It is hard to believe that the 2018 Major League All-Star Game is already here, and the fact the season is already more than half over. There is a lot of buzz around the league surrounding the upcoming trade deadline and where star players like Manny Machado and Mike Moustakas will be dealt but for now the attention is on the All-Star break. The Mid-Summer Classic is arguably the best “All-Star” game in all of sports and has been a nationwide tradition since 1933 when the very first event was held. Every season, fans get the chance to vote for their favorite players to make the roster for either the National or American League teams and even though the most popular teams end up having the larger amount of representatives due to the sheer volume of fan voting, every organization is represented at the game. No matter what, the rule is that every MLB team must be represented by at least one player, which sometimes results in the lesser skilled teams sending an athlete that many fans have not even heard of, such as Detroit Tigers representative Joe Jimenez in this year’s game.
The three-day event will be held at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. and will consist of the MLB Future Game that took place on Sunday, July 15, as well as the Home-Run Derby on July 16, and the All-Star Game on July 17. This is the first MLB All-Star Game to be held at Nationals Park, which opened in 2008 and the first in Washington D.C. since 1969. It’s fitting that the United States’ National Pastime is having one of it’s biggest events in the nation’s capital.
The first event of the break started with the MLB Futures Game which occurred before this article was written and it was very exciting to watch. The competing teams consisted of prospects from the United States against prospects from the rest of the world. Every player featured in the game is regarded as being a future star even though some of them players are not even 20 years old. Pitching didn’t seem to matter all that much because it ended up being a high-scoring matchup as the United States team outslugged the World team 10-6. Some of the best performers from the game were New York Mets’ prospect Peter Alonso who hit a towering home-run in the seventh inning, Los Angeles Dodgers’ prospect Yusniel Diaz who hit two home-runs of over 400-feet, and Pittsburgh Pirates’ prospect Mitch Keller who pitched a 1-2-3 first inning and added a strikeout. Also, while his final stat line did not look all that great, it is important to recognize that Cincinnati Reds’ prospect Hunter Greene threw 19 fastballs all of which topped 100 MPH, and he is only 18-years-old.
On Monday, July 16, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby will be taking place at Nationals Park and will surely be one of the most exciting parts about the All-Star festivities. Every year, eight of the league’s best power hitters compete to see who is the king of hitting home runs and it is always fun to watch. With the league’s new format that started in 2015, each player will be given four minutes to hit as many home runs as possible, with the ability to earn 30 seconds of bonus time if they hit two home runs of over 425 feet. The eight players are entered into a bracket that sees the highest seeded hitter face the lowest seeded and so on. In the end, the last two hitters left in the bracket will compete to win the derby. The home run is one of the most exciting things about baseball, and to see so many get hit makes this whole event a joy to watch. This is Major League Baseball’s version of the NHL Skills Competition or the NBA’s Slam Dunk Competition. The second-highest ranked player going into the derby is hometown favorite Bryce Harper who plays most of his games in Washington D.C. as part of the Nationals. Unfortunately, the lineup this year is a little underwhelming after seeing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton face off in a legendary matchup at the end of last season’s derby. On Monday night, fans will get to see the likes of Harper, Jesus Aguilar, Rhys Hoskins, Alex Bregman, Kyle Schwarber, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Javier Baez.
As for the main event, the American League All-Stars will be playing against the National League All-Stars on July 17. The rosters feature plenty of big names and should be very exciting to see these two rosters out on the diamond. Unfortunately for fans of the National League, the American League starting lineup is much more intimidating. The outfield alone for the American League is very elite featuring Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and Aaron Judge, along with J.D. Martinez as the designated hitter. The rest of the American League lineup will be rounded out by Salvador Perez, Jose Abreu, Jose Altuve, Jose Ramirez, and Manny Machado. Some of the pitchers for the squad will include the likes of Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole, Edwin Diaz, and Luis Severino.
The National League will feature Willson Contreras, Freddie Freeman, Javier Baez, Nolan Arenado, Brandon Crawford, Nick Markakis, Matt Kemp, and Bryce Harper. The lineup isn’t quite as impressive at first glance as the American League, but it should still be a good showdown. The National League will also feature pitchers such as Jacob deGrom, Kenley Jansen, Max Scherzer, and Aaron Nola.
No matter the final results of the Home-Run Derby or the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, fans of the sports will love watching the best players in the world all on one field. It only happens once a year, and along with the World Series and Opening Day, it is one of the most important times in the baseball season. Tune in to the T-Mobile Home-Run Derby on ESPN at 8 PM on Monday, July 16, and the All-Star Game on Fox at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, July 17.
