The All-Star ballots have been counted, and the votes of Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox fans really added up.
The entire infield (sans catcher) of the Cubs starts in San Diego. Boston sends four starters—shortstop Xander Bogaerts, designated hitter David Ortiz, and outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts—to the midsummer classic. The starting pitchers remain undetermined. The leagues send 14 pitchers, with the Red Sox (Steven Wright, Craig Kimbrell) and Cubs (Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester) both sending two.
The American League features a starting roster of position players all at 26 or under.
Here are the starting lineups:
AL | Pos. | NL |
---|---|---|
Salvador Perez | C | Buster Posey |
Eric Hosmer | 1B | Anthony Rizzo |
Jose Altuve | 2B | Ben Zobrist |
Manny Machado | 3B | Kris Bryant |
Xander Bogaerts | SS | Addison Russell |
Mookie Betts | OF | Yoenis Cespedes |
Jackie Bradley Jr. | OF | Dexter Fowler |
Mike Trout | OF | Bryce Harper |
David Ortiz | DH |
“The All-Star Game is always fun and it’s a time for the fans to come and enjoy watching their favorite players,” explained David Ortiz, hitting .337 with 19 homers and 66 RBI in his swan song. “This will be my last year playing, so it’s something that can turn out to be very special.”
“The start we’ve had to the season has been a big reason why fans have noticed that,” Cubs second baseman Zobrist noted. “The assembly of players we have in here is an All-Star-caliber assembly. It’s not surprising there’s a lot of guys who had a shot to go.”
The 2016 All-Star Game takes place on Tuesday, July 12 at Petco Park in San Diego, California.