2015 All-Star Game Rosters Announced (MLB Release)
Pitchers and reserves have been named to the American League and National League All-Star Teams, as announced today by Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and All-Star Game managers Ned Yost of the AL and Bruce Bochy of the NL.
In addition to the starters who were elected by the fans, pitchers and reserve players were named to the All-Star Game rosters by the Player Ballot – a vote of the players, managers and coaches – and by the All-Star Game managers in conjunction with MLB. In making their selections, the managers have ensured that each of the 30 Major League Clubs will be represented in the All-Star Game.
American League position players who are invited to the 86th Midsummer Classic as a result of Player Balloting are catcher Stephen Vogt of the Oakland Athletics; first baseman Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels, who will replace injured fan-elected starter Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers in the starting lineup; second baseman Jason Kipnis of the Cleveland Indians; shortstop Jose Iglesias of the Tigers; third baseman Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles; outfielders Adam Jones of the Orioles, Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays and J.D. Martinez of the Tigers; and designated hitter Prince Fielder of the Texas Rangers.
AL pitchers who have made the All-Star Game as a result of the Player Ballot include starters Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros; Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays; Sonny Gray of the Athletics; Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox; and David Price of the Tigers. The relievers who are All-Stars via the Player Ballot are Dellin Betances of the New York Yankees; Wade Davis of the Kansas City Royals; and Glen Perkins of the Minnesota Twins.
Yost had seven selections to fill out the remainder of the AL roster. The five pitchers chosen by the manager, in conjunction with MLB, are Brad Boxberger of the Rays; Zach Britton of the Orioles; Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners; Kelvin Herrera of the Royals; and Darren O’Day of the Orioles. The two position players who are among Yost’s selections are infielder Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox and catcher Russell Martin of the Blue Jays. In addition, first baseman Mark Teixeira of the Yankees has been appointed by Yost to take the place of the injured Cabrera on the AL All-Star roster.
The MLB All-Star Game Final Vote will determine the 34th AL roster spot. The candidates are Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (A1); Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (A2); Twins second baseman Brian Dozier (A3); Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner (A4); and Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (A5).
National League position players who are invited to the 86th All-Star Game as a result of Player Balloting are catcher Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals; first baseman Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs; second baseman DJ LeMahieu of the Colorado Rockies; shortstop Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants; third baseman Nolan Arenado of the Rockies; and outfielders Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who will replace injured fan-elected starter Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins in the starting lineup, Joc Pederson of the Los Angeles Dodgers and A.J. Pollock of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
NL pitchers who have made the 2015 All-Star Game as a result of the Player Ballot include starters Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals; Gerrit Cole of the Pirates; Zack Greinke of the Dodgers; Shelby Miller of the Atlanta Braves; and Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets. The relievers who are All-Stars via the Player Ballot are Trevor Rosenthal of the St. Louis Cardinals; Aroldis Chapman of the host Cincinnati Reds; and Mark Melancon of the Pirates.
Bochy’s nine selections, in conjunction with MLB, included five pitchers: starter Madison Bumgarner of the Giants; starter A.J. Burnett of the Pirates; reliever Jonathan Papelbon of the Philadelphia Phillies; reliever Francisco Rodriguez of the Milwaukee Brewers; and starter Michael Wacha of the Cardinals. The four position players who are among Bochy’s selections are first baseman Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers; catcher Yasmani Grandal of the Dodgers; second baseman Joe Panik of the Giants; and Padres outfielder Justin Upton. In addition, third baseman Kris Bryant of the Cubs has been appointed by Bochy to take the place of the injured Stanton on the NL All-Star roster.
The MLB All-Star Game Final Vote will determine the 34th NL roster spot, a competition that will feature starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (N1) of the Reds; reliever Jeurys Familia (N2) of the Mets; starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (N3) of the Dodgers; starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (N4) of the Cardinals; and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (N5) of the Rockies.
The Royals, who entered play today with the best record in the AL (46-33), will send six players to the Midsummer Classic for the first time in franchise history, eclipsing the club’s previous high of five (1972, 1982). The Cardinals will send an NL-high five players to the All-Star Game, while the Dodgers, Pirates and Giants will all send four players to Cincinnati. It marks the fifth time in the last six seasons (except 2013) that the NL has had at least four different teams represented by at least four All-Star selections.
Third baseman Kris Bryant is the third Cubs rookie to earn an All-Star nod, joining outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and catcher Geovany Soto (both 2008). Outfielder Joc Pederson becomes the first Dodgers rookie to make the All-Star team since right-hander Hideo Nomo in 1995, and the first rookie position player for Los Angeles since Mike Piazza in 1993. Bryant and Pederson are two of the 28 All-Stars (14 AL, 14 NL) who will be making their first trip to the Midsummer Classic, and are also two of the 35 players age 27 or younger who have been selected to the All-Star rosters. In addition, there are 16 foreign-born players on the All-Star rosters (11 AL, 5 NL), including six from Venezuela, five from the Dominican Republic, three from Cuba, one from Canada and one from Puerto Rico.
