2015 MLB All-Star Roster: Complete AL, NL Lineups and Game Schedule | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
William Harris The lineups have been set for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, and we're one final vote and some starting pitching away from having the rosters completely finalized prior to Tuesday's spectacle.
There's still nothing quite like the Midsummer Classic in baseball, and although interleague play has all but ended the ferocious nature of these games in past decades, there's still everything to play for. With the winning league getting home-field advantage in this year's World Series, teams will essentially be playing for the right to play Game 7 of the world championship at home.
Enjoyment of the festivities and events in Cincinnati is undoubtedly first on the to-do list in the midst of a brutal season, but don't expect to see an exhibition. After the Home Run Derby is over and the lights come on Tuesday night, things will be kicked up a few notches.
Let's make sure you're ready for the action.
2015 MLB All-Star Game
Date: Tuesday, July 14
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
Time (ET): 7 p.m.
2015 MLB All-Star Game Lineups
| 2015 American League All-Stars | |||
| C | Salvador Perez | Kansas City Royals | 3 |
| 1B | Miguel Cabrera* | Detroit Tigers | 10 |
| 2B | Jose Altuve | Houston Astros | 3 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson | Toronto Blue Jays | 2 |
| SS | Alcides Escobar | Kansas City Royals | 1 |
| OF | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | 4 |
| OF | Lorenzo Cain | Kansas City Royals | 1 |
| OF | Alex Gordon* | Kansas City Royals | 3 |
| DH | Nelson Cruz | Seattle Mariners | 4 |
| Position | Reserve | Team | All-Star Appearance |
| C | Russell Martin | Toronto Blue Jays | 4 |
| C | Stephen Vogt | Oakland Athletics | 1 |
| 1B | Albert Pujols* | Los Angeles Angels | 10 |
| 1B | Mark Teixeira | New York Yankees | 3 |
| 2B | Brock Holt | Boston Red Sox | 1 |
| 2B | Jason Kipnis | Cleveland Indians | 2 |
| SS | Jose Iglesias | Detroit Tigers | 1 |
| 3B | Manny Machado | Baltimore Orioles | 2 |
| OF | Jose Bautista | Toronto Blue Jays | 6 |
| OF | Adam Jones | Baltimore Orioles | 5 |
| OF | J.D. Martinez | Detroit Tigers | 1 |
| DH | Prince Fielder | Texas Rangers | 6 |
| Position | Pitcher | Team | All-Star Appearance |
| SP | Chris Archer | Tampa Bay Rays | 1 |
| RP | Dellin Betances | New York Yankees | 2 |
| RP | Brad Boxberger | Tampa Bay Rays | 1 |
| RP | Zach Britton | Baltimore Orioles | 1 |
| RP | Wade Davis | Kansas City Royals | 1 |
| SP | Sonny Gray | Oakland Athletics | 1 |
| SP | Felix Hernandez | Seattle Mariners | 6 |
| RP | Kelvin Herrera | Kansas City Royals | 1 |
| SP | Dallas Keuchel | Houston Astros | 1 |
| RP | Darren O'Day | Baltimore Orioles | 1 |
| RP | Glen Perkins | Minnesota Twins | 3 |
| SP | David Price | Detroit Tigers | 5 |
| SP | Chris Sale | Chicago White Sox | 4 |
| OF | J.D. Martinez | Detroit Tigers | 1 |
| MLB.com, * Alex Gordon and Miguel Cabrera injured | |||
Starters to Watch for
Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals
| 2015 National League All-Stars | |||
| C | Buster Posey | San Francisco Giants | 3 |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | Arizona Diamondbacks | 3 |
| 2B | Dee Gordon | Miami Marlins | 2 |
| 3B | Todd Frazier | Cincinnati Reds | 2 |
| SS | Jhonny Peralta | St. Louis Cardinals | 3 |
| OF | Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals | 3 |
| OF | Giancarlo Stanton* | Miami Marlins | 3 |
| OF | Matt Holliday | St. Louis Cardinals | 7 |
| Position | Reserve | Team | All-Star Appearance |
| C | Yadier Molina | St. Louis Cardinals | 7 |
| C | Yasmani Grandal | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1 |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo | Chicago Cubs | 2 |
| 1B | Adrian Gonzalez | Los Angeles Dodgers | 5 |
| 2B | DJ LeMahieu | Colorado Rockies | 1 |
| 2B | Joe Panik | San Francisco Giants | 1 |
| SS | Brandon Crawford | San Francisco Giants | 1 |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado | Colorado Rockies | 1 |
| 3B | Kris Bryant | Chicago Cubs | 1 |
| OF | *Andrew McCutchen | Pittsburgh Pirates | 5 |
| OF | Joc Pederson | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1 |
| OF | A.J. Pollock | Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 |
| OF | Justin Upton | San Diego Padres | 3 |
| Position | Pitcher | Team | All-Star Appearance |
| SP | Max Scherzer | Washington Nationals | 3 |
| SP | Gerrit Cole | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 |
| SP | Zack Greinke | Los Angeles Dodgers | 3 |
| SP | Shelby Miller | Atlanta Braves | 1 |
| SP | Jacob deGrom | New York Mets | 1 |
| SP | Madison Bumgarner | San Francisco Giants | 3 |
| SP | Michael Wacha | St. Louis Cardinals | 1 |
| SP | A.J. Burnett | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 |
| RP | Trevor Rosenthal | St. Louis Cardinals | 1 |
| RP | Mark Melancon | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 |
| RP | Aroldis Chapman | Cincinnati Reds | 4 |
| RP | Jonathan Papelbon | Philadelphia Phillies | 6 |
| RP | Francisco Rodriguez | Milwaukee Brewers | 6 |
| MLB.com, * Giancarlo Stanton injured | |||
Things have come together quite well for a lot of Kansas City Royals this season on the cusp of their World Series near-miss, but nobody has benefited quite like Lorenzo Cain.
The center fielder is putting up career-best numbers en route to his first-ever All-Star Game appearance, already hitting 18 doubles and seven home runs. With injury issues in his career, he's on pace to play more than 140 games. An injury threatened to keep him out of the action, but he doesn't look likely to miss, per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com:
Cain ranks third in the AL in stolen bases and sixth in batting average, but his impact goes well beyond straight numbers. He also ranks in the top 10 in the AL in wins above replacement and is fifth among position players, per Baseball-Reference.com.
That just goes to show the overall impact Cain is able to have on the game and why it's not surprising at all that he finally broke through in 2015 to the Midsummer Classic.
Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
Jeffrey Flanagan @FlannyMLBNed says Lorenzo Cain tweaked his hamstring on game winner Sunday. Orlando here to give protection. #Royals
Pirates do-it-all man Andrew McCutchen may have needed an injury to Giancarlo Stanton to help get into the starting lineup for the second-straight year, but he shouldn't have.
From the stats to the overall impact he has on the game in the field, McCutchen is getting it done in 2015 as well as he ever has—and that's saying something. He has a NL-leading 24 doubles on the season and is fourth in on-base percentage, fourth in runs created and fourth in offensive win percentage, per Baseball-Reference.com.
He's doing it even better in the last two months, as Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted:
Of course, McCutchen didn't get the nod for a starting spot until Stanton went down with a wrist injury that will keep him out up to six weeks. But when you compare him to fellow NL outfield starters Bryce Harper and Matt Holliday, McCutchen still fits right in.
Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers
Stephen J. Nesbitt @stephenjnesbittSince May 7, Andrew McCutchen’s batting line is .353/.445/.595. And get this: Fewer strikeouts (36) than freebies (38 BB/IBB/HBPs).
No matter what team's hat he shows up wearing at the All-Star Game, Prince Fielder is almost always the designated hitter, and he's almost always in the Home Run Derby. This is not a coincidence.
Making his sixth career appearance in the All-Star Game, Fielder will also be giving the Cincinnati fans a treat by competing in the Home Run Derby the night before. He now has as many Derby appearances as the All-Star Game, as told by the event's official Twitter:
Although, it's not like Fielder needed that run of career success to back up his case for All-Star and Derby inclusion. His numbers speak for themselves. In just his second season with the Texas Rangers, Fielder is second in the AL in batting average (.345), third in on-base percentage, and he leads the league in hits, per Baseball-Reference.com.
With Fielder and Albert Pujols grabbing the bat in the Derby alongside a number of young star sluggers like Kris Bryant and Joc Pederson, a newly formatted Derby should be exciting and Fielder will be at the center of it.
