Newbies Pepper Both All-Star Teams
Added on Jul 12, 2011 by Scott in
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While watching tonight’s annual Midsummer Classic, you might notice a lot of unfamiliar faces filling the AL an NL dugouts. That’s because half, 34 of 68, of the players participating are first-time All-Stars. With seasoned vets Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols and Mariano Rivera either skipping or uninvited to the event, fans will get the opportunity to see the likes of Rickie Weeks, Andrew McCutchen and Jordan Walden.
Some of this influx of new blood can be attributed to injury replacements. Fifteen named players will sit out, opening the door for a wave of first-timers to take their spots. However, a handful of All-Star rookies were voted in by the masses, including the aforementioned Weeks, Matt Kemp and Asdrubal Cabrera.
Youth might be served overall, but the starting lineups are still dominated by the old guard. Adrian Gonzalez, Robinson Cano, David Ortiz and Josh Hamilton lead the American League, while Prince Fielder, Scott Rolen, Carlos Beltran and Lance Berkman will aim to secure a second consecutive win for the Senior Circuit.
There’s not shortage of power at the plate, but the first half of 2011 has been all about pitching. Starters Jered Weaver and Roy Halladay have combined for a 22-7 record. Weaver leads the Majors in ERA at 1.86; Halladay ranks 8th with a 2.45 ERA. Last year’s contest was a 3-1 pitching duel, so more of the same could be in order tonight.
The lack of big names looks intriguing on paper, but it might end up being a ratings nightmare for FOX. The average fan often tunes in to see Jeter and Pujols, but will he tune in to watch Alex Avila and Troy Tulowitzki? Probably not.
Players like Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez can’t help their absences; both are recovering from knee surgery. Justin Verlander and Cole Hamels threw on Sunday, so neither is eligible to pitch. Jeter, claiming exhaustion from his pursuit of 3000 hits, is chilling with Minka Kelly rather than sweating in Arizona.
Whether or not not having the cream of the crop is good or bad remains to be seen. Tonight’s festivities get underway Live at 8pm on FOX.
