The 2014 MLB All-Star Game rosters are officially set.
Injuries and other players being deemed unavailable may send managers John Farrell and Mike Matheny scrambling for some last-minute replacements, but for the most part, we know who will be taking part in the Midsummer Classic at Target Field.
The starters are set, the reserves and pitchers have been selected and Chris Sale and Anthony Rizzo have won the final spots in the fan vote, which, as Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan argued, was the right decision:
Let’s take a complete look at both rosters.
American League
Note: Matt Wieters (injury) replaced by Salvador Perez in starting lineup.
Note: Edwin Encarnacion (injury) replaced by Kyle Seager.
Note: Masahiro Tanaka (injury) replaced by Koji Uehara.
National League
Note: Jeff Samardzija elected as member of Cubs but traded to Athletics on July 4. Will be inactive.
Note: Yadier Molina (injury) will be replaced.
AL Top Vote-Getter: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Considering how stacked the American League outfield is, it was quite impressive Jose Bautista was able to rack up the most votes in the majors.
As ESPN Stats & Info noted, it’s the second time he’s earned the accomplishment:
Joey Bats is certainly deserving of his fifth consecutive All-Star nod. He’s hitting .292/.412/.510 with 17 home runs and 57 RBI. While those are the popular numbers, though, Bautista‘s patience at the plate is a trait that flies way too far under the radar.
Of qualified hitters, he’s leads the majors in walks, is third in walk percentage, is third in on-base percentage and is one of just three players to have drawn more free passes than strikeouts. Bautista, the two-time home run champ, is far more than just a power hitter.
But, you know, he’s that, too:
His ability at the plate is a large reason why the Blue Jays currently sit at the top of the AL East and are in the top seven in the league in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
A heart of the order featuring Bautista, Robinson Cano, Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera is just downright unfair.
NL Top Vote-Getter: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
Troy Tulowitzki‘s Rockies are struggling to stay out of the cellar in the National League, but no individual player has been better than him over the first half of the season.
It has been a video-game-esque season for Tulo. He is first in the majors in runs (70), first in batting average (.350), first in on-base percentage (.441), first in OPS (1.057), second in slugging percentage (.616), sixth in homers (20), sixth in walk-to-strikeout ratio (0.92) and 10th in walk percentage (13.6).
“This is Tulo‘s fourth [All-Star Game selection], and every one of them is really special,” manager Walt Weiss said, via The Denver Post‘s Patrick Saunders. “He’s the leading vote-getter, and rightfully so, for the first half he’s put together.”
At least on paper, the American League looks like the better squad. But don’t be surprised if Tulo puts the NL on his back with an MVP performance.
It would be right in line with everything he’s done so far this year.
Note: Stats courtesy of Fangraphs and updated as of games played on Thursday, July 10.
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