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The 2013 MLB All-Star Game is finally upon us, as the festivities have ended and the fight for home-field advantage in the World Series will soon commence. While everyone knows that the game will transpire, there’s one question that everyone needs answered.

When and where can we watch the game?

The Midsummer Classic has long been the most competitive All-Star Game of America’s big four sports. With the stipulations involved, both sides have something to play for, as home-field advantage is critical come the World Series.

To ensure you don’t miss a second of the action, all of the viewing information can be found in the following article. From start times to rosters, we have it all.

What a game this should be.

Date: Tuesday, July 16

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Venue: Citi Field in Flushing Meadows, Queens, N.Y.

American League: Starting Lineup

If we could only pick one aspect of the 2013 MLB All-Star Game to marvel over, it would be the top of the order for the American League. From MVP candidates to phenoms to home run masters, you have the most fearsome one-through-four in recent memory.

Mike Trout, Robinson Cano, Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis—who do you want to pitch to?

Behind them are sluggers Jose Bautista and David Ortiz, as well as do-it-all center fielder Adam Jones and future Hall of Famer Joe Mauer. To cap it all off, they have J.J. Hardy hitting ninth, which sets the stage for a tough go-round once you reach the top of the lineup again.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Max Scherzer is the one pitching.

Scherzer is currently 13-1, leading the MLB in wins and ranking second to Yu Darvish in strikeouts. While no one expects this to be a collective shutout, Scherzer is the front-runner to win the Cy Young at this stage of the season.

With the run support he’s bound to get, who’s putting their money against him?

American League: Reserves

The American League reserves are highlighted by some big names, including Nelson Cruz, Prince Fielder and Dustin Pedroia. There are also rising stars, with Alex Gordon, Jason Kipnis and Manny Machado all making their first career appearances.

The only question at this point is how will the American League fit all these high-profile players into one game?

Veterans Edwin Encarnacion and Torii Hunter are players worth watching, as each has something to prove. Both have been relatively under-appreciated for their level of play in 2013, and each has the opportunity to break through for the American League.

With superstars surrounding them, a home run here and a stellar catch there could remind us of why they’re two of the best players in baseball.

With all of that being established, the world is waiting to see Fielder’s power and Machado‘s—well, everything. Barehanded grabs along the third-base line and extra-base hits are what the fans want, and if the American League is hoping to win, it’s what it will need.

The starting lineup may be substantially better than the reserves, but there are players who are of a starter’s caliber scattered throughout the reserves.

American League: Pitchers 

Bartolo Colon has been a revelation, Hisashi Iwakuma is becoming a dominant force and both Jesse Crain and Glen Perkins have been pleasant surprises. Felix Hernandez remains an ace, and both Chris Sale and Justin Verlander are superstars.

Regardless of what else is going on with the American League, though, this one is all about Mariano Rivera.

The greatest closer in the history of professional baseball will be playing in his final All-Star Game. The 43-year-old certainly deserves to be here, as he’s second in the MLB with 30 saves on an ERA of 1.83 with just two blown opportunities.

According to Scott Boeck of USA Today Sports, American League manager Jim Leyland made sure there was no question about Rivera’s availability in this game. Rivera chimed in, too:

“You can rest assured (Rivera) will be on the mound at some point and you will see him pitch,” [Jim] Leyland said.

“It would be great,” said Rivera about the opportunity of closing out the game. “This is home, even though this is the Mets stadium. This is New York City. It’s home for us. It would be a beautiful thing.”

We may be in New York Mets territory, but every person in the world will be giving Rivera a standing ovation after this one.

Rivera has distanced himself from the all-time greats and moved into his place as the most dominant relief pitcher to ever live. He has 13 All-Star Game appearances, five World Series championships and a World Series MVP award, to list only a few of his career achievements.

He also holds the MLB record with 638 career saves. The AL will be hoping to give him an unofficial one during the All-Star Game in what should be the most memorable moment of the evening.

National League: Starting Lineup

The National League may lack the star power that the AL possesses, but that doesn’t mean these hitters will be easy outs. With players in the middle of the lineup consisting of Joey Votto, David Wright and Carlos Gonzalez, it will be anything but manageable for American League ace Max Scherzer.

With that being said, all eyes will be set on hometown pitcher Matt Harvey of the New York Mets.

Harvey is currently 7-2 with an ERA of 2.35 and a WHIP of 0.92, also posting an NL-best 147 strikeouts. At Citi Field, he’s posted an ERA of 2.21 and held batters to a batting average of .191.

Between him and Wright, Mets fans will be in for an evening to remember.

Fresh off of a loss in the Home Run Derby final, it will be interesting to see how Bryce Harper fares against the American League. With his elite level production dipping in recent weeks, Harper has dropped all the way to No. 9 in the NL starting lineup.

Plain and simple, all eyes are on the young guns.

National League: Reserves

Believe it or not, there’s an equal level of name value amongst the National League reserves as there is the starters. When your bench is highlighted by reigning regular-season MVP Buster Posey, superstar Andrew McCutchen and 2012 NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro, it’s hard to debate that statement.

The question is, how quickly will they get the National League bats off of the bench?

There’s an abundance of power with this team, as Pedro Alvarez, Domonic Brown and Paul Goldschmidt have emerged as three of the top home run hitters in baseball. With McCutchen and Posey being able to do it all, and Allen Craig serving as an RBI machine, we could see a high-scoring affair.

Surprisingly, it hasn’t been the big names who have dominated the saber-metrics prior to the All-Star Game—it’s been Carlos Gomez.

Gomez currently leads the MLB in the vaunted wins shares statistic, clocking at 5.7. He also leads all outfielders in defensive win shares, flashing his glove and becoming a SportsCenter mainstay with his home run saving catches.

If you’re looking for entertainment, Gomez is the player to watch.

National League: Pitchers

When Clayton Kershaw, Cliff Lee and Adam Wainwright are coming out of your bullpen, you know you have something special going. When Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel comprise the back end of your bullpen, you have reason to believe you can shut anyone down.

And we haven’t even touched on the presence of Madison Bumgarner, Patrick Corbin and Jordan Zimmerman.

The American League may own an edge with its hitting, but there should be no question about who has more depth in the bullpen. The National League boasts Cy Young award winners, lockdown relievers and some of the most powerful arms in all of baseball.

They may not have the legendary Mariano Rivera, but hitting off of Chapman, Jason Grilli or Kimbrel will be no walk in the park.

If the NL is going to pull off this victory and achieve home-field advantage in the World Series, it will need its pitchers to step up in a major way. The American League may not have the same pitching depth, but it still boasts stars and its hitters are world class.

With Matt Harvey, Kershaw, Lee, Wainwright and Bumgarner working through the early and middle innings, something tells us the NL will be just fine.

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Let’s be honest: Every hitter in the MLB All-Star Game is capable of a huge performance. No one made it to the Midsummer Classic without having already proven that time and again this season.

But every hitter is going to be facing some tremendous pitching in the game, and there’s a reason the American League and National League haven’t combined for more than eight runs in any of the last five All-Star Games.

For any player to put on an offensive show on Tuesday night, it’s going to take some truly elite skills at the dish.

Fortunately for fans looking for some offense, both lineups feature a few of those players, each capable of tearing up any hurler the opposition throws at him. Matt Harvey and Max Scherzer are phenomenal pitchers, but don’t expect either to make it through their outing unscathed.

Let’s take a look at the starting lineups for each team and highlight two players from each starting lineup poised for a massive performance on Tuesday night.

*Image courtesy of MLB Instagram.

American League

National League

Miguel Cabrera, 3B (AL)

Miguel Cabrera needs to introduction, but I’ll give him one anyway.

The Detroit Tigers third baseman and reigning Triple Crown winner hasn’t disappointed this season, hitting an incredible .365 with 30 home runs and 95 RBI through 93 games. The icing on the cake? He also boasts an on-base percentage of .458 and has walked nearly as many times as he’s struck out (60-64).

Forget the debate about whether Cabrera is the best right-handed hitter in baseball—he’s the best hitter in baseball.

But here’s the best part: Cabrera boasts a .350 batting average with 21 home runs and 70 RBI against right-handers this year. And, oh yeah, he’ll be facing one to start the game Tuesday night.

Harvey isn’t going to make life easy on Cabrera, but the hulking third baseman has no problem making hitting look all too easy. Expect the 30-year-old to continue his incredible season with another impressive performance on Tuesday, recording at least one extra-base hit with Harvey on the bump.

Chris Davis, 1B (AL)

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Even if Harvey gets through Cabrera without a problem, he’ll be forced to pitch to arguably the only player in the American League starting lineup with even more pop.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is on an historic home run-hitting tear this season, having already popped 37 before the All-Star break. Tack on 93 RBI and a .315 batting average (.345 against righties) and you have a hitter Harvey isn’t going to want to face.

Davis didn’t put that power on display in the Home Run Derby Monday night (12 homers), but what he’s done against live pitching this season isn’t even fair. On the biggest stage of his career, there’s no way Davis doesn’t find the outfield bleachers at least once in this game.

David Wright, 3B (NL)

The National League features some bigger bats than David Wright, but the New York Mets third baseman is playing in front of his home crowd, and he certainly has the offensive prowess to put together a quality performance at the dish.

The 30-year-old is a fan favorite who will have the home crowd on his side. Is that a thin argument for predicting his All-Star Game performance? Perhaps.

But consider this: Wright is hitting .304 with 13 home runs and 44 RBI this season on a team ranked 28th in batting average and 19th in runs scored. He hasn’t exactly been getting a lot of help from the rest of New York’s lineup.

Wright plays the game the right way, and he’s a guy fans love to watch night in and night out.

Stats don’t tell the whole story, and on Tuesday night, Wright is going to prove he’s capable of a monster performance well beyond his slightly above-average numbers this season.

Bryce Harper, CF (NL)

Two seasons, two All-Star appearances. Bryce Harper is going to do some big things in his big league career.

Harper got the nod to compete in his first Home Run Derby Monday night, and he decided to bring his dad along to pitch to him and enjoy the festivities. The Washington Nationals slugger didn’t win the Derby, but he came pretty close.

Harper juiced 24 pitches over the outfield fence Monday to finish second to Oakland Athletics phenom Yoenis Cespedes, his longest coming in at an estimated 471 feet. Say what you will about his pedestrian .264 batting average this season, but the kid knows how to hit the long ball.

At 20 years old, it would be easy for Harper to get caught up in just being selected as an All-Star Game starter. But as he proved Monday night, the lights aren’t too bright to keep him from standing out from the crowd.

Hitting in the nine-hole, Harper is likely to see some decent pitches from Scherzer and the rest of the American League pitching staff. If he sees one he likes, well, he’ll know what to do with it.

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Citi Field, which will play host to the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night, is generally considered one of the toughest ballparks in the league for power hitters.

It seemed nearly impossible to hit one out of the spacious park during its first couple years of existence, but the fences were brought in and Citi Field suddenly appears to favor home run hitters.

According to ESPN.com, Citi Field is actually baseball’s ninth-easiest ballpark to hit a home run in, so there may be more fireworks on Tuesday night than originally expected. When you add in most of the top power hitters in the game, the odds of a slugfest go up even more.

Here are three All-Stars that you can expect to step up to the plate and go yard when the American and National Leagues battle for home-field advantage in the World Series.

David Wright

New York Mets third baseman David Wright may not be an especially prolific home run hitter, as he has hit more than 21 in a season just once over the past four years, but he is very familiar with Citi Field and should feed off his home crowd.

Wright is having a stellar season, hitting .304 with 13 long balls and 44 RBI, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him run into one. After all, Newsday.com has Wright as the leading home run hitter in Citi Field history with 35.

That has as much to do with the amount of games that Wright has played at Citi Field as anything, but the numbers still speak for themselves.

From 2005 through 2008, Wright hit at least 26 home runs in each of those seasons, but that was during the Shea Stadium era. Wright did hit 29 in 2010, though, so he is capable of conquering Citi Field.

Wright tried to do so in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, and while he came up short, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweeted that Wright really enjoyed the event.

Hitting home runs in an exhibition and doing it in a game are two different animals. It isn’t unheard of for players to elevate their game when playing in an All-Star Game at home. Wright seems like the type of guy who can do that.

The Mets captain will have a few opportunities to go yard and he will find a way to do it.

Miguel Cabrera

Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera’s Citi Field resume is limited, but sometimes that simply doesn’t matter.

Cabrera is currently having one of the greatest MLB seasons in recent memory and he is once again the front-runner in the AL MVP race. Cabrera does have stiff competition in the form of Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis, but Cabrera has had a better overall year to this point and stands to make it look even better at the All-Star Game.

Cabrera leads the league in batting average at .365 as well as in RBI with 95. He has also added in 30 home runs for good measure.

Cabrera has had some incredible seasons over the course of his impressive career, but he is on pace to better all of them. According to ESPN Numbers Never Lie, Cabrera is currently obliterating the numbers he had at the All-Star break last year, and he went on to win the AL Triple Crown.

Cabrera is a safe pick to hit a home run on Tuesday because he hits them more often than almost anyone in the game. He also doesn’t have to alter his swing in order to hit them.

Cabrera is perfectly capable of smashing line-drive ropes over the center field fence and that is something that very few players can say.

Based on the way that Cabrera has played this year, it isn’t inconceivable to think that he could hit more than one out of the park on Tuesday.

Carlos Beltran

Although it seems like he was under-appreciated in retrospect, the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder played parts of seven productive seasons for the Mets and was often the focal point of their offense.

Due to a mixture of late-season failures and injuries, Beltran isn’t remembered as an all-time great Met. Despite that, he continues to rake at the age of 36 and he will be a National League starter when the teams take the field to start the All-Star Game.

It remains to be seen what type of reaction Beltran will receive, but he probably doesn’t care.

Beltran has found new life in St. Louis and is doing quite well for himself. He had an All-Star season with the Cards last year and has followed it up this season with a .309 batting average, 19 home runs and 53 RBI.

Even though Beltran played two-and-a-half seasons for the Mets during the Citi Field era, injuries kept him out of a lot of games during the time frame.

Nevertheless, Beltran remains fifth on Citi Field’s all-time home runs list. As the No. 2 hitter in the NL’s lineup, Beltran figures to get at least two at-bats on Tuesday—perhaps as many as three. He is used to hitting in the park, but he’ll probably have an even easier time with the fences moved in.

Though he may not be the first choice when it comes to picking a home run hitter in this game, he has as good of a chance as anyone.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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The MLB will celebrate the best that baseball has to offer on Tuesday night in the 2013 All-Star Game. The classic midsummer matchup, pitting the American League against the National League, will take place at Citi Field in the Big Apple.

So, who should fans be most excited to see?

Here, we’ll take a closer look at a trio of stars sure to entertain fans on Tuesday. 

Chris Davis, American League, 1B

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is the most electrifying player in baseball heading into the All-Star break. No player in the majors has more home runs this season than Davis, who has gone yard 35 times in 93 games for the Orioles.

Every time the 27-year-old steps up to the plate, it’s must-see television, and Tuesday night will be no different.

The 6’3″, 230-pound Davis’ .702 slugging percentage is currently tops in the league among qualified players.

He will warm up in the Home Run Derby on Monday night before looking to blast a few out of the park for the American League on Tuesday in yet another high-stakes All-Star Game.

Matt Harvey, National League, SP

New York Mets breakout star Matt Harvey will be pitching in his home stadium on Tuesday night, which should make for some fun reactions from the crowd.

The 24-year-old made major noise earlier this season after starting off 5-0 and posting a 1.56 ERA through the month of April. Although his numbers have taken a hit as the season has worn on, he’s still sporting a 2.35 ERA and a 7-2 record overall.

Plus, after making a nude appearance in ESPN The Magazine‘s “Body Issue” this summer, the buzz surrounding Harvey has reached a fevered pitch.

He is one of the best young pitchers in the game, and everything he’s done this season has been fun to watch.

Bryce Harper, National League, OF

Whether he’s hitting himself in the head with a bat or playing with a reckless abandon, crashing into outfield walls, Washington Nationals sensation Bryce Harper is always worth the price of admission.

Despite missing a chunk of time to injury, he has been playing solid baseball this season, sparking the Nats, smashing 13 homers and batting in 29 runs in 53 games.

Like Davis, Harper is a big-time power hitter who will be participating in the Home Run Derby 24 hours before the All-Star Game. Remember, Harper hit 22 dingers as a 19-year-old in his debut season a year ago.

But whether he’s at the plate or in the field, Harper is the most consistently entertaining player in the majors. And you can bet his presence will delight fans at Citi Field on Tuesday night.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.  

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With sluggers like Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles, Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers and Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees involved in this year’s Home Run Derby, there certainly figures to be plenty of fireworks at Citi Field in Flushing, N.Y. Even so, it’s fun to wonder what could have been if some different choices were made.

It’s tough to argue with the aforementioned players, and New York Mets third baseman David Wright is locked in as well, since the Home Run Derby is at his home park, but every other selection is up for debate. There were so many deserving candidates that a few prolific home run hitters were bound to be left out, and that is precisely what happened.

Here are three sluggers who have a legitimate gripe, as they would have been top contenders in the 2013 Home Run Derby.

Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Few players have generated as much hype this season as Los Angeles Dodgers rookie outfielder Yasiel Puig. The 22-year-old Cuban product took the league by storm after being called up in early June, and he hasn’t looked back since. Puig’s numbers are incredible, as he is hitting a shade under .400 with eight home runs and 19 RBI in just 37 games. He has played so well that he received a great deal of consideration to play in the All-Star Game itself.

Puig ultimately fell just short of that honor, as he lost to Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman in the final vote, but he still should have been involved with All-Star weekend in some way, shape or form. Putting him in the Home Run Derby would have been perfect, as it is the type of exhibition that would allow him to display his raw power. Perhaps, it was for the best that he wasn’t chosen, though, as he left Friday’s game with a hip injury, according to SportsCenter.

Provided Puig is healthy, however, he is tailor-made for the Home Run Derby. Projected over the course of an entire season, Puig is on pace for 35 home runs, so he would fit right in. Also, one has to believe that Puig would have been great for the competition’s ratings. It may not matter depending upon his health, but Puig would have been great for the event.

Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz has long been known for his pure power, but he has taken things to a different level this season. Cruz’s career high in home runs came in 2009, when he hit 33, but with 22 jacks at the All-Star break, Cruz is on pace to exceed that number. Cruz is a streaky home run hitter, as he tends to hit them in bunches, and that is something that could have played into his favor in the Home Run Derby.

The big concern attached to Cruz is his potential involvement with a Biogenesis clinic in Florida. According to Jeff Seidel of ESPNDallas.com, Cruz may get suspended at some point this season due to performance-enhancing drug suspicion, so it’s possible that Major League Baseball is trying to distance itself from Cruz. He was elected to the All-Star Game, but perhaps, the league told Cano to stay away from anyone who is involved in PED talk.

If that is the case, then Cano can’t really be blamed. Davis and Fielder were no-brainer picks for him, but he went with Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to round out the American League quartet. Cespedes’ power is immense, but he didn’t make the All-Star team, and he only has 15 home runs this season, so it was a curious choice. If the selection of Cruz was on the table, Cano should have went with him instead.

Domonic Brown, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

It took a bit longer than some expected, but Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown has finally come into his own this season. With a .281 batting average, 23 home runs and 64 RBI, Brown has developed into the face of the franchise in Philly ahead of established players such as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. The 25-year-old slugger is a rising star, and he could have easily been showcased in the Home Run Derby.

Brown is currently third in the National League in home runs behind Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who dropped out of the competition due to injury, and Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez, who is already on the team. As good as Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer has been this season, Brown is more of a pure home run hitter, and he probably would have put on a better show.

Provided Brown continues on his current path, he’ll likely get more opportunities to be in the Home Run Derby down the line. That doesn’t excuse Wright’s decision to snub him, though. There is a lot of pressure on the captains when selecting teams, as there are plenty of guys who want to compete and are also deserving, but it’s unfortunate that Brown was left out in the cold.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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The 2013 Home Run Derby participants have been set, and it’s obvious the American League has the edge on paper. David Wright might have the home-field advantage at Citi Field and Bryce Harper on his roster, but it’s not going to be enough on July 15.

Wright and Harper will be joined by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Pedro Alvarez and the Colorado Rockies’ Michael Cuddyer.

Meanwhile, the American League boasts captain Robinson Cano, MLB‘s season home run leader Chris Davis, Prince Fielder and Yoenis Cespedes. Fielder won the 2012 Derby for the American League, while Cespedes will compete in his first in his young career.

While Wright will be playing the role of the hometown captain in this event, he’s not exactly Barry Bonds when it comes to belting homers. The Mets third baseman has 13 long balls this year so far, which is one short of his 2011 total. Wright’s career high for homers in a season is 33, two less than Davis has already tallied this season.

Cuddyer falls under the same category as Wright. He hasn’t hit more than 20 home runs in a season since 2009.

Alvarez knows a thing or two about belting home runs, but he’s also quite familiar with striking out. Carlos Gonzalez’s Derby replacement has already gone down on strikes 108 times this season.

While he can’t strike out on July 15, Alvarez could miss contact with a few of the lobs thrown down the middle of the plate. Even if he doesn’t, he will have a tough time keeping pace with Cano and Fielder, let alone Davis.

Harper is the National League’s only true threat to oppose Davis, Fielder and company in this event. The Nationals’ star outfielder hit 12 of his 13 home runs before the end of May.

Even figuring in Harper’s early hot streak, Davis is the favorite to win this event and Fielder is the defending Derby champion. Davis hit 22 homers between May and June alone.

Obviously, the Derby is different than hitting a home run in a regular-season game, but the statistics point toward the AL having the better bats. Cano’s team has some of the MLB’s most impressive power hitters on its roster. The NL has batters who see the ball well, but it only has two true power hitters.

Ultimately, this is an event the American League should win easily. The only question is which AL batter will edge out the victory.

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The 2013 MLB All-Star rosters are officially set, but before things kick off at Citi Field on Tuesday night we can’t help but take a look back at how the 35 spots on both the American and National League teams were filled. 

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Steve Delabar won the All-Star Game Final Vote to be the last two players not named as injury replacements to make the two rosters. 

Did we get it right, MLB fans?

There’s no way to revisit the voting process other than from an argumentative standpoint, but sometimes that’s exactly what must be done when players with deserving seasons end up flying under the radar when ballots are being cast. 

The Santa Cruz Sentinel had an interactive look at the deserving candidates of the AL and NL before the voting was final, and the concept of this post is relevant—do we look at only names before voting for a player?

Barring another injury replacement, the AL and NL rosters are locked. Here’s a look at three deserving players (both on and off the rosters) that voters should have paid more attention to before things were finalized. 

*For a complete look at the 2013 MLB All-Star Game rosters, click here (courtesy MLB.com). 

OF Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies

This tweet from MLB Memes pretty much says it all:

Cuddyer made the NL roster, but was nowhere near the outfield voting leaders. As you can see from this ESPN report in early July, Cuddyer was a no-show despite his quality numbers that include being second in the NL in slugging (.567) and third in OPS (.962). 

Particularly troubling for Cuddyer (and outfielders like Carlos Gomez and Andrew McCutchen) was that Bryce Harper was still named a starter despite missing a hefty portion of the first half of the season due to injury. 

There’s little doubt Harper is one of the most electric players in the game. But it felt like he was rewarded for his hot-button name and not the way things have played out on the field during the first half of the season, and Cuddyer was one of a few guys who felt the sting of that result. 

The fact that the 34-year-old was outside the top 15 in voting makes him an easy choice for this “honor,” and sabermetrics lovers will point to his NL-leading offensive win percentage (.780) as another telling stat to shame voters who left his name off their ballot. 

Cuddyer will be on the NL roster, so the baseball gods made sure we didn’t screw this up too badly, but his strong first half feels a bit slighted with the lack of respect shown from voters prior to the rosters being released. 

3B Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics

Simply put, Josh Donaldson is a victim of the AL’s deepest position. He’s also the victim of playing in a market that does not lend itself to the national eye. 

You could have made a case for as many as five of the league’s third baseman making the All-Star game, but it’s Triple Crown winner (and hopeful, I might add) Miguel Cabrera and youngster Manny Machado who carry the honor this year. 

Donaldson, Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria and Texas Rangers’ Adrian Beltre were also strong contenders for consideration to Jim Leyland’s roster. 

Teammate Sean Doolittle clearly feels that Oakland’s place as a small-market team ruined Donaldson’s chances to make the AL roster:

Doolittle might be right—Donaldson leads a team with the fourth-best record in baseball in nearly every major offensive category, setting the pace at third base as the A’s maintain a one-game lead over the Rangers in the AL West (heading into Saturday). 

It’s actually a trend—if Bartolo Colon remains Oakland’s only All-Star, eight of the last nine All-Star games will have featured only one representative from the franchise, per Oakland’s official website. 

The 27-year-old is in just his third season and will have plenty of chances to repeat his strong 2013 campaign moving forward, but you can’t help but feel for Donaldson (and a host of other A’s) who were slighted by both the voters and the selection process yet again. 

SS Jean Segura, Milwaukee Brewers

Jean Segura is having a breakout season for the Milwaukee Brewers this year, but you wouldn’t know it by the fan voting that represented the National League. 

Segura‘s .321 batting average is fifth in the NL heading into Saturday’s slate of games, and he ranks at or near the leaderboard in a number of other offensive categories such as hits (first, 117), stolen bases (third, 27) and runs scored (10th, 52). 

As you can see from this tweet from Baseball Tonight back in June, Segura was trailing Troy Tulowitzki and Brandon Crawford for most of the All-Star voting process:

With Tulowitzki earning the starter’s nod but being forced out due to injury, Segura was a lock to make the roster. He and San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera will anchor the position on the NL roster at Citi Field, with San Francisco Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro an emergency candidate for Bruce Bochy in the game. 

This is Segura‘s second season with the Brewers and his first as a full-time starter, and he’s clearly taking full advantage of the opportunity to prove he is on his way to becoming a premier player at the position. 

The NL hits leader didn’t get the respect he was due during the voting process this year, but another strong season in 2014 might have Segura poised to supplant Tulowitzki as the NL’s leading man at shortstop at this time next year. 

Follow B/R’s Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter. 

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Snubs are a part of every MLB All-Star Game experience in sports. Players know it. Coaches know it. Fans know it. 

The process of talking about these oversights is often among the most inane conversations we have in sports. In the NFL, the event usually gets so watered down that you’re arguing the difference between the 13th- and 14th-best quarterbacks in the league by the time rosters are finalized. In the NBA, you’re talking about the separation of players who would be third bananas on a contender. 

In Major League Baseball, though, it’s a little trickier. Every team is required to have one representative, which sometimes comes at the expense of a far more deserving player. That process is frustrating by itself, but generally speaking, those who are selected are near no-brainers. Outside of a few strange choices, the guys who deserve to be chosen, are and those who don’t aren’t.

People spend so much time arguing about these things mainly to hear themselves talk.

But, as is the case every year, at least a couple of the snubs have a real case for being in the Midsummer Classic. Their absences aren’t going to completely ruin the fun at Citi Field or anything, but they are enough to garner an eye-roll or two directed at NL manager Bruce Bochy and AL manager Jim Leyland.

Remember, even if it’s flawed, the phrase “X All-Star appearances” appears in a player’s second or third sentence after he retires. As much as we hate to admit it, this stuff matters legacy-wise—even if the legacy subject being broached makes me want to react like Toby is coming back to the office. 

So with caveat that this thing totally matters, even though it totally shouldn’t, let’s take a look at a few snubs and surprising absences from this year’s All-Star rosters. 

Infield: Evan Longoria (3B, Tampa Bay Rays)

Many have (rightfully) been up in arms about Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson being snubbed. The 27-year-old former Auburn star is batting .313 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI—a breakout season that’s played a large part in Oakland ranking eighth in runs scored.

He’s only acceptable defensively—he has a UZR of 4.1 and sometimes bobbles routine plays—but he’s been unbelievable at the plate. It’s a shame that neither the voters nor Jim Leyland thought fit to honor his great start.

That said, it’s a near-travesty that Evan Longoria was left on the outside looking in.

Longoria is a known commodity and a superstar. He’s made three All-Star teams, and while injuries and struggles at the plate have hampered his past two seasons, he is back to performing at the height of his powers. The Rays’ franchise face is sixth among batters in WAR, just 0.1 behind Chris Davis, about whom you may have heard a thing or two.

Most will be able to justify Longoria sitting at home because his counting stats are less impressive than Donaldson’s. He’s having a very fine season—hitting .284 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI—but stacked next to Donaldson, his numbers don’t look as good. 

That, of course, doesn’t account for the all-around Longoria effect.

What’s always made Longoria stand out is his excellence at the hot corner, and that’s no different this season. His UZR of 10.3 ranks behind only Nolan Arenado of the Rockies and the immortal Manny Machado among third basemen. 

Frankly, it’s strange that he wasn’t chosen. The Hammer of Thor himself, Miguel Cabrera,was a shoo-in, and it’s hard to complain about Machado too much. But did we really need three second basemen, Mr. Leyland? How is Dustin Pedroia making the trip and not Longoria or Donaldson? And I suppose we’re just supposed to overlook three Tigers being selected for the bench as well? 

Alright, I’ll stop using rhetorical questions as a crutch now. Just know that Longoria is perhaps in the midst of his finest major league season, and he’s one of the 10 best position players in his league. These things are never worth getting worked up about, but if you’re in a foul mood and really want to complain, the conversation starts with Longoria. 

Outfield: Yasiel Puig (OF, Los Angeles Dodgers)

Puig not being selected, by either Bruce Bochy or the fans, again calls into question the MLB All-Star Game’s purpose.

Bud Selig’s decision to tie the All-Star Game to home-field advantage in the World Series remains one of the strangest things in sports. A major advantage is given to a team on the sport’s biggest stage, and it’s given by a group of players, the majority of whom will have no ties to the World Series team. It’s like promising your kids you’ll get ice cream if the other kids behave at the park. 

But that’s the world we live in. It’s one, however, that makes the whole judging process of these moves a little more difficult in cases like Puig‘s. 

If, like it is in the three other major professional sports, MLB wants its Midsummer Classic to merely be about rewarding the players who have been the most consistently spectacular over the season’s first half, then Puig is out. One month of excellence—even historic excellence—doesn’t defeat three-plus months of even very good play. Sample sizes matter.

If, like Selig seemingly wants, the managers are playing to win the game, leaving Puig out is a decision that will make National League managers a little upset with Bochy, whose Giants are a borderline mess right now. There is no hotter hitter in baseball, and few players have a better arm in right field than Puig. He’s is also a pretty decent baserunner, for whatever that’s worth in the All-Star Game.

There’s not much I need to say about Puig‘s entertainment value. He’s a goldmine of intentional and unintentional comedy in the body of a linebacker. He’s the MLB Terry Crews.

One could say that if the fans really wanted Puig in the game, they would have voted for him instead of Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, who won the Final Vote. 

Let’s just say I’m Prokhorov-level suspicious about how Freeman won the vote. It’s not that Freeman is undeserving or anything, but this is a vote. On the Internet. Human beings are involved. Things have tended to get sticky whenever people, the Internet and a vote are all mixed together.

Either way, Puig is the latest example of MLB’s strange criterion creating controversy. There needs to be more defined rules that go into the selection process, and Puig might become Patient Zero for that change.

Pitching: Derek Holland (SP, Texas Rangers)

Matt Moore replacing Yu Darvish on the American League team makes sense, mainly because the Rays starter deserved to be an All-Star prior to this whole fiasco. Judging an arm by his win-loss total is flawed—that we can all agree on. But Moore is 13-3, is striking out better than one batter per inning and has lowered opponent’s batting average to .213 this season. He still needs to work a bit his control to harness his full talents, yet it’s hard to question Moore’s All-Star placement.

The problem is that Moore’s presence continues pushing Holland out, which was a pretty large oversight from Leyland.

Holland has been on the fringes of mediocrity throughout his career, having never posted a final ERA below 3.95. This year, though, the 26-year-old lefty seems to be putting it all together. He’s 7-4 with a 3.19 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through his first 18 starts, with a strikeout rate of just under one per inning. That all equates to a WAR of 3.7, fourth-best among major league pitchers.

Holland has been very good and very consistent this season, and he’s on pace to shatter just about every career record. 

The strange thing is that Holland has actually gotten unlucky so far this year. He has a sky-high BABIP of .326, which is .027 higher than his career average.

While history would tell us that he would regress backward over the second half of the season, he could actually get better if his BABIP goes back to the mean. His 2.86 FIP also projects well for the Rangers, who have somehow kept themselves afloat despite being mid-pack in just about every category.

What makes Holland’s oversight worse is a couple players chosen ahead of him. I like middle relievers as much as the next guy, but taking two out of the Blue Jays’ ‘pen is pretty inane. Brett Cecil was an understandable choice; we didn’t need Steve Delabar to drive home the point. Just pick one and give the spot to a guy who’s been great over a longer sample.

I also would have been A-OK with Justin Masterson being left at home. That would have left only Jason Kipnis among Indians All-Stars, but this isn’t the touchy-feely awards. Holland was more deserving. 

All advanced metrics used are courtesy of Fangraphs. 

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The MLB All-Star game is just days away, and with home field advantage on the line in the World Series, expect certain stars to put on a show.

Let’s take a look at this year’s All-Star rosters for both the American and National League, then dive into whom to keep an eye on.

MLB All-Star Game Rosters

American League

National League

* = Starter

^ = Injured, will not play

Rosters courtesy of MLB.com.

Based on the first half of play in the 2013 season, here are the three players sure to stand out in this year’s All-Star game:

Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

Freeman was named to the NL roster via fan vote, beating out young Dodgers sensation Yasiel Puig for the spot. Regardless of how he made the All-Star game, Freeman is sure to make his presence felt for his team.

The Braves’ first baseman has tallied 60 RBIs, 49 runs and 19 doubles to pair with his .313 batting average. Freeman’s average puts him among the top 20 players in that category heading into the All-Star break.

The high average is a tad unexpected from the young power hitter. Freeman posted a .259 average just last season, but did bat .282 in 2011.

All of these stats mean that Freeman is seeing the ball better than he ever has during his big-league career. It might come in the form of doubles and singles instead of a home run, but Freeman will make some noise for the NL in this game.

Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles

Someone who is almost guaranteed to make his presence felt with a homer in the exhibition is Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis.

Davis currently leads the MLB in home runs with 34, already besting his previous career single-season high of 33 set last year. His 34 dingers are also more than NL Home Run Derby captain David Wright has ever recorded in a single season.

There’s no better or easier way to say it: Davis is simply crushing everything he sees so far this season. Like Freeman, Davis is also boasting an unusually high average of .310. Over his six years in the majors, Davis has accumulated a .267 career average.

Even with the National League’s best arms throwing at the Orioles slugger, he’s sure to grab at least one home run.

Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

With young hurlers like Matt Harvey and now Matt Moore in this All-Star game, one might forget about guys like Adam Wainwright. Considering his season so far though, the AL better not take the Cardinals’ pitcher lightly.

Wainwright currently owns the third-best ERA among all MLB pitchers at 2.30. That number puts him ahead of the likes of Harvey, Jordan Zimmermann and Felix Hernandez.

While he won’t be given a whole lot of innings to make a difference, Wainwright is sure to keep the American League bats silent when he’s on the mound. He already has 126 strikeouts, which just is 58 fewer than his total from 2012.

Wainwright is sure to sit some AL batters down on strikes when he pitches in the Mid-Summer classic. Even if he only works an inning, he will keep the AL off the bases for that time frame.

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If the fans don’t vote Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig into the 2013 All-Star Game it will be a great disservice to the July 16 exhibition. 

The 22-year-old dynamo wasn’t named to the initial rosters for the game in New York. But he is included in the list of National League players that fans can vote in, per the MLB‘s Twitter. 

According to the MLB’s latest reported results (July 9 at 9:31 a.m. ET) Puig is in second place for the final roster spot trailing only Atlanta Braves star Freddie Freeman. 

With all due respect to the Braves first baseman, who is having a great season with nine home runs, 56 RBI and a batting average of .307, he doesn’t bring nearly as much intrigue to the game as the Dodgers outfielder. 

Even in comparing raw numbers, the Cuban-born slugger has just one less home run than Freeman despite playing in just 33 games compared to Freeman’s 76. 

Beyond that, the All-Star game should be about getting the most entertaining players on the field at the same time. When it comes to entertainment, no one is more entertaining than Puig right now.

As SportsCenter tweeted out, Puig is hitting nearly .500 against pitches in the strike zone:

That isn’t the only impressive feat that Puig has accomplished with his bat in the short time he’s been in the majors. He’s nearly a daily topic of conversation on ESPN Stats & Info‘s Twitter feed, including this recent tidbit about Puig‘s historic start to his career:

Besides the fact that Puig‘s electric abilities at the plate would be entertaining to watch against the elite pitchers on the American League squad, he would also be a big favorite at Citi field. 

Though Puig trails Freeman in the overall voting, the Dodgers star is getting the majority of the votes in New York, as Matthew Leach details in this video for MLB.com:

With one of the hottest bats in baseball and a contingent of fans that would love to see him, Puig is necessary for the All-Star game to reach its maximum potential from an entertainment standpoint. 

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