The Major League Baseball All-Star game is nearly here and the roster has been announced. One of the most exciting events on the baseball calendar takes place on Sunday, as the top players of AL and NL baseball take centre stage. This year it will be hosted at the Nationals Park in Washington in what will be the 89th annual Midsummer Classic.
If you were wondering how the players get picked, we have all the information you need to get up to speed.
How are MLB All-Stars picked?
There are a few different factors that come into play when agreeing on the MLB All-Star roster, including:
Fan voting – Fans get to select the starting position players, which involves eight National League players and nine American League players (including designated hitter). Outfield players are voted on and the top three from each league will start. The voting is all done online.
Player voting – Players also get a say in the roster, selecting eight players and their positions in each league, in addition to the designated hitter for the AL. The player who gets the most votes for each position will make it.
Commissioner’s office – The remaining positions are left to the commissioner’s office to complete.
MLB All-Star starters
National League starters:
Willson Contreras, Freddie Freeman, Javier Baez, Brandon Crawford, Nolan Arenado, Nick Markakis, Matt Kemp, Bryce Harper.
National League reserves:
Buster Posey, J.T. Realmuto, Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt, Scooter Gennet, Ozzie Albies, Trevor Story, Eugenio Suarez, Lorenzo Cain, Christian Yelich, Charlie Blackmon.
National League pitchers:
Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Jon Lester, Aaron Nola, Patrick Corbin, Mike Foltynewicz, Miles Mikolas, Josh Hader, Kenley Jansen, Sean Doolittle, Brad Hand, Felipe Vazquez.
American League starters:
Wilson Ramos, Jose Abreu, Jose Altuve, Manny Machado, Jose Ramirez, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, J.D. Martinez.
American League reserves:
Salvador Perez, Mitch Moreland, Gleyber Torres, Francisco Lindor, Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley, George Springer, Mitch Haniger, Shin-Soo Choo, Nelson Cruz.
American League pitchers:
Justin Verlander, Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, Luis Severino, Gerrit Cole, Jose Berrios, J.A Happ, Trevor Bauer, Edwin Diaz, Joe Jimenez, Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, Blake Treinen.
