2017 MLB All-Star Roster: Starters and Full Lineup for Midsummer Classic

Fresh faces will join an established guard at 2017's MLB All-Star Game.

The released rosters revealed an eclectic mix of brand-name studs and overlooked breakout players earning the prestigious invite.

Rookie behemoths Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger will share the grand stage with diminutive superstars Jose Altuve and Mookie Betts. Chris Sale, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw received spots. So did Jason Vargas, Ervin Santana and Brad Hand. 

Miami's exhibition contest—which thankfully no longer determines home-field advantage in the World Series—will spotlight success stories in all different forms. Exciting young talent jumps off the page, but there are also some headliners few fans envisioned entering the season.

After running through the American League and National League rosters, let's take a look at three first-time honorees.

American League Roster

*C Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals

C Gary Sanchez, New York Yankees

*1B Justin Smoak, Toronto Blue Jays

1B Yonder Alonso, Oakland Athletics

*2B Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

2B Jonathan Schoop, Baltimore Orioles

2B Starlin Castro, New York Yankees

*3B Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians

3B Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins

*SS Carlos Correa, Houston Astros

SS Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians

*OF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels +

*OF Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

*OF George Springer, Houston Astros

OF Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox

OF Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians

OF Avisail Garcia, Chicago White Sox

*DH Corey Dickerson, Tampa Bay Rays

DH Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners

SP Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox

SP Jason Vargas, Kansas City Royals

SP Lance McCullers, Houston Astros

SP Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers

SP Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers

SP Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians

SP Ervin Santana, Minnesota Twins

SP Luis Severino, New York Yankees

SP Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros +

RP Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox

RP Andrew Miller, Cleveland Indians

RP Dellin Betances, New York Yankees

National League Roster

*C Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

C Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals

*1B Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

1B Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

1B Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

1B Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers

*2B Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals

2B Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates

2B D.J. LeMahieu, Colorado Rockies

*3B Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

3B Jake Lamb, Arizona Diamondbacks

*SS Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds

SS Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers

*OF Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies

*OF Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

*OF Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins

OF Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins

OF Michael Conforto, New York Mets +

OF Ender Inciarte, Atlanta Braves

SP Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

SP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

SP Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals

SP Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks

SP Robbie Ray, Arizona Diamondbacks

SP Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals

RP Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers

RP Corey Knebel, Milwaukee Brewers

RP Wade Davis, Chicago Cubs

RP Greg Holland, Colorado Rockies

RP Brad Hand, San Diego Padres

RP Pat Neshek, Philadelphia Phillies

*=Starter, +=Player is currently on the disabled list 

Zack Cozart, SS, Cincinnati Reds

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

By beating out Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Corey Seager for the NL's starting shortstop spot, Zack Cozart will receive more than pride and a bonus check. As part of a long-running understanding with Cincinnati Reds teammate Joey Votto, he's owed a donkey.

Votto, who earned his fifth All-Star bid, had promised to buy Cozart a donkey if he ever made the Midsummer Classic. Courtesy of Fox Sports Ohio, the first baseman even dressed up as the animal on MLB Network to campaign for a final surge. He later told reporters that he had a donkey "in the works" in anticipation of the roster reveal:

"

That promise from Joey Votto to Zack Cozart about the donkey?

The @Reds first baseman is taking it very, very seriously. #VoteCozart pic.twitter.com/x6Fy5ryx8m

— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) June 29, 2017"

The only suspense hinged on whether Cozart would win the fan vote or get selected as a reserve. Hitting .322/.403/.555 with the seventh-best WAR (2.9) of any NL position player, the 31-year-old was an automatic choice to make the team. 

While he has only hit nine home runs during a power-inflated season, the veteran has slapped 16 doubles and five triples. He has also taken a page out of Votto's playbook by posting a career-high 12.2 walk percentage, more than double his career rate of 5.9.

Cozart is due an even greater reward when entering free agency this winter. He'll ride into the open market, presumably on his new donkey, as an All-Star. 

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Indians

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Three months into 2017, Francisco Lindor is not the Cleveland Indians' best infielder. That honor belongs to Jose Ramirez, who has eclipsed last year's breakout by leaping to superstardom.

If not for Judge, Cleveland's versatile third baseman would enter the midway mark a viable AL MVP favorite. The 24-year-old is batting .325/.379/.584 with 15 home runs, already exceeding last year's career high of 11. 

Only Nolan Arenado and Mookie Betts have tallied more doubles than Ramirez's 26, which explains how he has procured a significantly higher slugging percentage than Miguel Sano. Kudos to the fans for looking beyond the Minnesota Twins masher's 20 home runs to select Ramirez as the AL's starting third baseman.

Both young AL Central stars deserved a roster spot, but it's interesting to see how preconceived biases almost caused Ramirez to lose the vote. MLB Statistics ran two polls, one listing their names and another simply presenting the numbers. The Cleveland infielder barely won the named query, but he dominated the blind survey in a landslide:

AL manager Terry Francona doesn't have to fret tactical decisions in an inconsequential game, but he may have benefited from utilizing his flexible star wherever he was needed later in the showcase. Either way, the festivities should help vault Ramirez's recognition among casual fans.

Jason Vargas, SP, Kansas City Royals

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Vargas has never posted an ERA below 3.70 in a full season. Coming off Tommy John surgery at 34 years old, his 2.22 ERA now leads the AL.

Looking at his 3.47 fielding independent pitching (FIP), he owes a bit of credit to the baseball gods. He has compiled 74 strikeouts over 101.1 innings, so Chris Sale and his 166 strikeouts should still receive the starting nod.

Yet Vargas has prevented runs and frequently gone deep into outings. All but one of his 12 victories qualify as quantity starts. He fell one short of the minimum six innings in the holdover. He has also yielded just 24 walks. 

Teams often want to spare their starters from logging superfluous pitches in an exhibition affair. Royals manager Ned Yost, on the other hand, seems to want the veteran southpaw to enjoy the moment. Last week, he told the Kansas City Star's Rustin Dodd that he won't use his ace on the final Sunday before the break, which would make him ineligible to compete in the All-Star Game:

Even without the gaudy strikeout tallies of staff peers and power arms like Chris Archer and Carlos Carrasco who missed the cut, Vargas deserves to join baseball's finest in the sport's annual summer celebration.

Note: All advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.