Kuzul

Have you seen the American League lineup for this year’s MLB All-Star Game?

To say it’s stacked is an understatement of epic proportions, and as good as the National League’s pitching is, the AL side is going to bash its way to victory tonight.

For one, the team has Curtis Granderson batting ninth in the batting order. That’s right, Granderson—who has 23 home runs and 48 home runs—is hitting ninth!

Five of the squad’s starters—Granderson, Josh Hamilton, Jose Bautista, David Ortiz and Robinson Cano—have hit over 20 home runs this season. The National League has two players with 20 or more home runs this year (Carlos Beltran and Ryan Braun).

The American League side has three of the top five leaders in RBI this season—Hamilton (75), Bautista (65) and Prince Fielder (63) in the starting lineup. The National League has one (Carlos Beltran, 65 RBI).

The American League has baseball’s first-half MVP—with apologies to Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen, that is—in Josh Hamilton, who is hitting .308 with 27 home runs and 75 RBI this season.

And hey, we haven’t even mentioned sluggers Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli yet, or that Derek Jeter guy batting in the leadoff spot. Oh, and alongside Trout, the team also has Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Adam Jones, Paul Konerko and Mark Trumbo coming off the bench, among others.

The word you are looking for is “stacked.”

There are things I can’t wait to see tonight. Will the big bats in the starting lineup get a chance to face R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball? Will Fielder, Bautista and Trumbo continue their home-run hitting ways from Monday night’s Home Run Derby?

Will Cano recover from his paltry Monday showing and earn even more boos from the Kansas City crowd? Will Trout outshine fellow youngster—and future superstar—Bryce Harper on the National League side?

Or will Hamilton simply steal the show with that silky swing of his?

One way or the other, I feel confident of one thing—this game will be won by the murderer’s row of bats the AL side can funnel through the lineup at this year’s All-Star game.

Sorry, R.A. Dickey, Matt Cain, Stephen Strasburg, Cole Hamels, Clayton Kershaw and the rest of the NL pitchers, but you won’t be able to quiet the big bats from the AL side on Tuesday night.

Bombs away!

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets dominate like the Williams sisters at Wimbledon.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2012 Home Run Derby was rather predictable, with big bombers Prince Fielder and Jose Bautista advancing to the final round.

It was also predictable that hitters such as Andrew McCutchen and Carlos Gonzalez would get knocked out early.

That’s because McCutchen and Gonzalez may have big power numbers this season, but they aren’t necessarily definitive power hitters.

For example, Bautista came into the contest averaging a home run every 11.7 at-bats in 2012, per CBSSports.com. Fielder, the eventual champion, came into the Derby averaging a homer every 15.7 at-bats.

On the other hand, McCutchen has averaged a home run every 17.2 at-bats this season, while Gonzalez has averaged a long ball every 18.5 at-bats.

The truth is, McCutchen and Gonzalez—while great players—aren’t necessarily guys who are going to jack up the most dingers in a home run contest. They are mostly line-drive hitters. The 2012 Home Run Derby was over before it even started.

And, be honest, even if McCutchen or Gonzalez had won the contest, would you rather see mere 400-footers or incredible, towering shots (SI.com had Fielder hitting a ball 476 feet)?

Players like Fielder, Bautista and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mark Trumbo should be the models for the Home Run Derby. 

Even though Fielder came into the contest with 15 jacks on the season (minuscule compared to the leaders), you got the sense that he would put on a show in Kansas City.

That’s just what Fielder did.

Let’s do ourselves a favor and forget about the mere line-drive hitters next year.

Follow me on Twitter. We can talk about baseball together.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When it first counted, it did seem a decent idea.

Major League Baseball had a terrible way to award home-field advantage for the World Series. MLB simply alternated home-field advantage between the National League and American League every year. 

The NFL is again the leader of the sporting leagues with their neutral-site Super Bowl showcasing one American city a year. The NBA and the NHL play in a playoff-series format, just like the MLBs, so neutral sites would not work over seven games. In the NBA and NHL, the team with the better regular season record gets the home-site advantage.

That is what Major League Baseball needs to do: make World Series home-field advantage about regular-season records. You guys play 162 of them; shouldn’t those count for something?

It is always about ulterior motives, and the national pastime, under the reign of Bud Selig, has become riddled with hidden agendas. Fox wants to have the ratings the MLB All-Star Game had back in the day of only three channels. Each of the big channels hates the advent of cable, satellite and the Internet because they have all helped their ratings plunge when compared to previous eras.

Selig can never catch a break, either. The team he owns—er—used to own, the Milwaukee Brewers, were the host ballpark for the 2002 All-Star extravaganza . The game was competitive, and after twelve tied innings, with all of the pitchers exhausted, Selig called the game a tie.

It was not well received.

Panic usually causes the worst decisions. Fox panicked about the ratings, Bud panicked about the TV deal, and, suddenly, the All-Star Game’s winning league had home-field advantage in the World Series.

Some things seem so obvious that only hidden agendas could keep them from coming to reality. College football’s playoff system used to be the most glaring, but even that sport’s glacial movement toward modern times has increased.

The MLB All-Star Game will never have the passion of Pete Rose obliterating Ray Fosse. We will never see a Cal Ripken play all fourteen innings of a mid-summer classic. In trying to rekindle that passion, a horrible choice has been made to make the All-Star Game count for something. 

In retrospect, this is a minor issue for 28 teams, but I bet you that the Texas Rangers would have liked home-field advantage last year.

They earned it in my mind since they had a better record than the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were a Wild Card team as well, and they still were able to host four World Series games over the division champion Rangers.

The MLB All-Star Game should just go back to being a fun exhibition game. Making it count for something has not been a good idea. Regular-season records should determine home-field advantage.

Every regular-season game has the chance of something special happening, and those games should be the reason that one team hosts Game 1 of the World Series.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Pitchers are awarded All-Star appearances based on merit. Things can get tricky when managers and front office officials direct how many innings that pitcher can throw in an All-Star Game.

Chris Sale faces that exact dilemma come Tuesday night in the 83rd All-Star Game.

White Sox officials said Saturday that if Sale does make an appearance in Kansas City’s Midsummer Classic, it will not be for more than one inning.

Here’s White Sox manager Robin Ventura on Sale’s situation with the All-Star Game:

“Yeah, he won’t be starting that game — unless he goes one, which is unlikely,” said Ventura Saturday morning. “It’s an inning. It’s going to be an inning. It won’t be more. He knows it, everybody knows it.”

Well, what does Sale have to say about it? It should be something along the lines of:

“I mean, it would be something that would be great. But at the same time, I’m not going to sit here and complain about still being a part of the All-Star Game but not starting it.”

He should feel humbled that he is going to pitch in an All-Star Game.

However, throwing more than one inning won’t kill him down the road the rest of the season.

Roy Halladay threw two innings in last year’s All-Star Game and he came back in the second half with an 8-3 record and a 2.19 ERA.

On the AL side, no pitcher threw more than an inning last year and it looks like that’s going to be the case with Ron Washington as manager once again.

Chris Sale not only deserves to start Tuesday, but he also has the right to throw more than three outs.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Almost immediately after news broke that Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton will miss the All-Star Game due to a knee surgery (h/t Joe Frisaro, MLB.com), there was breaking news out that young Bryce Harper will replace Stanton in the game (h/t Dayn Perry, CBSsports.com). This makes Harper the youngest position player to ever become an All-Star, and the third-youngest player overall.

While Harper, just age 19, has come up and done a good job for the injury-plagued Nationals to help keep the team in first place, this All-Star selection is a farce. This article takes a look at exactly why Bryce Harper being named an All-Star is a total farce by Major League Baseball.

Before I get into this article I just wanted to give a disclaimer that I am personally a fan of Harper and his ability. I’ve seen him in person and believe he will become a huge star in time. However, he hasn’t earned a spot in the All-Star Game in 2012.

Begin Slideshow

The Home Run Derby is arguably the most exciting part of All-Star weekend. There are eight players participating in the derby this year which pits team Kemp against team Cano. 2011 Home Run Derby champion Robinson Cano will be looking to repeat this season.

Each of the players participating in the Home Run Derby has shown off their power stroke this season, but not all of them have gotten a chance to play a game at Kauffman Stadium this year.

All of the players have their own strengths and power alleys that have worked for them this year, but that might just lead to some long outs in the Home Run Derby this year. Each graph of home runs hit by Home Run Derby participants from this year will also show an overlay of Kauffman Stadium to show if the ball would have left the park there as well.

Begin Slideshow

Andrew McCutchen has been announced as Giancarlo Stanton’s replacement for the Home Run Derby just hours after Bryce Harper was named (h/t Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post) as Stanton’s replacement for the All-Star Game itself.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the news via their official Twitter account:

. @thecutch22 replaces Giancarlo Stanton in the MLB Home Run derby Monday night.

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 8, 2012

McCutchen has led a resurgence in the Steel City so far this season. He’s a top contender for the National League MVP award at this point because of his legitimate five-tool talents. He’s hitting .359 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI this far.

He isn’t your traditional Home Run Derby participant. He doesn’t have towering power, but his production has increased gradually over his career. He hit 12 home runs as a rookie in 2009, 16 in 2010 and 23 last season. Given that he already has 16 bombs this year you have to imagine he will clear his total from the 2011 campaign.

Fans outside of Pittsburgh may wrinkle their nose at McCutchen as a derby participant, but they shouldn’t. He is one of baseball’s rising stars, and this year’s production, coupled with the Pirates play, has vaulted him to superstar status.

When you look at McCutchen you don’t see a menacing hitter with prodigious power potential. You see an excellent all-around hitter who has home run capabilities but isn’t a consistent threat to go yard.

Don’t let McCutchen’s 5’10”, 185-pound frame fool you. He has one of the quickest bats in the league, and his bat speed gives him a chance to compete Monday night. He has an easily repeatable swing because of his discipline and rhythmic approach.

Stanton was a “sexy” pick to win this year because of his propensity for towering shots. His power has been well-documented since his days in the Marlins farm system.

McCutchen doesn’t bring that same reputation to the table, but his presence will be exciting. He’s the face of the up-and-coming Pirates franchise and one of baseball’s brightest young stars.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The best part of the All-Star festivities every year takes place on Sunday with the Major League Baseball Futures Game. 

It gives the world a serious look at all of the best prospects the game has to offer. Some of these players won’t make an impact in the big leagues for a few years, while others are not that far away from making their presence felt very soon. 

To prepare you for Sunday’s Futures Game, here is a look at the best prospects who are this close to making an impact at the big league level. 

(Note: The list only includes players who will play in the game, not players who were on the roster when they were first released. Arizona’s Trevor Bauer, who was originally on the U.S. roster, is already in the big leagues. Toronto’s Travis d’Arnaud is hurt and will not play.)

Tyler Skaggs, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Taking the spot of his now former teammate Trevor Bauer, Skaggs is not that far behind. He does not have the big velocity of Bauer, but coming from the left side with plus command and one of the best breaking balls in the minors, Skaggs is on the verge of the big leagues right now. 

Fortunately for fans, they will get another look at Skaggs in the Futures Game after he started last year’s contest. He has only made one start in Triple-A with 12 hits and five runs in seven innings. The fact that the Pacific Coast League is a hitter’s haven, not to mention the abnormally small sample, give you no reason to worry about his future. 

Skaggs does need some time in Triple-A before he makes the jump, but the ability to throw in the low 90s with a plus curveball and feel for all his pitches makes him arguably the most big league ready starter in this game. 

ETA: September 2012

Billy Hamilton, SS, Cincinnati Reds

Don’t be completely fooled by Hamilton’s .323/.413/.439 line with high Class A Bakersfield. He is benefiting more from playing in a good hitter’s environment than some big mechanical adjustment that makes him more dangerous with the bat. 

Hamilton doesn’t have any power whatsoever, so his value is tied in his ability to turn singles into doubles, doubles into triples, etc. 

However, the speed is, as I am sure you are well aware by now, off the charts. He has stolen 104 bases through 82 games this season after swiping 103 last year. 

Hamilton is still not a great defender at shortstop. His arm is not strong enough for the position, but he could be moved to center field and be a plus defender by virtue of his speed. 

Even if Hamilton isn’t ready to be an everyday big leaguer with the bat right now, his ability to come off the bench and steal bases has to be intriguing to the Reds. I doubt they will give him a call-up this year, though it wouldn’t surprise me if they try in September when the minor league season is over and they can expand their roster. 

ETA: 2013

Danny Hultzen, LHP, Seattle Mariners

Entering the 2011 Draft, there was some thought that Hultzen could go straight to the big leagues because he was so polished. 

The Mariners opted to start him in Double-A this season and Hultzen rewarded them by posting a 1.19 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 75.1 innings.

He earned a promotion to Triple-A Tacoma at the end of June. Despite flashes of success, Hultzen has struggled to find his stuff and delivery. He has struck out 15 and walked 12 in 12 innings of work. 

Still, Hulzen is smart enough and has shown good command of his fastball and plus changeup to overcome his struggles soon enough. The Mariners could be inclined to give him a look this September with designs on making him a member of the rotation starting in 2013. 

Wil Myers, OF, Kansas City Royals

As soon as I got to Kansas City, I had a Royals fan tell me that the people are screaming for Myers to be called up. 

I tried to tell him that Jeff Francoeur isn’t that bad, but I couldn’t finish the sentence without throwing up in my mouth. 

The only explanation, I won’t go so far as to call it logical, is with the Futures Game in Kansas City, the Royals want to build the day around him—and the game’s two starting pitchers, Jake Odorizzi (U.S.) and Yordano Ventura (World)—with the goal of calling him up after the All-Star break. That’s my own personal opinion, anyway. 

Myers has proven he is more than ready for Kansas City, hitting .327/.403/.606 with 27 home runs and 52 extra-base hits in 83 games split between Double-A and Triple-A.

Any worries about Myers after an injury-plagued 2011 season are completely gone. He has developed even faster than most people thought, and his approach at the plate is going to allow him to hit for average right away. 

Kansas City needs to dump Francoeur—or at least relegate him to backup duty—because Myers is ready right now and would provide a significant upgrade in right field the second he steps in Kaufmann Stadium. 

ETA: 2012

Jake Odorizzi, RHP, Kansas City Royals

One of the pieces the Royals got back from Milwaukee in the Zack Greinke trade, Odorizzi does not have the highest ceiling in the world thanks to his tendency to give up a lot of flyballs, but he commands all of his pitches and will throw them in any count. 

In nine starts since being moved up to Triple-A Omaha, Odorizzi has punched out 45 hitters in 47.2 innings pitched. 

Odorizzi is able to pitch off his low to mid-90s fastball, which will help him succeed at the next level. He may not be more than a No. 3 starter, but right now that would make him the best starting pitcher on the Royals staff. 

ETA: 2012

Jurickson Profar, SS, Texas Rangers

There are two big reasons that Profar isn’t going to make it to the big leagues this season, and not one of them has to do with his performance or readiness despite being just 19 years old. 

The first is the Rangers have a good shortstop in Elvis Andrus who is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the American League. He is also getting on base at a .372 clip this season. 

The other reason is that the Rangers are winning right now. If they were struggling they could try to find a spot to plug Profar in because he is that good. 

Despite the hurdle he faces with Andrus, Profar is going to make his impact felt in the big leagues sooner rather than later. I would be shocked to see it happen this year, but a 19-year-old hitting .292/.370/.476 in Double-A is not something you see everyday. 

He is a superstar in the making, all he needs is a chance. Given his age and the lack of need for the big league team there is no rush. But when he gets the call he will be there to stay. 

ETA: 2013

Dylan Bundy, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

It is very rare when one of the most highly-touted prospects enters his first full season of pro ball with a ridiculous amount of hype and manages to exceed all those expectations, yet somehow Bundy has done just that. 

Bundy earned rave reviews prior to the 2011 Draft for having incredible stuff, including a mid-90s fastball, power curveball and outstanding cutter, but he also had the polish of a college player. He could move his pitches in and out, up and down with ease. 

Then Bundy took the field this season and everything changed. Bundy was still showing the stuff and command that everyone raved about, and was also dominating the minors in a way that almost seemed unfair. 

In eight starts with low Class A Delmarva Bundy allowed five hits, no earned runs, two walks and had 40 strikeouts in 30 innings before getting called up. 

To be fair, Bundy was too advanced for the Sally League. His move up to high Class A Frederick hasn’t looked as good, though it is still very impressive given his age and the fact he is one of the youngest players in the Carolina League. 

The Orioles aren’t going to be serious contenders in the next two years, so there is no need for them to rush him. His performance might force their hand sooner than expected. 

ETA: Late 2013

Zack Wheeler, RHP, New York Mets

The Mets practically stole Wheeler from the Giants, only giving up two months of Carlos Beltran to get him. Something tells me Brian Sabean will regret that deal for a long time as Wheeler looks more and more like the pitcher he was going to be coming out of high school. 

Wheeler is showing much better feel for all his pitches. He has said that he made some mechanical adjustments to give his fastball more life and is commanding everything much better now. 

One scenario I think would benefit the Mets greatly is trying Wheeler out in the bullpen late this year. If they are able to stay in the race they have to make serious upgrades to the pen. 

Rather than go out and pay someone while giving up a prospect or two on the trade market, they should look in-house with Wheeler and Matt Harvey. 

ETA: 2013

Next On The List: Gerrit Cole (PIT), Oscar Taveras (STL), Mike Olt (TEX), Kolten Wong (STL)

For a full look at the rosters for the Futures Game, click here. 

Follow @adamwells1985

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Giancarlo Stanton was set to play in the 2012 All-Star Game, but with upcoming knee surgery, he will not only miss the game, he will also miss the next four to six weeks, according to The Miami Herald.

Replacing Stanton in the All-Star Game will be Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper. Harper will become the third-youngest player in All-Star Game history. The two that were younger than him were Bob Feller and Dwight Gooden.

Harper’s addition to the All-Star Game is a big accomplishment for him this early in his career and it should be fun to see how he performs.

Begin Slideshow

Born October 16, 1992 and currently 19 years old, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper will become the youngest position player ever to make an MLB All-Star Game (barring unforeseen circumstances) after he was selected to replace Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. 

Amanda Comak, Nationals beat reporter for the Washington Times, reports via Twitter:

Bryce Harper will replace Mike Stanton on the NL All-Star team.

— Amanda Comak (@acomak) July 7, 2012

Stanton has missed time this season with a right knee injury, which forced him to leave the Marlins’ July 7 matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals when the knee continued to bother him. CBS Sports reported via Twitter that he will miss over a month. 

Giancarlo Stanton to undergo knee surgery, miss 4-6 weeks cbsprt.co/N5eHw0 via @cbssports

— Eye on Baseball (@EyeOnBaseball) July 7, 2012

Bryce Harper is batting .283 this season with eight home runs and a .479 slugging percentage, helping the struggling Washington franchise turn its fortunes around. The Nationals currently sit in first in the NL East standings.

The outfielder is considered to be the most promising fielding prospect in decades and has lived up to the hype thus far. As noted by Matt Breen of the Washington Post, Harper was called up to the majors on April 27 and has not missed a single game since.

Harper was in contention for the final spot on the NL roster, but St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese came out on top in the Final Vote.

Harper has done nothing but silence his critics since becoming the No. 1 overall selection in the 2010 draft by the Washington Nationals. The 6’3”, 225-pound teenager is on track to meet the near-impossible expectations placed on him as the All-Star selection shows.

He has not shied away from pressure thus far and will now get a chance to perform on one of baseball’s biggest stages.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com