MLB All-Star Game 2018: Willson Contreras and Javier Baez named to starting NL Team

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.