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The 2018 MLB All-Star Game will be held at Nationals Park in Washington DC on Tuesday, July 17 and two Chicago Cubs, catcher Willson Contreras and second baseman Javier Baez will be in the starting lineup, thanks to your votes.
Additionally, Jon Lester was named as one of the pitchers.
It is the first All-Star selection for both Contreras and Baez. It is the fifth All-Star Game for Lester and his second with the Cubs.
Both Contreras came from behind in the voting to gain selection to the starting lineup, with Contreras passing the Giants’ Buster Posey and Baez overtaking Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies.
In his third season in the majors, the 26-year old Contreras is having his best year, hitting .287/.372/.466 with seven home runs and 34 RBI. He’s also well-known for his arm, having picked four runners off base already this season.
Contreras is the first Cubs catcher to be named to the All-Star Game since Geovany Soto in 2008.
The 25-year old Baez is in his fifth major-league season. While he has long been known as one of the most exciting players in baseball, this year he’s been one of the best as well. His triple-slash line of .295/.328/.565 are career-highs for Baez. He has 17 home runs and his 65 RBI are second in the National League. He’s also known as an electric fielder who is probably the first major leaguer in history famous for his ability to put down a tag.
The last Cubs second baseman to be named to the All-Star Team was Ben Zobrist in 2016. Before that, you have to go all the way back to Ryne Sandberg in 1993.
The 34-year-old Lester was named National League Pitcher of the Month for June. He leads the NL in wins with an 11-2 record and a 2.45 ERA after this afternoon’s outing, which is still among the league’s top ten.
The complete National League All-Star team:
Starters
C: Willson Contreras, Cubs
1B: Freddie Freeman, Braves
2B: Javier Baez, Cubs
3B: Nolan Arenado, Rockies
SS: Brandon Crawford, Giants
OF: Nick Markakis, Braves
OF: Matt Kemp, Dodgers
OF: Bryce Harper, Nationals
Reserves
C: Buster Posey, Giants
C: J.T. Realmuto, Marlins
1B: Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs
1B: Joey Votto, Reds
2B: Ozzie Albies, Braves
2B: Scooter Gennett, Reds
3B: Eugenio Suarez, Reds
SS: Trevor Story, Rockies
OF: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies
OF: Lorenzo Cain, Brewers
OF: Christian Yelich, Brewers
Pitchers
LHP: Patrick Corbin, D-backs
RHP: Jacob deGrom, Mets
LHP: Sean Doolittle, Nationals
RHP: Mike Foltynewicz, Braves
LHP: Josh Hader, Brewers
LHP: Brad Hand, Padres
RHP: Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
LHP: Jon Lester, Cubs
RHP: Miles Mikolas, Cardinals
RHP: Aaron Nola, Phillies
RHP: Max Scherzer, Nationals
LHP: Felipe Vazquez, Pirates
And the American League roster:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Starters
C: Wilson Ramos, Rays
1B: Jose Abreu, White Sox
2B: Jose Altuve, Astros
3B: Jose Ramirez, Indians
SS: Manny Machado, Orioles
OF: Mookie Betts, Red Sox
OF: Mike Trout, Angels
OF: Aaron Judge, Yankees
DH: J.D. Martinez, Red Sox
Reserves
C: Salvador Perez, Royals
1B: Mitch Moreland, Red Sox
2B: Gleyber Torres, Yankees
3B: Alex Bregman, Astros
SS: Francisco Lindor, Indians
OF: Michael Brantley, Indians
OF: Shin-Soo Choo, Rangers
OF: Mitch Haniger, Mariners
OF: George Springer, Astros
OF: Nelson Cruz, Mariners
Pitchers
RHP: Trevor Bauer, Indians
RHP: Jose Berrios, Twins
LHP: Aroldis Chapman, Yankees
RHP: Gerrit Cole, Astros
RHP: Edwin Diaz, Mariners
LHP: J.A. Happ, Blue Jays
RHP: Joe Jimenez, Tigers
RHP: Craig Kimbrel, Red Sox
RHP: Corey Kluber, Indians
LHP: Chris Sale, Red Sox
RHP: Luis Severino, Yankees
RHP: Blake Treinen, Athletics
RHP: Justin Verlander, Astros
There is also the “Final Vote” category where fans can add one more player to the team. The candidates for the National League are:
1B: Jesus Aguilar, Brewers
1B: Brandon Belt, Giants
INF: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
INF/OF: Max Muncy, Dodgers
SS: Trea Turner, Nationals
And the American League “Final Five” are
OF: Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox
OF: Eddie Rosario, Twins
SS: Jean Segura, Mariners
SS: Andrelton Simmons, Angels
OF: Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees
You can vote for the final two members of the 2018 All-Star Game here.
So a big congratulations to Baez, Contreras and Lester on their selection to the All-Star Game. And for those of you who don’t already have Smash Mouth stuck in your head, here you go.
You can “thank” me later.