There are snubs every year, but for the most part, the best players in baseball will take part in the 2016 MLB All-Star Game.
The fans made their calls on the starters, while player voting and the managers helped fill out the bench and pitching staffs. The final vote between five hitters in each league will fill the last spot on each team.
Between all the different ways of getting a bid, only a few quality options will stay home during the break. Jose Quintana and Gregory Polanco might still complain, but otherwise the Midsummer Classic should be a fun showcase of top talent.
Here is what you need to know about the upcoming exhibition.
2016 MLB All-Star Game
When: Tuesday, July 12
Where: Petco Park, San Diego
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: Fox (Coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. ET)
The big story regarding the starters is the presence of a whole bunch of Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. Although the Cubs are slumping a bit as of late, they are still getting plenty of respect from an impressive start to the year. As for the Red Sox, it's hard to complain about any of the four starters since they are in the midst of excellent seasons.
Young stars Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts are all looking to step into the spotlight, but David Ortiz deserves plenty of credit of his own. The 40-year-old designated hitter has the best batting average of his career (.337) and is on pace for some of his best power numbers in a decade with 20 home runs and 69 RBI.
There are bigger question marks about some of the Cubs starters, including Addison Russell and Dexter Fowler, but this is what happens when the fans get a chance to vote and are excited about their teams.
Second baseman Ben Zobrist described the fan impact, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com:
I think what that says is we have an incredible fan base that's in our corner. As players, we become the benefactors. ... We're glad we're Chicago Cubs now, and I think that's why a lot of players want to be here.
The start we've had to the season has been a big reason why fans have noticed that. 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.
In any case, it's clear general manager Theo Epstein knows what he is doing based on his time with the Red Sox and Cubs, per Mike and Mike:
Among the players who weren't selected as starters, quite a few should make an impact off the bench. This includes Daniel Murphy, who built on an incredible postseason run last year to now lead the National League in batting average (.345). He has fallen a bit from when he flirted with a .400 batting average earlier in the year, but he still holds the lead over Washington Nationals teammate and fellow All-Star Wilson Ramos (.335).
As long as Murphy gets his at-bats, he should get over barely missing out on earning a start. ESPN Stats & Info shared the minute difference in the voting totals:
On the other hand, former manager Terry Collins could just decide to put him in the starting lineup at designated hitter.
One of the biggest things left to decide is the starting pitchers for each league. Clayton Kershaw would have been the obvious choice in the NL, but he is on the disabled list. The choice comes down to Jake Arrieta or Madison Bumgarner; both have been dominant at times but also inconsistent.
In the American League, the race is between Danny Salazar and Chris Sale. While Salazar has the better ERA (2.36), it's hard to compete with Sale's 14 wins in 17 starts.
No matter how the lineups shake out, there will be enough talent on both sides to keep fans entertained.
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