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With the American League and National League All-Stars set to be announced on Saturday evening, there is plenty of speculation about who will and won’t make the cut.

While the final voting tallies for starters have remained under wraps, it’s not too difficult to predict who will make the teams through that manner.

Vote totals were released a few days ago, so unless there were some monumental swings in the final days, most of the starting sports have long been determined. When it comes to the reserve spots, however, it is anyone’s guess who will play at Citi Field, as the players and managers are trusted with the responsibility of picking those players.

Here are three elite players who are very much on the All-Star borderline right now and will need a little bit of luck in order to make one of the rosters.

Evan Longoria

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria is known for getting off to slow starts before turning it on and heating up down the stretch.

That hasn’t been the case this season, though, as he has been excellent from the very start. Longoria has never hit .300 in a season, but he is flirting with that number right now at .295 and also has 17 home runs as well as 49 RBI to boot.

Due to the strength of third base in the AL, however, there is a chance that Longoria will get snubbed.

Along with Longoria, Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles, Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers and Josh Donaldson of the Oakland Athletics are in play. All five men are having spectacular seasons and deserve to make the team, but it’s unlikely that more than three of them will.

MLB Network’s Peter Gammons seems to believe that Donaldson and Beltre will ultimately be the odd men out.

That’s possible, but it’s far from a guarantee. The only certainty is that Cabrera will deservedly get the starting nod, as ESPN.com had him well ahead in the voting on July 1. Longoria was fourth behind Cabrera, Machado and Beltre, so he wouldn’t even make if it was up to the fans entirely.

The final battle could come down to Longoria vs. Donaldson. Even though Longoria is more established, Donaldson may get the nod due to the fact that he has helped carry the A’s.

Domonic Brown

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown has been labeled a can’t-miss prospect for the past several years, but until this season he missed plenty. Brown couldn’t hold down a full-time spot with the Phils, so he was often shuttled between the majors and Triple A.

After a lukewarm start this season, Brown appeared to be in the same position, but he came around in a major way and is suddenly one of the top power threats in baseball.

Brown’s numbers are extremely impressive, as he is hitting .279 with 22 home runs and 60 RBI along with eight steals. Despite that, Brown received absolutely no love from the fans. As of July 1, ESPN.com had him at 15th among NL outfielders, behind the likes of Angel Pagan, Jon Jay and Gregor Blanco.

According to CSN Philly’s Reuben Frank, Brown would love to make the All-Star team, but it isn’t his main focus at the moment.

Even though Brown has been disrespected through the fan vote, he should still be in decent position to make the team. He has been the Phillies’ best hitter by far this season and has surpassed the likes of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins to become the face of the franchise.

The All-Star Game is about showcasing the best talent in baseball, so Brown definitely deserves to be a part of it. If the players and managers neglect to vote him in, he’ll be one of the biggest snubs in recent memory.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury‘s career arc has been an interesting one. He came into the league as a pure speed guy and quickly became one of the most exciting players in the game, as he stole 120 bases between the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

After an injury-plagued 2010 season, Ellsbury changed his style of play and became a slugger, clubbing 32 home runs and driving in 105 runs en route to a second-place finish in AL MVP voting in 2011.

Ellsbury once again struggled with injuries last season, but he has returned to his roots this year. Ellsbury has just two homers and 30 RBI, but he is hitting .302 with 54 runs and 34 stolen bases to lead the entire league.

Ellsbury also plays Gold Glove-caliber defense, which is no small feat at Fenway Park. He didn’t get much love in the voting as of Monday, however, as he was just eighth among American League outfielders.

There are a lot of good outfielders in the AL, so Ellsbury will have a battle on his hands. The likes of Los Angeles Angel Mike Trout, Baltimore Oriole Adam Jones and Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista were first, second and third in the voting, respectively, and their numbers are certainly good enough to warrant playing in the All-Star Game.

Ellsbury brings a different dimension to the Red Sox and would bring a different dimension to the AL All-Star team as well, so look for him to make it by hook or by crook.

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After a while, the MLB All-Star Game can become, well, kind of boring.

While it’s great to see the biggest names in baseball go head-to-head for the right to home-field advantage in the World Series, it doesn’t always reflect the players who are having the best seasons—and isn’t that what the All-Star Game is all about?

But this year, with annual participants like Derek Jeter and Johan Santana on the disabled list and others, like Justin Verlander and Matt Kemp, having down seasons, there’s going to be a flood of first-time All-Stars appearing at this year’s Midsummer Classic.

These players won’t be relegated to reserve duty, either, with a handful of them set to start the game, either by way of the fan voting or by way of their phenomenal performances on the mound, leaving their respective team’s skippers with little choice but to give them the ball first.

With that said, here’s a look at who I think we’ll be seeing make their All-Star debuts at Citi Field on July 16.

*Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and current through games of June 28.

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With fan voting for the 2013 MLB All-Star Game coming down to its final stretch, players ranging from sure things to long shots are using Twitter as their prime method of self-marketing.

All-Star weekend runs from July 12th-July 16th. The most recent vote tallies were released on June 22 for the American League, and June 23 for the National League.

It doesn’t come as a shock that each team is pushing for its players to make the trip to Citi Field. Here’s a recent tweet from the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ official Twitter account regarding Pedro Alvarez, who hasn’t cracked the top five in fan voting for third basemen:

Then there are players who have taken it upon themselves to toot their own horns. The outfield races in both leagues are especially tight, so it’s unsurprising that vocal offenders hail from these positions.

Jose Bautista is a prime example. According to the updated polls, he’s recently closed the gap between his fourth-place standing and the third outfield spot, which is currently in Nick Markakis‘ hands (the two are separated by just under 50,000 votes). Bautista currently has a .250/.345/.481 line—not that impressive—but has been integral to Toronto‘s recent run. 

Not only is Bautista tweeting up a storm to help his cause, but just on Monday, the Twitter account @TeamBautista was created. The account is serving as a tool to help Bautista edge out fellow outfield candidates Markakis and Torii Hunter. He tweeted this on Sunday:

And then followed with this on Monday:

Here’s an example of a @TeamBautista tweet:

Dexter Fowler, who hasn’t even broken the top 15 outfielders in fan voting but who’s statistically having a better season than Bautista, retweeted this from the Colorado Rockies’ Twitter account on Monday:

Although Fowler’s performance this season does warrant more recognition from fans, this quest is likely pretty futile for the center fielder this late in the game. He’s the third-best hitter on the Rockies, and both Troy Tulowitzki (even injured) and Carlos Gonzalez have better chances of making the team from Colorado—in their respective positions. They are first and fourth, respectively, in fan voting.

Carlos Gomez, who is currently injured but in 11th place in the NL outfield fan voting, is making good use of his retweet button as well:

Gomez is having a breakout season (.313/.355/.570), which is why people have been voting for him. Not only has he been Mr. Consistency at the plate, his clinics in the field are can’t-miss:

There’s no statistic for how much Twitter campaigning sways voters, but if I had to guess, I’d say the influence is negligible. While it’s true that some of these campaigners are deserving players on the bubble, they are baseball players, not politicians. Fans are voting for Miguel Cabrera not because he’s an elite spokesperson for himself, but because he’s one of the best hitters of our time.

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If you had to sum up the 2013 Seattle Mariners in one word as we approach the end of June, which one would you choose?

Disappointing?

Underwhelming?

Predictable?

For a team still searching for answers, it’s hard to stay positive these days.  

Beyond the M’s one-two punch of Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma at the top of their starting rotation and the promise of recently promoted rookies Nick Franklin and Mike Zunino, is there anything or anyone else worth rooting for as we inch towards the halfway point in the season?

Rather than lament the Mariners misfortunes, I figured it might be nice to take a break and focus on one of the few positive developments that may have fallen through the cracks during this season so far. 

To anyone who knows and loves the M’s, third baseman Kyle Seager is arguably the team’s best offensive building block.  What’s funny is that depending on your point of view that’s either good news or a sad commentary on the current state of the franchise. 

For today, I happen to take it as a positive, as Seager continues to grow on me with each passing game. 

Perhaps what’s most impressive about him is that he continues to thrive under some pretty trying circumstances in Seattle.  No matter how poorly the M’s are playing, Seager just keeps doing his thing. 

Move him up in the order. Move him down in the order. Play him anywhere in the field. He always gets the job done, while hustling every step of the way.

Fact is, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. 

Last year, Chone Figgins was supposed to finally earn his keep at third base, while Seager would fight for playing time as a utility player. 

This year, veterans Kendrys Morales and Mike Morse were supposed to help spur an offensive renaissance, while Seager would serve in a complementary role.  

Meanwhile, college teammate Dustin Ackley was supposed to emerge as the face of the franchise among a crop of young prospects the organization trotted out not only this season, but last season as well.   

Instead, Seager, the proverbial runt of the litter, a guy who I’d imagine quite a few people still see as miscast at third base—not to mention within the top half of the batting order—continues to quietly carry on while leading the M’s in several offensive categories again this season, according to ESPN. 

While one could argue that Seager has benefited because so many of his contemporaries have given us an endless stream of doubts, is that really fair to him and what he has accomplished?

Couldn’t one argue that he deserves even more credit given the circumstances?

At this point, I think it’s safe to say that you can pencil in Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma as the Mariners representatives at the All-Star Game in roughly a month’s time.

But is Seager also worthy of a trip to New York’s Citi Field?

If so, he has a lot of ground to make up based on the current vote, via MLB.com. Miguel Cabrera is running away with the voting at third base. Sadly, Seager doesn’t even show up in the top five as Manny Machado, Adrian Beltre, Evan Longoria and Oakland‘s Josh Donaldson round out the voting.  

For now, I suppose it’s hard to argue about any member of that quintet as all of them are worthy candidates, especially Cabrera, who is once again posting MVP-worthy numbers. 

Hopefully over time, though, Seager will continue to develop his game and begin to make a dent in the voting process. Yet, even if his popularity never really expands beyond the Pacific Northwest, I like to think that the M’s have someone in Seager worth building around over the next several seasons.

Crazy as it may sound, who else would you propose the M’s hitch themselves to starting tomorrow?

Dustin Ackley, Jesus Montero, Justin Smoak and Michael Saunders may rebound, but only Ackley and maybe Saunders strike me as capable of being solid contributors at this point.  

As for Kendrys Morales and Mike Morse, I’m hesitant to place too much stock in them long-term given their age, durability and potential contract issues.  

Finally, as we learned all too painfully with Ackley, Montero and Smoak, it’s much too soon to attach such lofty expectations to Nick Franklin and Mike Zunino. Right now, let’s simply enjoy watching them cut their teeth as pros before putting them front and center with the task of saving baseball in Seattle.  

Right now I’m simply trying to hang on to the hope that a few of the players we are seeing now will eventually become every day fixtures, with Seager, over time, becoming the most “senior” among them.

In an ideal world, three years from now I’d like to think that Felix would still front the starting rotation with some help from the likes of Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Brandon Maurer.  While I doubt all of them will make it, at least two of them should be solid major league starters. 

Beyond them, Seager will still be at third base, Franklin at second, Zunino behind the plate and perhaps Brad Miller at shortstop?

First base could go to Kendrys Morales if he opts to stay at the right price, but would also be happy seeing the recently drafted DJ Peterson or maybe even Dustin Ackley nail down the job?

Where things get really cloudy is in the outfield, but, hopefully, candidates will emerge between now and then to fill the void through both the farm system and in free agency. 

The point I want to drive home though is that whether or not Kyle Seager becomes an All-Star this year is irrelevant. What’s more important is that he continues to cement his spot within the M’s lineup as the team continues their endless quest out of the wilderness. 

Seager is the hustling, gritty and high-energy player this franchise desperately needs. Someone who can withstand the highs and lows, while steadily making a positive impact both on the field and in the clubhouse. 

If he can continue to bring that kind of effort to the good folks in Seattle, eventually the time will come where he will become an All-Star. 

Until that day, I feel we owe it to Seager to give him our support—both at the ballpark and at the ballot box. Maybe he won’t catch Miguel Cabrera this year, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore or under value the M’s most valuable every day player.  

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The 2013 MLB All-Star Game is up to the fans…that’s not as good as it sounds.

While the fans are excited to vote for their favorite players, I’m afraid they’ve only voted for their favorite players, and the American League voting update from June 15, via John Schlegel of MLB.com, makes that more apparent than ever.

There are some egregious errors where it comes to All-Star voting, including the fact that Derek Jeter received 669,698 votes despite not playing a game.

It’s becoming clearer and clearer which players will be starting in the All-Star Game, but not everyone is deserving.

Let’s take a look at each AL All-Star Game starter and whether or not he deserves it.

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We’re now roughly a month away from the 2013 MLB All-Star break, and with that break comes what may be the most exciting display of skills in all of professional sports in the Home Run Derby.

Last year saw Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder beat out Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista for the crown. This season’s rosters will be chosen by captains Robinson Cano and David Wright.

Each of those captains will get to select three sluggers from his league to participate alongside him in this year’s derby. Here is my best guess on who the six other derby contestants will be for the 2013 Home Run Derby.

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As we approach the MLB All-Star break in July, there seems to be a handful of new faces that will appear in this year’s All-Star Game. Young players from around the league are beginning to take over MLB as this generation’s new set of stars.

In the 2013 MLB All-Star Game, there will be three standout performances from players likely making their All-Star debuts.

Chris Davis

Chris Davis has been a superstar for the Baltimore Orioles so far this season. He is batting .338, good for second in the American League. His 21 homers lead the AL and his 56 runs batted in are second best.

Davis currently leads the AL All-Star voting for first basemen (as of June 8). He should be the starter in the All-Star Game and should be able to dominate with his bat like he has all season long. His power will help make the AL lineup very dangerous this year.

Paul Goldschmidt

For the Diamondbacks this season, no one has played as well as Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt is hitting .313 with 15 long balls. He leads the National League with 59 RBI and is also in the top five for home runs and slugging percentage.

Goldschmidt is currently second in NL All-Star Voting for first basemen (as of June 9), only behind Joey Votto. He may not get to start, but he will most likely make an appearance in the All-Star Game. Expect big things from Goldschmidt and his sweet swing as the NL will try to win its fourth straight All-Star Game.

Matt Harvey

All-Star voting does not apply to pitchers. It is the manager’s choice to select the pitchers and to name the starter. Bruce Bochy, the manager of the Giants and the NL All-Stars this year, should take a good look at Mets pitcher Matt Harvey.

Harvey is 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA. He is second in the NL with 102 strikeouts and third in ERA. Harvey has been the ace in the Mets rotation this year, and some would argue he deserves to start the All-Star Game for the NL this season.

Harvey has been consistent all season and his stats will lead you to believe that he can also thrive as the NL starter. Even if he doesn’t get the start, he will still take the mound in the All-Star Game and should continue to impress baseball fans with his strong arm and great pitches.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For the third time in the history of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the American and National Leagues will square off behind two different captains in the Home Run Derby. 

On Tuesday, New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano (AL) and New York Mets third baseman David Wright (NL) were reportedly named as the captains for their respective leagues and now have the task of picking a group of sluggers to wow fans at Citi Field in New York. 

ESPN’s Adam Rubin had the news on Twitter:

MLB.com’s Paul Casella also had a report following the news, noting that the New York fans in attendance at the 2013 MLB All-Star Game are going to love the fact that both teams in the state are being well-represented. 

Here’s an excerpt from Casella’s report:

Each captain will be tasked with selecting three other hitters from his own league to complete his respective Home Run Derby team. Though the Home Run Derby remains an individual competition, the leagues will once again be pitted against each other in teams of four.

Wright will be looking to form a team that can slug its way to some revenge after the AL dominated the 2012 Home Run Derby. The four Junior Circuit representatives combined to hit 61 home runs last season whereas their Senior Circuit counterparts tallied just 21 long balls.

Former captains include David Ortiz, Prince Fielder, Matt Kemp and Cano. Cano is making his second straight appearance as the AL captain. He won the event in 2011, but was bested last year by Fielder in another Derby classic. 

The American League is riding a three-game winning streak in the Home Run Derby and also has won five out of the last six contests. 

The Yankees tweeted their support for the slugger with this message following the announcement:

Cano is fifth in the AL with 15 home runs, while Wright is considerably further down the board in the NL, having only totaled eight bombs in just 58 games. This will be Wright’s first appearance in the Home Run Derby since 2006. 

SportsNet New York posted this tweet with both stars pictured as the debate over the other six participants begins:

Conversation about who should be participating will start with the American side, where Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles leads the league in long balls with 20. Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera isn’t far behind with 18, while Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Dunn and Mark Trumbo/Nelson Cruz/Cano round out the top five. 

Cabrera’s teammate, Tigers ace Justin Verlander, even wants to get in on the action this year, campaigning for fans to vote him into the event to add a new element to the slugger-only contest (via MLB on Twitter):

On the National League side, youngsters lead the conversation. 

Philadelphia Phillies star-in-the-making Domonic Brown leads the NL in home runs with 19, while Colorado Rockies teammates Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki lead the rest of the pack that includes Paul Goldschmidt, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis and Carlos Beltran. 

Another hot name that will likely grab headlines is Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig, who already has four home runs in eight games while completely captivating L.A. faithful over his first week in the bigs. 

Others to consider include fellow Cuban Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics and Texas Ranger Adrian Beltre. 

For now, the focus will remain on both Cano and Wright, two of the sport’s biggest stars who will appeal to the New York crowd that will gravitate to Queens for the Midsummer Classic. 

The pair battled for the United States and Dominican Republic at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, with Cano’s nation emerging victorious and proving the Americans still have a long way to go before claiming baseball world dominance. 

Wright and Cano have accounted for over 400 home runs between them during their time in the majors, and the hometown flavor of New York undoubtedly influenced the selection of the Derby captains. 

Expect speculation about the other six participants to start running rampant—every baseball fan has a different set of stars they’d like to see in baseball’s moon-shot competition each summer. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There are a lot of players worthy of being selected to the 2013 MLB All-Star Game, but not all of them will make it.

Thirty-three players make the AL All-Star team, and 33 players make the NL All-Star team. That means that a mere 66 players make the initial team, which is extremely tiny when you consider that 750 players are currently on active MLB rosters.

Because less than 9 percent of the league’s players end up on one of the initial teams, some deserving players miss the team. However, because players and managers vote for most of the All-Stars, some players who don’t get any attention from the national media are recognized.

This year, there are more players who have done well but have flown under the radar. Here are five of those players.

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The 2013 MLB All-Star Game is still a month and a half away, but voting is already underway and the first voting update for the National League was released by MLB.com on Tuesday.

The biggest discussion surrounding All-Star rosters is always the players who wind up being snubbed, and there are inevitably always at least a few deserving candidates who spend the three-day break at home.

Now, with our first look at how voting is shaping up this year, here is a look at the biggest potential snub at each position here in early June.

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