2012 MLB All Star Game: AL and NL Lineups, Starting Pitchers and MVP Odds

There are few events throughout the year as classic as the MLB All Star Game. The best players in the league showcase their talent the same way legends did in past generations.

This year has a great mix of players young and old. It includes players like Derek Jeter, who will play in the event for the 13th time in his career. The game also features 25 players who were named all stars for the first time.

Managers Tony La Russa and Ron Washington will have to balance getting as many players into the game as they can while also working for the win. Whichever side takes the game will have home-field advantage in the World Series.

Regardless of who wins, the game should be a great one. Here is all the information you need for the mid-summer classic.

When: Tuesday, July 10th at 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Watch: FOX

Team Rosters courtesy of ESPN:

AL Roster / Official Lineup

Starters

Batting Order	Pos	Player
1	SS	Derek Jeter, NYY
2	2B	Robinson Cano, NYY
3	LF	Josh Hamilton, TEX
4	RF	Jose Bautista, TOR
5	1B	Prince Fielder, DET
6	3B	Adrian Beltre, TEX
7	DH	David Ortiz, BOS
8	C	Mike Napoli, TEX
9	CF	Curtis Granderson, NYY

Pitchers

Pos	Player
P	Ryan Cook, OAK
P	Yu Darvish, TEX
P	Matt Harrison, TEX
P	Felix Hernandez, SEA
P	Jim Johnson, BAL
P	Joe Nathan, TEX
P	Chris Perez, CLE
P	David Price, TB
P	Fernando Rodney, TB
P	CC Sabathia, NYY
P	Chris Sale, CWS
P	Justin Verlander, DET (Starting Pitcher)
P	Jered Weaver, LAA
P	C.J. Wilson, LAA

Reserves

Pos	Player
C	Joe Mauer, MIN
C	Matt Wieters, BAL
SS	Elvis Andrus, TEX
SS	Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE
3B	Miguel Cabrera, DET
2B	Ian Kinsler, TEX
1B	Paul Konerko, CWS
OF	Adam Jones, BAL
OF	Mike Trout, LAA
OF	Mark Trumbo, LAA
DH	Billy Butler, KC
DH	Adam Dunn, CWS

NL Roster

Starters / Official Lineup

Batting Order	Pos	Player
1	DH	Carlos Gonzalez, COL
2	CF	Melky Cabrera, SF
3	LF	Ryan Braun, MIL
4	1B	Joey Votto, CIN
5	RF	Carlos Beltran, STL
6	C	Buster Posey, SFG
7	3B	Pablo Sandoval
8	2B	Dan Uggla, ATL
9	SS	Rafael Furcal, STL

Pitchers

Pos	Player
P	Matt Cain, SF (Starting Pitcher)
P	Aroldis Chapman, CIN
P	R.A. Dickey, NYM
P	Gio Gonzalez, WAS
P	Cole Hamels, PHI
P	Joel Hanrahan, PIT
P	Clayton Kershaw, LAD
P	Craig Kimbrel, ATL
P	Lance Lynn, STL
P	Wade Miley, ARI
P	Jonathan Papelbon, PHI
P	Stephen Strasburg, WAS
P	Huston Street, SD

Reserves

Pos	Player
C	Yadier Molina, STL
C	Carlos Ruiz, PHI
1B	Bryan LaHair, CHC
2B	Jose Altuve, HOU
SS	Starlin Castro, CHC
SS	Ian Desmond, WAS
3B	David Freese, STL
3B	Chipper Jones, ATL
3B	David Wright, NYM
OF	Jay Bruce, CIN
OF	Andrew McCutchen, PIT
OF	Bryce Harper, WAS

Starting Pitchers

Detroit Tigers superstar Justin Verlander and San Francisco Giants ace Matt Cain have been selected as the starting pitchers for Tuesday night's MLB All-Star Game. Baseball fans couldn't have asked for a more evenly matched duo to start the midsummer classic.

Verlander beat out Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels and breakout sensation Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox for the honor, while Cain was given the nod over New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who was a popular choice before the announcement, among others.

The reigning AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner has been enjoying another dominant season on the mound. He has a 2.58 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through 18 starts and would have more than nine wins if not of the Tigers' disappointing offense.

Cain made 17 first-half starts, none more impressive than his perfect game against the Houston Astros back in June. All told, the Giants ace racked up nine wins with an ERA of 2.62 and a 0.96 WHIP. Like Verlander, an inconsistent offense has probably cost him a few wins along the way. That said, he is still on pace to have the best season of an already impressive career. 

MVP Odds

The MVP of this game often comes from strange locations, but usually a player needs to get enough playing time to make an impact on the game. This rules out pitchers who will only make short appearances for an inning or two.

In addition, the most valuable player is usually a starter. This is not always the case, but the more at bats you have, the better chance a big hit will come.

With these qualifications, the best odds for MVP are two players who have not gotten out too often in the past month: Joey Votto and Robinson Cano.

Votto hit a ridiculous .392 in the month of June and seems to be piling up extra-base hits whenever he is in the batter's box. The first baseman is in a zone right now that few pitchers have been able to stop.

On the American League side, the Yankees second baseman started the year slowly but has gotten better every month. With 11 homers in the month of June, he might have the best odds to hit one out in Kansas City.

Then again, the all star game is always full of surprises. Someone like hometown hero Billy Butler might end up making the big hit to win it all. 

Follow @rgoldberg86