Whether you agree or disagree with it, the Midsummer Classic is back to determine whether the National or American League will own home field advantage in the World Series. That in and of itself makes the 2016 All-Star game worthy of tuning into. At the very worst, you get to see the best the sport has to offer go at one another for nine innings or more.
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The biggest story of this year’s All-Star game has to do with the amount of Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs managers Ned Yost and Terry Collins will have at their disposal. Along with David Ortiz making his 10th All-Star appearance and 7th start – only Ted Williams has more in a Boston uniform – five of his teammates will also be in attendance in the persons of Craig Kimbrel, Steven Wright, Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, and Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bogaerts has really blossomed this season in batting .332 with 9 HR, 52 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He put forth a 26-game hitting streak earlier this season that was matched by teammate Bradley Jr. It marked only the second time in the last 75 years that teammates put forth individual streaks of that magnitude in the same season.
Mookie Betts could however be the best of the bunch as he currently sits ahead of players like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton as the best outfielder in fantasy baseball. After hitting 18 home runs all of last season, he’s already launched the same amount into the cheap seats and his .527 slugging percentage is a career high. If he keeps improving upon his overall stats every passing year, All-Star game appearances will continue to be the norm for this young stud.
Then there’s Big Papi who is also a top 5 fantasy baseball player in his year 40 season. That’s miraculous in and of itself which has many wondering if he’ll forgo hanging ‘em up and come back for another season. He’s repeatedly said that won’t be the case, so this will likely be the last time we all get to see his enormous presence in the Midsummer Classic.
Back in 2013, the Cubs had only one player representing them in the All-Star game; that being left-hander Travis Wood. Only three years later, Chicago will have a player starting at every infield position. The job Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have done with this franchise from the ground up is simply breathtaking.
From Anthony Rizzo to Kris Bryant to Addison Russell to Ben Zobrist, each and every one of these players deserves to be in the Midsummer Classic. Whether they all deserve to be starting is a topic for another discussion as fans being able to cast their votes played an enormous role. Still, Chicago owned the best record in the league for a bulk of the season and could still once this game rolls around.
The Cubs made All-Star history by becoming just the second team to have its entire infield start in the Midsummer Classic – the last being the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals.
Each manager deployed different strategies when compiling their pitching staffs. Ever since arriving in Kansas City, Yost made it a point to have a dominating bullpen. With that, it came as no surprise to see him go heavy with relievers knowing full well they’re more prepared and equipped for one-inning appearances.
The Mets own one of the nastiest starting staffs in all of baseball, so it came as no surprise to see Terry Collins elect to go the way of the starter with nine of his 14 players all innings eaters.
Whichever strategy pays off with a win remains to be seen. Regardless of what happens, young talent that will partake in this game for many more seasons will get another taste of the Midsummer Classic. Get used to their faces because they’re going nowhere!
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The All-Star game is scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET at Petco Park. The exhibition will be televised live on FOX.
