Which players are worthy of participating July 17 in Washington?

Now that fan voting is finished http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-john-cominsky-jersey , it’s a good time to take a hard look at All-Star Game selections.



Let’s touch on this topic first: Shohei Ohtani is incredibly talented and fascinating to watch, but the Los Angeles Angels‘ two-way Japanese star simply hasn’t been on the field enough to earn a spot. Not at pitcher OR designated hitter.

Ohtani just returned to the lineup from an elbow injury that’s knocked him off the mound for now. He’s only made nine major league pitching starts, and the Angels have limited his at-bats all season due to concerns about the rookie’s workload.

So while it would definitely be fun to see him in baseball’s summer showcase, there are several more deserving American League sluggers at DH. It wouldn’t be fair to deny one of them in favor of Ohtani. And he’s unavailable to pitch at this point.

Let him win his invitation next season with a fully healthy and productive first half. Or the year after that. Or whenever it happens.

Buzzkill, I know.

But even without Ohtani, there’s plenty to watch for leading up to the first All-Star Game in the nation’s capital since the Senators hosted at RFK Stadium in 1969.

Start with Atlanta outfielder Nick Markakis. With more than 2,150 career hits, he’s poised to make an All-Star team for the first time in his 13th big league season.

Matt Kemp, Miles Mikolas and Mike Foltynewicz are enjoying feel-good comebacks.

Robinson Cano, the MVP of last year’s game, will sit this one out while serving a drug suspension.

Injuries may keep familiar stars such as Clayton Kershaw Qadree Ollison Jersey , Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Correa and Corey Seager from returning, but in their place should be exciting newcomers like Aaron Nola, Ozzie Albies, Alex Bregman and Eddie Rosario.

The American League has won five times in a row and is 17-3-1 in the last 21 years.

”I want to win. I always want to win. It’s not playing for home-field advantage anymore in the World Series, but all these guys are competitors and they want to win for their respective league,” said National League manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There’s a logjam at shortstop in the AL, and the NL bullpen is loaded.

That sort of thing is where it gets complicated: Each roster has 32 spots, with 12 going to pitchers. Every club must be represented, too.

Online voting for the starters at each position ended at midnight Thursday, and the teams will be revealed Sunday night.

”I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be a great experience,” said Houston’s AJ Hinch Marquise Brown Jersey , who will manage the AL squad. ”It’s as casual a game as you’ll play with the biggest names on the stage, and all the attention that comes with it. It’s a big deal.”

Disregarding fan and player balloting, here are our picks:

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

FIRST BASE – Jose Abreu of the White Sox gets the start, barely nudging out Toronto switch-hitter Justin Smoak.

SECOND BASE – AL MVP Jose Altuve from the World Series champion Astros is backed up by 34-year-old Oakland veteran Jed Lowrie, whose first All-Star nod is probably long overdue.

SHORTSTOP – Cleveland whiz Francisco Lindor is in the lineup. Top trade target Manny Machado from lowly Baltimore, and Jean Segura from Seattle are on the bench. Gold Glove winner Andrelton Simmons of the Angels is really tough to leave out.

THIRD BASE – Jose Ramirez gives the Indians both starters on the left side of the infield. Bregman backs up at the hot corner, from Houston.

CATCHER – Wilson Ramos is a big reason the Rays are holding their own. Perennial pick Salvador Perez represents the struggling Royals despite his subpar season.

OUTFIELD – Angels star Mike Trout plays center, with Boston’s Mookie Betts in left and Yankees masher Aaron Judge in right. Reserves include Rosario from the Twins, Mitch Haniger from the Mariners, and Nicholas Castellanos from the Tigers.

DESIGNATED HITTER – J.D. Martinez has been worth every penny during his first season in Boston. Texas’ Shin-Soo Choo and New York hulk Giancarlo Stanton, last year’s NL MVP, both still play the outfield sometimes http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jaylon-ferguson-jersey , which helps. Seattle slugger Nelson Cruz is a very difficult omission.

STARTING PITCHERS – Luis Severino is in line to become the first Yankees pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Roger Clemens in 2001. Other right-handers include Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton from Houston, plus Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer from Cleveland. The left-handers are Boston ace Chris Sale and Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell. Seattle lefty James Paxton is our top pick to replace Verlander, who doesn’t plan to pitch in the All-Star Game because he’s scheduled to start two days before.

RELIEVERS – Four filthy closers in the bullpen: Yankees lefty Aroldis Chapman, plus right-handers Craig Kimbrel (Boston), Edwin Diaz (Seattle) and Blake Treinen (Oakland).

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NATIONAL LEAGUE

FIRST BASE – Braves cornerstone Freddie Freeman starts over Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt, who overcame a miserable May with a monster June.

SECOND BASE – The unexpected starter at a competitive position is Scooter Gennett from the Reds. Right behind him are flashy Javier Baez from the Cubs and 21-year-old igniter Ozzie Albies from the surprising Braves.

SHORTSTOP – San Francisco pro Brandon Crawford is backed up by Colorado bopper Trevor Story.

THIRD BASE – No As compensation for losing his job as a closer, Kelvin Herrera gets to pitch for a contender.

Herrera joined the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after being traded from the last-place Kansas City Royals for three minor leaguers.

A two-time All-Star, Herrera had 14 saves and a 1.05 ERA this season. Washington already has a closer, Sean Doolittle, so Herrera will be entering the game earlier than usual for now.

”I explained it to him and I think he gets it Miles Boykin Jersey ,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. ”The way I explain it to all these guys is, `When you come in the game think of it as you’re closing that inning, cause that’s a big moment. So we need you either the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, whatever.”’

That’s just fine with Herrera.

”Whatever inning I may get called upon, I just focus on getting that one hitter out,” the right-hander said through an interpreter.

With 14 saves and one win, Herrera had a hand in more than two-thirds of Kansas City’s 22 victories this season. But the Royals were going nowhere, which is precisely why they dished off their best reliever for a trio of prospects: 21-year-old outfielder Blake Perkins, 23-year-old infielder Kelvin Gutierrez and 17-year-old pitcher Yohanse Morel.

Herrera won a World Series ring with Kansas City in 2015. Now he’s got a shot at earning one with the Nationals, who started the day 3 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East.

”The one thing I have seen about this team for the past few years is they’re always in the battle and the fight for the playoffs http://www.packerscheapshoponline.com/cheap-authentic-darnell-savage-jr.-jersey ,” Herrera said. ”There is great chemistry here. I’m just ready to join the team and help any way I can.”

There will likely come a time when Herrera is asked to do what he does best, which is to get the final out in a tight game.

”I did tell him that Doolittle is our closer and he’s been very good at it, but you’ll get a chance to close every now and then,” Martinez said.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo made the deal because he knows you can’t have too many good pitchers working the back end of a ballgame.

”We wanted a guy who had been through the wars before, that’s established and that was pitching extremely well,” Rizzo said. ”Kelvin fit all those criteria.”

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