2013 All-Star Roster: Players Who Will Shine Bright at Citi Field

The American League has dominated the MLB All-Star game for the better part of two decades, but the National League surged back to notch a victory in each of the last three Midsummer Classics.

This year, the National League will have the advantage of playing at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. With World Series home-field advantage on the line, the All-Star Game won’t be just another exhibition game.

But while the All-Star Game has taken on new significance since being chosen to decide home-field advantage, it’s still an opportunity for some of the game’s biggest stars to shine a little brighter. It may not be the most competitive contest, but it’s certainly more intriguing than the NFL Pro Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game.

The Midsummer Classic boasts some terrific moments in its 83-game history, and there’s a good chance we’ll be able to add to that list this year. From heralded veterans like Mariano Rivera and David Ortiz to budding superstars like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, this year’s edition features some serious talent capable of doing some special things on the national stage.

Let’s take a look at each team’s roster and highlight some players who are sure to shine in the 2013 MLB All-Star Game.

National League Roster

Starters	Position	Team
Yadier Molina	C	St. Louis Cardinals
Joey Votto	1B	Cincinnati Reds
Brandon Phillips	2B	Cincinnati Reds
Troy Tulowitzki	SS	Colorado Rockies
David Wright	3B	New York Mets
Carlos Beltran	OF	St. Louis Cardinals
Carlos Gonzalez	OF	Colorado Rockies
Bryce Harper	OF	Washington Nationals
Pitchers
Madison Bumgarner	LHP	San Francisco Giants
Aroldis Chapman	LHP	Cincinnati Reds
Patrick Corbin	LHP	Arizona Diamondbacks
Jose Fernandez	RHP	Miami Marlins
Jason Grilli	RHP	Pittsburgh Pirates
Matt Harvey	RHP	New York Mets
Clayton Kershaw	LHP	Los Angeles Dodgers
Craig Kimbrel	RHP	Atlanta Braves
Cliff Lee	LHP	Philadelphia Phillies
Jeff Locke	LHP	Pittsburgh Pirates
Adam Wainwright	RHP	St. Louis Cardinals
Travis Wood	LHP	Chicago Cubs
Jordan Zimmermann	RHP	Washington Nationals
Reserves
Buster Posey	C	San Francisco Giants
Paul Goldschmidt	1B	Arizona Diamondbacks
Allen Craig	1B	St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Carpenter	2B	St. Louis Cardinals
Marco Scutaro	2B	San Francisco Giants
Everth Cabrera	SS	San Diego Padres
Jean Segura	SS	Milwaukee Brewers
Pedro Alvarez	3B	Pittsburgh Pirates
Domonic Brown	OF	Philadelphia Phillies
Michael Cuddyer	OF	Colorado Rockies
Carlos Gomez	OF	Milwaukee Brewers
Andrew McCutchen	OF	Pittsburgh Pirates

American League Roster

Player	Position	Team
Joe Mauer	C	Minnesota Twins
Chris Davis	1B	Baltimore Orioles
Robinson Cano	2B	New York Yankees
J.J. Hardy	SS	Baltimore Orioles
Miguel Cabrera	3B	Detroit Tigers
Mike Trout	OF	Los Angeles Angels
Adam Jones	OF	Baltimore Orioles
Jose Bautista	OF	Toronto Blue Jays
David Ortiz	DH	Boston Red Sox
Pitchers
Clay Buchholz	RHP	Boston Red Sox
Brett Cecil	LHP	Toronto Blue Jays
Bartolo Colon	RHP	Oakland Athletics
Jesse Crain	RHP	Chicago White Sox
Yu Darvish	RHP	Texas Rangers
Felix Hernandez	RHP	Seattle Mariners
Hisashi Iwakuma	RHP	Seattle Mariners
Justin Masterson	RHP	Clevelans Indians
Joe Nathan	RHP	Texas Rangers
Glen Perkins	LHP	Minnesota Twins
Mariano Rivera	RHP	New York Yankees
Chris Sale	LHP	Chicago White Sox
Max Scherzer	RHP	Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander	RHP	Detroit Tigers
Reserves
Jason Castro	C	Houston Astros
Salvador Perez	C	Kansas City Royals
Prince Fielder	1B	Detroit Tigers
Jason Kipnis	2B	Cleveland Indians
Dustin Pedroia	2B	Boston Red Sox
Ben Zobrist	2B	Tampa Bay Rays
Jhonny Peralta	SS	Detroit Tigers
Manny Machado	3B	Baltimore Orioles
Nelson Cruz	OF	Texas Rangers
Alex Gordon	OF	Kansas City Royals
Torii Hunter	OF	Detroit Tigers
Edwin Encarnacion	DH	Toronto Blue Jays

Mike Trout

Mike Trout makes his second consecutive appearance in the All-Star game, the first of which came in the same year he earned the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

Trout doesn’t need an introduction, though. After hitting .326 with 30 home runs and 83 RBI last season, the 21-year-old phenom is on pace to come close to those same numbers this year, currently hitting .309 with 14 homers and 56 RBI—to say nothing of the tremendous work he does with the leather.

But what makes Trout so special is his poise. Everything the center fielder does looks effortless.

Trout has capitalized on every opportunity to shine in his formative MLB years, and there’s plenty of reasons to believe he’ll continue that momentum with a terrific showing in the All-Star Game.

 

Miguel Cabrera

There isn’t a better right-handed bat in all of baseball than Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera—not that there’s any question of that at this point.

The 2012 Triple Crown winner is on an absolutely torrid pace this season, batting .360 with 27 home runs and 88 RBI through 85 games. No one has been able to slow him this year, and National League pitching is going to have its work cut out in the All-Star Game.

Every player in the Midsummer Classic will be there for good reason, but none are more deserving than Cabrera. The NL squad better have a few extra arms in the bullpen—just in case.

 

Paul Goldschmidt

Looking at the rosters on paper, it’s hard to imagine the National League pulling off a fourth straight victory in this year’s All-Star game.

But talent isn’t all about stats and figures. And it’s not as if the National League doesn’t have a few budding stars of its own.

Paul Goldschmidt put together a solid campaign in 2012, but he’s been absolutely terrific in 2013. In 86 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the first baseman is hitting .305 with 21 homers and a National League-leading 73 RBI.

Never considered an elite prospect, Goldschmidt has come to life in the last two seasons, out to prove he’s more than capable of making a major impact at the big league level. As well as he’s done that this season, don’t expect him to come up short in the All-Star game.

 

Matt Harvey

Starting pitchers haven’t been announced yet, but no one would be surprised if hometown favorite Matt Harvey toes the rubber to start the contest.

The “Dark Knight of Gotham,” as Sports Illustrated so aptly dubbed him, has been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise forgettable season for the New York Mets, who, at 36-48, are currently 12.5 games out of the playoff picture right now.

But even with limited run support (New York is 20th in the league in runs scored), the 24-year-old righty has recorded seven wins this season and posted a remarkable 2.27 ERA and 0.91 WHIP to go along with 141 strikeouts in 123 innings pitched.

If Harvey does get the start, he’ll be faced with a tall task in shutting down a loaded American League lineup. But if his first-half performance is any indication, the American League should be concerned.