Think of this as the All-Star Game of Theo Epstein.
The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox combined for 13 selections to this year’s All-Star teams. Nine of those are elected starters. They’ve never combined to start more than six in an All-Star Game previously (they had six in 1936 and 2005).
All nine of those starters are players who were signed, drafted or traded for by the current Cubs team president (including Anthony Rizzo, who was drafted by the Red Sox and acquired via trade by the Cubs).
The Cubs could be the first team to start five position players in an All-Star Game since the 1976 Reds. They’ll join the 1963 Cardinals as the only teams to start all four of their infielders in an All-Star Game.
The Red Sox will have four position players start the All-Star Game for the first time since 2005 and the third time in franchise history (1946 being the other). They’ll also be the first AL team to have two starting outfielders since Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez represented the Red Sox in 2005.
This will be a game that’s about the young stars. Elias Sports Bureau research shows that the AL team will be the first whose starting infield and catcher are age 26 or younger.
Elias also noted that Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts are the second pair of Red Sox teammates under the age of 24 to start an All-Star Game. The others are Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr in 1941. The only other pair of teammates that young to start are Jim Fregosi and Dean Chance for the 1964 Angels.
Some other notes about the starters:
Buster Posey will join Walker Cooper as the only Giants catchers to start three All-Star Games. Cooper started from 1946 to 1948.
Ben Zobrist will be the Cubs' first player to start an All-Star Game at second base since Ryne Sandberg in 1993.
Bryce Harper will make his third All-Star start, matching Andre Dawson for the most by an outfielder in Nationals/Expos history.
Eric Hosmer will be the first Royals player to start at first base in an All-Star Game since John Mayberry, 1973.
Mike Trout’s fifth selection breaks a tie with Vladimir Guerrero for most All-Star selections by an Angels outfielder. Trout joins Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey Jr., Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Ivan Rodriguez and Fernando Valenzuela as the only players to make at least five All-Star teams before turning 25.
David Ortiz will start at designated hitter for the fifth time, the most by any player. He previously shared the mark with Edgar Martinez.
Final Five notes
Fan voting began immediately for the Final Five candidates, with one winner selected in each league. Here's a capsule on each contender:
National League Final Vote:
Brandon Belt (Giants): He leads the NL with 26 doubles. His his six defensive runs saved are second-most among first basemen, behind Rizzo.
Ryan Braun (Brewers): His .323 batting average is fourth in the NL and leads NL outfielders.
Jake Lamb (Diamondbacks): His 223-point slugging percentage increase from 2015 to 2016 (.386 to .609) is the largest in the majors. He leads NL in slugging percentage and hard-hit rate.
Starling Marte (Pirates): His .321 batting average is second among NL outfielders and his 3.0 WAR is second-most among NL left fielders.
Trevor Story (Rockies): He leads all rookies with 19 home runs and ranks third among all rookies in WAR. Per Elias research, he started his career by becoming first player in major-league history to hit seven home runs over his team's first six games of the season.
AL Final Vote
Ian Kinsler (Tigers): He ranked third among second basemen in wins above replacement (3.0), tied for second in home runs (16) and third in RBI (52). He's hitting .328 with runners in scoring position, best on the Tigers (Victor Martinez is also at .328, but is a smidge behind).
Evan Longoria (Rays): His candidacy is largely predicated on how he has performed since the end of April. Since April 30, he's hitting .296/.355/.571 with 15 home runs. His 15 homers and 36 RBIs are second in that span among those who primarily play third base, trailing Todd Frazier (17 and 37).
Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox): He ranks 11th in the AL in batting average (.306) and seventh in hits (101). He's also first among all second baseman with eight defensive runs saved.
Michael Saunders (Blue Jays): He ranks eighth in the AL with a .910 OPS and also ranks ninth in slugging percentage (.544). The .910 OPS ranks third in the league among those whose primary position is outfield.
George Springer (HOU): He ranked ninth among AL position players in wins above replacement (3.5) and ranks in the top 10 in the league in home runs, runs scored, times on base and walks. His 10 defensive runs saved rank third among right fielders (second among AL right fielders, trailing only Adam Eaton's 18).
Snubs
David Schoenfield provided a few All-Star snubs, but here's one more from each league:
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford was not selected for the game or final vote despite leading NL shortstops in RBIs and all shortstops in defensive runs saved.
Similarly, Orioles first baseman Chris Davis leads AL first basemen in both wins above replacement and defensive runs saved.
