2016 MLB All-Star Roster: Key Stats for Players in AL & NL Lineups

The rosters are set, and the 2016 MLB All-Star Game is a mere three days away.

While the idea that home-field advantage for the World Series is decided in an exhibition game still rankles some baseball fans, the Midsummer Classic remains one of the biggest days on the MLB calendar.

Since the All-Star Game is meant to honor the best players in baseball, there isn't generally a big statistical difference between the American and National Leagues. With that in mind, let's take a look at how they stack up in terms some of the most telling pitching and batting metrics.

2016 All-Star Lineups

Position	American League	National League
C	Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals	Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
1B	Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals	Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
2B	Jose Altuve, Houston Astros	Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs
3B	Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles	Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
SS	Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox	Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
OF	Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox	Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins
OF	Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox	Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
OF	Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels	Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
DH	David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox	------

Key Stats

In terms of offense, the American League is superior in all but one of the nine categories below (home runs), but it's worth noting David Ortiz is the AL leader in the lion's share of the metrics. Still, the dominance of one player doesn't necessarily speak to the strength of the entire lineup:

Stat	American League	National League
AVG	Jose Altuve (.347)	Carlos Gonzalez (.322)
OBP	Mike Trout (.429)	Anthony Rizzo (.405)
SLG	David Ortiz (.682)	Kris Bryant (.575)
HR	David Ortiz (21)	Kris Bryant (25)
RBI	David Ortiz (70)	Kris Bryant (64)
SB	Jose Altuve (23)	Bryce Harper (11)
ISO	David Ortiz (.346)	Kris Bryant (.295)
wOBA	David Oritz (.451)	Anthony Rizzo (.405)
wRC+	David Ortiz (182)	Anthony Rizzo (154)

In truth, little separates the two. The AL averages 15.1 home runs and 53.9 runs batted in. The NL's eight hitters average 16.7 homers and 51.5 RBI.

If the voters had selected the National League on starters, the Senior Circuit would also be much better off. Corey Seager leads all NL shortstops in WAR (3.8), and a sizeable margin separates him from All-Star starter Addison Russell (1.6), per FanGraphs.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the two:

Player	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI
Seager	381	.296	.357	.525	17	41
Russell	324	.235	.330	.406	11	49

Granted, the American League would have benefited from Chris Davis taking Eric Hosmer's place in the lineup. Davis may be hitting for a much lower average (.233) than Hosmer (.300), but he has also clubbed more home runs (21) and driven in more runs (56) than the Kansas City Royals first baseman (13 HR, 49 RBI).

One problem for NL manager Terry Collins will be devising a plan to neutralize the American League's lineup without his best pitcher. The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day disabled list back on June 30, so he'll be unavailable for the All-Star Game.

Excluding the three-time Cy Young winner, here's how the NL's aces stack up against their counterparts in AL:

Stat	American League	National League
ERA	Danny Salazar (2.36)	Johnny Cueto, Drew Pomeranz (2.47)
FIP	Corey Kluber (2.96)	Jose Fernandez (2.13)
K/9	Danny Salazar (10.27)	Jose Fernandez (12.91)
BB/9	Chris Sale (1.87)	Bartolo Colon (1.57)

Luckily for Collins, he has an embarrassment of riches at starting pitcher. As if navigating through the likes of Johnny Cueto, Jake Arrieta, Jose Fernandez, Drew Pomeranz and Max Scherzer won't be difficult enough for AL hitters, they'll also see Kenley Jansen, Fernando Rodney and Jeurys Familia on the mound at some point in the All-Star Game too.

The American League has some talented arms of its own, especially in the bullpen. With the nature of the All-Star Game—pitchers don't generally go longer than an inning—loading up on relievers may be a shrewd strategy.

As USA Today's Gabe Lacques argued, AL manager Ned Yost will be right at home in San Diego:

Two or fewer runs have decided the All-Star Game on six occasions over the last 10 years. Given the strength of the National League's pitching staff, two or three runs may be all it takes to win this year's edition.

In a tight game, having pitchers used to late-inning relief roles could be a massive asset for the AL, though.

Note: American League and National League stats are courtesy of FanGraphs and up to date as of 6 p.m. ET Saturday.