a fan election since Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. earned five straight from 1997-2001. The Florida native is hitting .325 on the season with 18 home runs, 50 RBI, 29 doubles and 58 runs scored. The third overall pick in the 2010 Draft was named AL Player of the Month for April, batting .344 during the month.
After having 10 first-time fan-elected starters in 2015, the American League and National League have combined for 11 first-time fan-elected starters this year, marking the most since there were also 11 in 2005. In addition, 12 of the 17 fan-elected starters, including eight of the nine AL starters, are 26 years old-or-younger.
Fans will begin casting votes for the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com and the Club sites immediately following the Esurance All-Star Selection Show on ESPN and will continue voting until 4 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 8th. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, then will be announced during a Final Vote-themed telecast of MLB Now, featuring commentary from political analyst Jeff Greenfield, live on MLB Network and MLB.com from 4:00-5:00 p.m. (EDT). MLB Network will provide extensive coverage across all of its studio programming during the Final Vote, including interviews with the candidates, hourly updates, heat maps indicating the cities where votes are being cast for each candidate, updates on player and club campaigns and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement.
Baseball fans have cast nearly 600 million online votes for Final Vote candidates since the program's inception in 2002. In addition to MLB.com and the official club websites, fans can use their mobile devices to cast ballots at MLB.com/vote or via text message. To receive the ballot, text the word "VOTE" to 89269. To vote for a specific player, fans can text the choice to 89269. EXAMPLE: Text "A3" to vote for AL Player 3 or "N3" to vote for NL Player 3. Message and data rates may apply. Text "STOP" to end and "HELP" for information. Mobile voting in Canada also is available and fans should text their choices to 101010. For the fifth consecutive year, the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote also will include social balloting, as Twitter support from the 10 candidates' fans over the last six hours of balloting will count toward their final vote totals. From 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 8th, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the AL and NL winners.
This year's final phase of All-Star Game voting again will have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites - online or via their mobile devices - with the 2016 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote presented by Chevrolet, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year's recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
MLB Release.
2016 All-Star Game rosters announced
Pitchers and reserves have been named to the American League and National League All-Star Teams, as announced today by Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and All-Star Game managers Ned Yost of the AL and Terry Collins of the NL. The 2016 AL and NL All-Star rosters were unveiled earlier this evening during the "2016 Esurance All-Star Selection Show" on ESPN.
In addition to the starters who were elected by the fans, pitchers and reserve players were named to the All-Star Game rosters by the Player Ballot - a vote of the players, managers and coaches - and by the All-Star Game managers in conjunction with MLB. In making their selections, the managers have ensured that each of the 30 Major League Clubs will be represented in the All-Star Game.
American League position players who are invited to the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard as a result of Player Balloting are catcher Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles; first baseman Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers; second baseman Robinson Canó of the Seattle Mariners; shortstop Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians; third baseman Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays; outfielders Mark Trumbo of the Orioles, Ian Desmond of the Texas Rangers and Carlos Beltrán of the New York Yankees; and designated hitter Edwin Encarnación of the Blue Jays.
AL pitchers who have made the Midsummer Classic as a result of the Player Ballot include starters Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox; Steven Wright of the Boston Red Sox; Danny Salazar of the Indians; Cole Hamels of the Rangers; and Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays. The relievers who are All-Stars via the Player Ballot are Zach Britton of the Orioles; Wade Davis of the Kansas City Royals; and Andrew Miller of the Yankees.
Yost had seven selections to fill out the remainder of the AL roster. The five pitchers chosen by the manager, in conjunction with MLB, are Dellin Betances of the Yankees; Brad Brach of the Orioles; Alex Colome of the Tampa Bay Rays; Kelvin Herrera of the Royals; and Craig Kimbrel of the Red Sox. The two position players who are among Yost's selections are infielder Eduardo Nuñez of the Minnesota Twins and catcher Stephen Vogt of the Oakland Athletics. In addition, Will Harris of the Houston Astros has been appointed by Yost to take the place of the injured Davis on the AL All-Star roster.
The 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote will determine the 34th AL roster spot. The candidates are Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler (A1); Rays third baseman Evan Longoria (A2); Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (A3); Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders (A4); and Astros outfielder George Springer (A5).
National League position players who are invited to the 87th Midsummer Classic as a result of Player Balloting are catcher Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals; first baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks; second baseman Daniel Murphy of the Nationals; shortstop Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers; third baseman Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies; and outfielders Marcell Ozuna of the Miami Marlins, Carlos González of the Rockies and Adam Duvall of the Cincinnati Reds.
NL pitchers who have made the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard as a result of the Player Ballot include starters Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers; Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs; Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto of the San Francisco Giants; and Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets. The relievers who are All-Stars via the Player Ballot are Jeurys Familia of the Mets; Kenley Jansen of the Dodgers; and Fernando Rodney of the Marlins.
Collins' 10 selections (including one replacement pitcher for Kershaw, who was placed on the disabled list last week), in conjunction with MLB, included six pitchers: starter José Fernández of the Marlins; starter Jon Lester of the Cubs; reliever Mark Melancon of the Pittsburgh Pirates; reliever A.J. Ramos of the Marlins; starter Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals; and starter Julio Teheran of the Braves. The four position players who are among Collins' selections are second baseman Matt Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals; outfielder Odubel Herrera of the Philadelphia Phillies; catcher Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers; and first baseman Wil Myers of the host San Diego Padres.
The 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote will determine the 34th NL roster spot, a competition that will feature first baseman Brandon Belt (N1) of the Giants; outfielder Ryan Braun (N2) of the Brewers; third baseman Jake Lamb (N3) of the D-backs; outfielder Starling Marte (N4) of the Pirates; and shortstop Trevor Story (N5) of the Rockies.
The Cubs, who entered play today with the best record in the Majors (62-30), will send seven players to the Midsummer Classic for the first time since 2008, when eight Cubs were selected. The Red Sox will send an AL-high six players to the All-Star Game, while the Orioles will send five players to San Diego.
For the second consecutive season, the Dodgers have a rookie named to the NL All-Star team as shortstop Corey Seager of the Dodgers joins Bill Grabarkewitz (1970), Steve Sax (1982), 2016 Hall of Fame electee Mike Piazza (1993) and Joc Pederson (2015) as Dodgers position players to be selected an All-Star as a rookie.
Seager is one of the 26 All-Stars (13 AL, 13 NL) making their first trip to the Midsummer Classic, and he is also one of the 29 players (16 NL, 13 AL) age 27-or-younger who have been selected to the All-Star rosters. In addition, there are 25 foreign-born players on the All-Star rosters (14 AL, 11 NL), including players from the Dominican Republic (11), Venezuela (6), Cuba (2), Puerto Rico (2), Aruba (1), Curaҫao (1), Colombia (1) and Mexico (1). Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is the first player from Aruba to make an All-Star team, while Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is just the third player from Curaҫao to be selected to the Midsummer Classic, joining Andruw Jones (2000, 2002-03, 2005-06) and Jair Jurrjens (2011).
Managers' plans are in place to replace any starting pitchers who elect not to participate in the All-Star Game after pitching on Sunday, July 10th. Any pitcher replaced on the active All-Star roster will be recognized as an All-Star and invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
Fans will begin casting votes for the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com and the Club sites immediately following the Esurance All-Star Selection Show on ESPN and will continue voting until 4 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 8th. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, then will be announced during a Final Vote-themed telecast of MLB Now, featuring commentary from political analyst Jeff Greenfield, live on MLB Network and MLB.com from 4:00-5:00 p.m. (EDT). MLB Network will provide extensive coverage across all of its studio programming during the Final Vote, including interviews with the candidates, hourly updates, heat maps indicating the cities where votes are being cast for each candidate, updates on player and club campaigns and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement.
Baseball fans have cast nearly 600 million online votes for Final Vote candidates since the program's inception in 2002. In addition to MLB.com and the official club websites, fans can use their mobile devices to cast ballots at MLB.com/vote or via text message. To receive the ballot, text the word "VOTE" to 89269. To vote for a specific player, fans can text the choice to 89269. EXAMPLE: Text "A3" to vote for AL Player 3 or "N3" to vote for NL Player 3. Message and data rates may apply. Text "STOP" to end and "HELP" for information. Mobile voting in Canada also is available and fans should text their choices to 101010. For the fifth consecutive year, the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote also will include social balloting, as Twitter support from the 10 candidates' fans over the last six hours of balloting will count toward their final vote totals. From 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 8th, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the AL and NL winners.
This year's final phase of All-Star Game voting again will have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites - online or via their mobile devices - with the 2016 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote presented by Chevrolet, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year's recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
MLB Release.
In addition to the starters who were elected by the fans, pitchers and reserve players were named to the All-Star Game rosters by the Player Ballot - a vote of the players, managers and coaches - and by the All-Star Game managers in conjunction with MLB. In making their selections, the managers have ensured that each of the 30 Major League Clubs will be represented in the All-Star Game.
American League position players who are invited to the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard as a result of Player Balloting are catcher Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles; first baseman Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers; second baseman Robinson Canó of the Seattle Mariners; shortstop Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians; third baseman Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays; outfielders Mark Trumbo of the Orioles, Ian Desmond of the Texas Rangers and Carlos Beltrán of the New York Yankees; and designated hitter Edwin Encarnación of the Blue Jays.
AL pitchers who have made the Midsummer Classic as a result of the Player Ballot include starters Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox; Steven Wright of the Boston Red Sox; Danny Salazar of the Indians; Cole Hamels of the Rangers; and Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays. The relievers who are All-Stars via the Player Ballot are Zach Britton of the Orioles; Wade Davis of the Kansas City Royals; and Andrew Miller of the Yankees.
Yost had seven selections to fill out the remainder of the AL roster. The five pitchers chosen by the manager, in conjunction with MLB, are Dellin Betances of the Yankees; Brad Brach of the Orioles; Alex Colome of the Tampa Bay Rays; Kelvin Herrera of the Royals; and Craig Kimbrel of the Red Sox. The two position players who are among Yost's selections are infielder Eduardo Nuñez of the Minnesota Twins and catcher Stephen Vogt of the Oakland Athletics. In addition, Will Harris of the Houston Astros has been appointed by Yost to take the place of the injured Davis on the AL All-Star roster.
The 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote will determine the 34th AL roster spot. The candidates are Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler (A1); Rays third baseman Evan Longoria (A2); Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (A3); Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders (A4); and Astros outfielder George Springer (A5).
National League position players who are invited to the 87th Midsummer Classic as a result of Player Balloting are catcher Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals; first baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks; second baseman Daniel Murphy of the Nationals; shortstop Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers; third baseman Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies; and outfielders Marcell Ozuna of the Miami Marlins, Carlos González of the Rockies and Adam Duvall of the Cincinnati Reds.
NL pitchers who have made the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard as a result of the Player Ballot include starters Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers; Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs; Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto of the San Francisco Giants; and Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets. The relievers who are All-Stars via the Player Ballot are Jeurys Familia of the Mets; Kenley Jansen of the Dodgers; and Fernando Rodney of the Marlins.
Collins' 10 selections (including one replacement pitcher for Kershaw, who was placed on the disabled list last week), in conjunction with MLB, included six pitchers: starter José Fernández of the Marlins; starter Jon Lester of the Cubs; reliever Mark Melancon of the Pittsburgh Pirates; reliever A.J. Ramos of the Marlins; starter Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals; and starter Julio Teheran of the Braves. The four position players who are among Collins' selections are second baseman Matt Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals; outfielder Odubel Herrera of the Philadelphia Phillies; catcher Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers; and first baseman Wil Myers of the host San Diego Padres.
The 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote will determine the 34th NL roster spot, a competition that will feature first baseman Brandon Belt (N1) of the Giants; outfielder Ryan Braun (N2) of the Brewers; third baseman Jake Lamb (N3) of the D-backs; outfielder Starling Marte (N4) of the Pirates; and shortstop Trevor Story (N5) of the Rockies.
The Cubs, who entered play today with the best record in the Majors (62-30), will send seven players to the Midsummer Classic for the first time since 2008, when eight Cubs were selected. The Red Sox will send an AL-high six players to the All-Star Game, while the Orioles will send five players to San Diego.
For the second consecutive season, the Dodgers have a rookie named to the NL All-Star team as shortstop Corey Seager of the Dodgers joins Bill Grabarkewitz (1970), Steve Sax (1982), 2016 Hall of Fame electee Mike Piazza (1993) and Joc Pederson (2015) as Dodgers position players to be selected an All-Star as a rookie.
Seager is one of the 26 All-Stars (13 AL, 13 NL) making their first trip to the Midsummer Classic, and he is also one of the 29 players (16 NL, 13 AL) age 27-or-younger who have been selected to the All-Star rosters. In addition, there are 25 foreign-born players on the All-Star rosters (14 AL, 11 NL), including players from the Dominican Republic (11), Venezuela (6), Cuba (2), Puerto Rico (2), Aruba (1), Curaҫao (1), Colombia (1) and Mexico (1). Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is the first player from Aruba to make an All-Star team, while Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is just the third player from Curaҫao to be selected to the Midsummer Classic, joining Andruw Jones (2000, 2002-03, 2005-06) and Jair Jurrjens (2011).
Managers' plans are in place to replace any starting pitchers who elect not to participate in the All-Star Game after pitching on Sunday, July 10th. Any pitcher replaced on the active All-Star roster will be recognized as an All-Star and invited to San Diego with full All-Star honors.
Fans will begin casting votes for the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com and the Club sites immediately following the Esurance All-Star Selection Show on ESPN and will continue voting until 4 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 8th. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, then will be announced during a Final Vote-themed telecast of MLB Now, featuring commentary from political analyst Jeff Greenfield, live on MLB Network and MLB.com from 4:00-5:00 p.m. (EDT). MLB Network will provide extensive coverage across all of its studio programming during the Final Vote, including interviews with the candidates, hourly updates, heat maps indicating the cities where votes are being cast for each candidate, updates on player and club campaigns and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement.
Baseball fans have cast nearly 600 million online votes for Final Vote candidates since the program's inception in 2002. In addition to MLB.com and the official club websites, fans can use their mobile devices to cast ballots at MLB.com/vote or via text message. To receive the ballot, text the word "VOTE" to 89269. To vote for a specific player, fans can text the choice to 89269. EXAMPLE: Text "A3" to vote for AL Player 3 or "N3" to vote for NL Player 3. Message and data rates may apply. Text "STOP" to end and "HELP" for information. Mobile voting in Canada also is available and fans should text their choices to 101010. For the fifth consecutive year, the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote also will include social balloting, as Twitter support from the 10 candidates' fans over the last six hours of balloting will count toward their final vote totals. From 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 8th, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the AL and NL winners.
This year's final phase of All-Star Game voting again will have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites - online or via their mobile devices - with the 2016 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote presented by Chevrolet, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year's recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10th), All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8th-12th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
MLB Release.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)