This All-Star Game is a Showcase for the Future of Baseball, But Will Anyone Notice?
By Kyle Koster
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game marks the slowest sports week of the calendar year. Pundits who openly disdain baseball put aside their pride and are forced to discuss the sport out of desperation. Often times it’s to lament the state of the game, painting it as a stale and tired endeavor stuck in the past.
The players taking the field tonight in San Diego, taken together, serve as a rebuttal to that notion. Those with only a passing interest will be introduced to a spate of new faces. Tonight is a showcase for the future of the game.
Will the conversation change? It’s dependent on if the voices calling for young, marketable stars actually take the time to give them a chance.
Here are tonight’s lineups with All-Star Game starts and total selections. Gone are the familiar names (Jeter, Pujols, Rodriguez) who have been Midsummer Classics.
National League
- Ben Zobrist 1st, 3rd
- Bryce Harper 3rd, 4th
- Kris Bryant 1st, 2nd
- Wil Myers 1st, 1st
- Buster Posey 2nd, 4th
- Anthony Rizzo 2nd, 3rd
- Marcell Ozuna 1st, 1st
- Addison Russell 1st, 1st
- Johnny Cueto 1st, 1st
American League
- Jose Altuve 2nd, 4th
- Mike Trout 4th, 5th
- Manny Machado 1st, 3rd
- David Ortiz 7th, 10th
- Xander Bogaerts 1st, 1st
- Eric Hosmer 1st, 1st
- Mookie Betts 1st, 1st
- Salvador Perez 3rd, 4th
- Jackie Bradley 1st, 1st
- Chris Sale 1st, 5th
Harper, at the ripe old age of 23, has more starting experience than any other National League player. Five of his teammates have never started before and four of those are making their debuts. The latter is also true of the American League lineup, which has a mean age of 24.8 years excluding Ortiz.
Youthfulness does not necessarily translate into “better.” In fact, this collection of 18 players does not seem as talent-rich as previous All-Star Game collections. One explanation is that they haven’t had time to build up a full resume of accomplishments. Another factor is fan voting, an unchecked power that can result in Sunjayas and Boaty McBoatfaces.
But make no mistake: this is what those who crave a changing of baseball have wanted. The MLB is in the midst of a generational shift. Young fans will fall in love with these group of young players while older fans see familiarity disappear.
If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard a television or radio personality besmirch baseball, I’d be a rich man. If I had a dollar for every time the person voicing that opinion has earnestly given baseball a new chance to win he/she over, I’d be destitute.
The impetus can’t be placed entirely on the product. At a certain point, the consumer is responsible to be receptive. Tonight’s game, where the kids and fresh-faced talent are in charge, is as good a time as any.
Images via USA Today