2015 MLB All-Star Roster: Complete Lineups and Top Storylines to Watch

Announcing the MLB All-Star roster now comes in three waves.  We've already passed the first two, with the fan-selected starters and manager-selected reserves.  But with the slew of injury replacements who find their way onto the roster, both the American League and National League dugouts begin to resemble college football rosters by the time the actual game rolls around.  

So the current snapshot below represents a more accurate representation of who has most deservedly earned the All-Star moniker.  And even excluding the next wave of players, there's still a fair degree of uncertainty as to how Bruce Bochy and Ned Yost will actually manage these rosters, which creates some intriguing questions that won't be answered until the game.

Check out the current AL and NL rosters below while also looking ahead to which players could find themselves most prominently featured in the Cincinnati spotlight.

2015 MLB All-Star Game Lineups

Position	Starter	Team	All-Star Appearance
Position	Reserve	Team	All-Star Appearance
Position	Pitcher	Team	All-Star Appearance
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
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
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

Position	Starter	Team	All-Star Appearance
Position	Reserve	Team	All-Star Appearance
Position	Pitcher	Team	All-Star Appearance
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
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
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	2
RP	Aroldis Chapman	Cincinnati Reds	4
RP	Jonathan Papelbon	Philadelphia Phillies	6
RP	Francisco Rodriguez	Milwaukee Brewers	6

Storylines to Watch

Who Starts on the Mound?

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The final vote might be the most immediate roster concern in the spotlight, but the most glamorous decision will come with the starting pitcher announcements.  Whereas one league has a fairly clear front-runner, the other squad will have a much wider net to cast to field its range of possible candidates.

In the senior circuit, Max Scherzer has been the clear class of the National League.  The Washington Nationals' ace has been spectacular apart from a brief early June blip and, according to FanGraphs' WAR, has accumulated nearly a full win more than any other pitcher in the league.

Scherzer has always harbored swing-and-miss stuff, but his control hasn't always been great, something that held him back early in his career.  His newfound elite control has elevated his pitching again, though, as his 1.02 walks-per-nine-innings rate (BB/9) currently ranks third among qualified starters.  Assuming he does get the starting nod, Scherzer will join some historically elite company:

Yost won't have nearly as simple a choice for the AL.  Reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber is somehow not on the roster despite leading the league in WAR, though he might sneak his way onto the roster later.  One possible alternative could be Dallas Keuchel, the ace of the Cinderella first-place Houston Astros.  

The Astros don't really have a signature player serving as the mainstream face of the franchise, and a starting All-Star nod for Keuchel could vault him into that role.  The 27-year-old has maintained a sparkling 2.14 ERA and 11-3 record despite some poor fly-ball luck, and he's certainly earned the respect of his peers:

The Chicago White Sox's Chris Sale might get the nod based on pedigree, as he's now a four-time All-Star who's been on the precipice of starting previous games without actually earning the distinction.  Sale's absurd 11.78 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) rate leads all qualified starters as he continues to carry the mantle for an otherwise nondescript White Sox squad.

Chris Archer, Sonny Gray and David Price are among the others who could at least make an argument for the starter's role.  Whoever gets the assignment will likely face off against Scherzer, but the guess here is that it boils down to Keuchel vs. Sale.

Who Replaces Injured Starters?

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The starting pitcher's slot isn't the only starting job that will be up for grabs.  As you can see in the lineups above, there are at least three fan-voted starters who will be unable to participate because of major injuries: Miguel Cabrera, Alex Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton.  

St. Louis' Matt Holliday has also been on the disabled list for the past month with a torn quad, but the Cardinals vet is pushing for a return and plans to play in the All-Star Game, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.

For now we'll operate under the assumption that Holliday does play, leaving three spots open for current reserves.  It's important to note that the managers don't simply need to take the next-highest vote-getters to replace their injured starters, as Yost and Bochy will both be able to pick their own starters.

On the AL side, the pickings are slim to replace Cabrera.  Eight of the top 10 leaders in WAR among first baseman are from the NL, and Cabrera is one of the two AL reps.  Albert Pujols is the other one, and given his MVP pedigree and power resurgence (which will see him featured in the Home Run Derby), the Machine seems like the most logical candidate to replace the Detroit Tigers first baseman.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Yost doesn't have to stick with a natural left fielder to replace Gordon, but if he does, he might have to go off the roster for the best candidate.  

Yoenis Cespedes is currently on the Final Vote ballot and has accumulated the second most WAR among left fielders behind Gordon.  Cespedes won't get a chance to win a third Home Run Derby title, but giving him the starting nod would provide a platform to feature his power for the Cincinnati crowd nonetheless:

Figuring out Stanton's replacement is a little trickier.  Former MVP Andrew McCutchen has the biggest name and most popularity, but he has a bit of an offensive dip this season.  The honor should probably go to one of three young breakout stars: Joc Pederson, Starling Marte or A.J. Pollock.  Pederson's power and status as a big-market star make him the most marketable, but would Bochy pick a Los Angeles Dodger to start?

None of this will have an impact on the game's outcome, of course, but it's a good way to evaluate the reputations and resumes of baseball's biggest stars.  And though home-field advantage throughout the World Series controversially remains on the line, those status evaluations are the most interesting part of the All-Star selection process.

Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.