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Although fans sometimes make strange choices for MLB All-Star Game starters, the decisions to this point will create plenty of drama leading up to the final announcement.

Voting for the July 12 game closed at 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, so hopefully you were able to fill out as many ballots with your favorite players as possible before the cutoff.

Some players, such as the Boston Red Sox’s David Ortiz and the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, had a virtually insurmountable lead, and it didn’t matter what happened in the final days of voting. However, other races will likely go down to the last moment, and officials will make sure they have every ballot counted before revealing the results.

The lineups will be announced at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday on ESPN, and until that point, we won’t know the official voting results. However, here is a look at the most recent release, courtesy of MLB Communications, along with the biggest storylines to follow in the coming days.

Top Storylines

Cubs’ Dominance

The Chicago Cubs have the best record in baseball, and fans are finally starting to believe this could be the team that wins a World Series. That excitement has carried over into the voting, with five different Cubs players leading their respective positions.

Only the catcher position doesn’t feature a Chicago representative in the lead, although Miguel Montero does rank fourth despite batting under .200 for the year.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, this type of lineup would be something unseen in the last 50 years:

Do all these players deserve a starting spot? Of course not.

There won’t be too much complaint about first baseman Anthony Rizzo or third baseman Kris Bryant, who have both put together excellent seasons to this point. Ben Zobrist has been solid as well at second base, but it’s hard to argue he has been better than the Washington Nationals’ Daniel Murphy, the player leading the league in batting average (.352) at the time of writing. Outfielder Dexter Fowler has also been good, though nothing special compared to the rest of the competition.

As for Addison Russell, there might be at least five better options to start at shortstop for the National League, beginning with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager.

When you let the fans decide, however, these types of results are always possible. Considering how good the Cubs have been, other teams can’t complain all that much.

NL Catcher Battle

Just like the case with Russell, the candidate leading at the latest update is clearly not the best option.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina is a future Hall of Fame catcher, but this hasn’t been his best season. In fact, he doesn’t even rank among the top 10 in wins above replacement among NL catchers, according to Fangraphs.

Leading in this category is the San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey, who is neck and neck in the voting with Molina. Baseball Tonight explained why this shouldn’t even be a close race:

Fortunately for logic’s sake, Posey reportedly pulled ahead in the final few days of voting, according to Chris Haft of MLB.com. With a little more than one day remaining, he led by 107,000 votes.

Based on his solid first half of the season, Posey will likely be named to the fourth All-Star Game of his career even if he doesn’t win the vote. The same can’t be said about Molina, with his lack of power and his worst batting average (.261) since 2010.

Considering the St. Louis Cardinals backstop has been a part of the Midsummer Classic for the last seven years, true baseball fans might not mind too much if Molina does find his way in as a starter.

Filling Out AL Outfield

Trout has put together another incredible start to the season, filling up the stat sheet with a .323 batting average, 17 home runs and 53 RBI. Although the Los Angeles Angels are in last place, don’t be surprised if the outfielder once again finishes near the top of ballots in the MVP vote.

Before we get to that point, he will almost certainly represent the American League as the leading player among outfielders.

There is less certainty beyond that point with Boston Red Sox stars Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts trying to hold off the Kansas City Royals’ Lorenzo Cain, the Baltimore Orioles’ Mark Trumbo and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista.

While Betts isn’t focusing his entire attention on this race, he revealed his excitement in the possibility of starting the All-Star Game, per Rob Bradford of WEEI:

It’s definitely cool. You can’t say you never dreamed about. It’s definitely something I would love to be a part of. We’re kind of struggling right now so my mind is kind of somewhere else right now. But I’m going to do the best I can and in doing that the All-Star voting will take care of itself. Just take care of business, and that business will take care of itself.

Both he and Bradley have decent arguments to earn this status, although the competition is fierce. Even players farther down the list—such as the Texas Rangers’ Ian Desmond and the New York Yankees’ Carlos Beltran—are worthy of consideration thanks to their surprisingly good numbers.

As we have learned, though, the success on the field doesn’t matter quite as much as whether fans like you. In this respect, Betts better hope the fans in Boston help keep him in the starting spot.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2016 MLB All-Star Game is rapidly approaching, and this year’s ballot closes Thursday, with the league announcing the full rosters next Tuesday.

Major League Baseball released a final voting update Monday afternoon, which is available courtesy of CBS Sports‘ Mike Axisa.

In the latest update, the Chicago Cubs continued to lead the way with five players on pace to start for the National League, while the Boston Red Sox paced the American League with four projected starters.

Most of the races appear to be wrapped up at this point. But there are still a few spots up for grabs, most notably NL catcher, where the St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina holds a slim 5,130-vote lead over the San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey.

Now that MLB has released the final update, here’s a look at our full predictions for who will win each starting nod for July 12’s exhibition at San Diego’s Petco Park, as well as a projected lineup for each team.

Also included is a look at each predicted starter’s stats this season and where he ranks among the other players at his position in his respective league.

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Democracy has fared well enough in the MLB All-Star Game balloting, where fans are set to send deserving starters to this year’s Midsummer Classic.

As much as Kansas City Royals fans have tried to ruin the voting process, the American League starting squad is in great shape. While the National League leaderboard isn’t perfect, one of the two major mistakes could correct itself before the polls close Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

MLB Communications reported no changes in Monday’s final update before the official reveal. It would take considerable late surges to alter much, but one race remains open in each league.

Let’s take a look at those tight bouts while predicting the final starting squads:

All-Star Predictions

American League: Mookie Betts Maintains Narrow Lead

Four outfielders have realistic chances of walking away with the American League’s final outfielder spot, which Mookie Betts currently occupies.

Last week, the Boston Red Sox star eclipsed Mark Trumbo, Lorenzo Cain and Jose Bautista on the ballot. In the recent update, his edge jumped from 27,023 to 93,891 votes, with Cain leapfrogging Trumbo to fourth place.

Of these candidates, Betts is the right choice:

The 23-year-old has ascended to stardom with a massive power uptick. After going deep 16 times—12 since the end of April—he’s two home runs away from matching last year’s tally.

A complete package, he has also succeeded on 12 of 13 stolen-base attempts while playing solid defense in right field alongside center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who will almost certainly represent the Red Sox in San Diego.

While Cain continues to flash world-class defense in center field, his bat has regressed to league-average levels with a .755 OPS and 101 weighted runs created plus. Trumbo has pelted an MLB-high 22 home runs, but he has struggled in the outfield.

Bautista, who is having a subpar year for his standards, is on the disabled list with a hyperextended big toe.

Ian Desmond has a legitimate claim over them all, but he’s roughly 800,000 votes shy of Betts. The converted shortstop has accrued a 3.8 WAR in left field for the Texas Rangers, which puts him second among AL outfielders behind Mike Trout.

He’ll have to settle for a reserve role, as Betts should extend his small lead over the final days. He’s a young star in a big market who boasts eye-popping numbers. Along with scoring an MLB-best 66 runs and hitting for average, he’s one of 10 players to amass double-digit home runs and steals.

National League: Buster Posey Overthrows Yadier Molina

Anyone cynical about his or her votes not mattering should turn to the neck-and-neck battle unfolding between catchers Yadier Molina and Buster Posey. The St. Louis Cardinals veteran leads by 5,100 votes, down from his 75,413 advantage last week.

Fans are flocking to the San Francisco Giants’ former MVP, who is batting .282/.344/.452 this season with hits in 12 of his last 14 contests. Molina, meanwhile, has cratered after a fast start. Since finishing April with a .341 batting average, he has hit .224.

The 33-year-old is highly regarded for his work behind the plate, but he’s not hitting like an All-Star. Having gone deep only once this year, he holds a microscopic .345 slugging percentage. Wilson Ramos, a distant third on the catcher leaderboard, has a .341 batting average.

Yet voters tend to take a shine to the two established catchers, as MLB.com’s Joe Trezza noted:

A Molina victory would create trouble for the National League players and managers. Posey, Ramos and Jonathan Lucroy would then have to fight for space on the bench, and there wouldn’t be enough room for all three deserving candidates.

It makes little sense to award Molina for his defense when Posey is also a superior fielder. According to StatCorner, he has earned San Francisco’s pitchers more called strikes with his framing than any other backstop in baseball. His five defensive runs saved rank third behind Derek Norris and AL vote leader Salvador Perez, who are tied with nine.

Even if the typical voter doesn’t know this, he or she knows the .308/.372/.481 career hitter on and off the field. The 29-year-old recently became the head of Under Armour’s baseball campaign, per the Baltimore Sun‘s Lorraine Mirabella.

“Buster is everything a team could ask for in a model baseball player,” Ryan Kuehl, Under Armour’s vice president of global category sports marketing, said. “His accomplishments speak for themselves, and Buster’s humility, hunger and never-ending focus on being a better athlete and teammate every day are the values Under Armour was built on.”

Molina has led for most of the way, but Posey has narrowed the gap enough to steal the starting spot at the last moment.

All advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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Yadier Molina has established a stellar reputation throughout his 13 years with the St. Louis Cardinals as one of the best defensive catchers in the game’s history.

When it comes to his prowess behind the plate at blocking potential wild pitches, framing pitches over the outside or the inside corner and throwing out potential base stealers, Molina belongs in the same class as Johnny Bench and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez.

He has also turned himself into a serviceable hitter. Molina exceeded the .300 mark in batting average for three straight years beginning in 2011, and he is a tough two-strike hitter who is not afraid of the big moment.

With his track record, it’s not a surprise Molina is the leading vote-getter among National League catchers for the Senior Circuit’s All-Star team. He leads Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants by slightly more than 75,000 votes as of MLB Communications‘ last report.

The All-Star Game is at San Diego’s Petco Park on July 12.

However, neither Molina nor Posey should be leading at the position. That honor should be going to Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals, who is having a stellar year with the bat and is in third place.

Ramos is hitting a robust .342 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI, while Molina is hitting .261 with a paltry one home run and 25 RBI. Posey is having a fine year with a .285 average along with eight homers and 36 RBI, but he has not been as productive as Ramos.

It looks like Ramos could be one of the biggest snubs in this year’s vote for major league All-Stars.

On the American League side, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson may have a reason to throw up his hands at the end of voting and ask what’s going on.

Donaldson, the AL Most Valuable Player last year, has belted 17 home runs and knocked in 47 runs to go with his .288 average. Despite those figures, he is more than 500,000 votes behind Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles at third base.

Now, Machado is having an excellent year, as he is batting .325 with 18 home runs and 44 RBI. But here’s the problem: The slick-fielding Machado is playing shortstop for the Orioles, yet he is still receiving votes as a third baseman.

That’s like winning the election for mayor of Cleveland when the candidate hangs his hat in Chicago. It’s just not right.

Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies also has room to complain with the All-Star Game slightly more than two weeks away. The right fielder is hitting .317 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI to this point in the season, but he is just seventh in NL voting.

He trails Dexter Fowler (.290, seven homers, 28 RBI) of the Chicago Cubs, Bryce Harper (.249, 15 HR, 43 RBI) of the Washington Nationals and Yoenis Cespedes (.287, 18 HR, 45 RBI) of the New York Mets. Gonzalez is clearly having a more productive season than Fowler or Harper, although Cespedes is deserving of his position.

Nolan Arenado of the Rockies may have a slight complaint over his second-place status to Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs at third base, but it would have to be tempered. Arenado has the lead in home runs (21 to 18) and RBI (63 to 51), but the Cubs’ sensational season helps Bryant make his case.

Still, Arenado is one of the best fielding third basemen in the game, and he is obviously a terrific baseball player.

The baseball voting public is getting it right for the most part. But if Ramos, Gonzalez and Donaldson aren’t in the starting lineups, something is not right.

While it’s almost impossible not to see them named to the All-Star team when MLB announces the final rosters, they deserve to start.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com as of June 27.

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For the most part, MLB fans are voting deserving starters into the 2016 All-Star Game.

Per MLB.com’s Mark Newman, the league released updated American League and National League results earlier in the week. Every current AL starter deserves an All-Star bid, and a couple of NL gaffes are close enough to fix before voting ends Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

It’s a good thing fans only decide the starters. Otherwise, the rosters would be a mess in a game that actually still matters for some stupid reason. Kansas City Royals fans are succeeding in sending Salvador Perez and Eric Hosmer to San Diego, but they have also stuffed the ballots for the rest of their injured and mediocre position players.

In the NL, Chicago Cubs fans have flooded the ballots. Fortunately, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant and Dexter Fowler have all earned their starting designations on more than fan loyalty. Their allegiance, however, also has Addison Russell in the lineup and Jason Heyward as the runner-up outfielder.

Voters have recognized most of the true superstars, but several studs are either buried at the bottom of the latest update or absent altogether. Some skills receive less national attention, and others have recently staked their claims after early-rising fans already submitted their ballots.

Note that this isn’t a list of the best players without a starting spot. Daniel Murphy, Nolan Arenado, Josh Donaldson and Mark Trumbo currently must settle for a bench slot, but they’re not getting ignored as runners-up with over a million votes each.

Despite stellar starts, these guys will all need the managers and players to elect them into this year’s Midsummer Classic.

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Between the fans, the players and the managers, quite a few minds will go into selecting the rosters for this year’s MLB All-Star Game.

Let’s guess their intentions, shall we?

The 2016 Midsummer Classic—to be hosted by San Diego’s Petco Park—is still about a month away. But we now have a picture of which players are having good seasons. And thanks to weekly updates on the American League and National League voting, we also have a good idea who the fans want to see in the starting lineups July 12.

Predicting the final 34-man rosters for the AL and NL teams, however, doesn’t just mean anticipating which players will be voted in by the fans. It also requires anticipating who the players and the AL and NL managers (Ned Yost and Terry Collins, respectively) favor for the rosters. There’s the final vote to take into account as well.

It’s a lot to consider—read on when you’re ready.

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The Chicago Cubs are the best team in baseball.

That’s true on the stat sheet, where they lead the solar system with a plus-129 run differential. And it’s true in the standings, where Chicago paces the National League Central, and every other team in every other division, with a 36-15 record.

So it stands to reason the Cubs would be well-represented in the 2016 MLB All-Star Game.

And they are, at least in the first round of voting results released Wednesday.

Boy, are they.

A whopping five Chicago players lead at their respective positions: first baseman Anthony Rizzo, second baseman Ben Zobrist, shortstop Addison Russell, third baseman Kris Bryant and center fielder Dexter Fowler, per MLB Communications.

That means if balloting ended today, more than half of the NL’s Midsummer Classic starting nine would come from the North Side.

Here’s the thing, though, even if enthusiastic Cubs fans don’t want to hear it: You can make a case that none of those players deserve an All-Star start based on current stats and performance.

We’ll pause while the North Side faithful spit out their Chicago dogs in disgust.

Really, though, it’s true. Let’s run through each player, from least to most egregious.

We’ll begin with Fowler, who is enjoying a fine season after inking an affordable one-year, $8 million deal.

Fowler leads qualified NL center fielders with a .962 OPS to go along with six home runs, 24 RBI and a .313 average. Talk about a bargain.

But the Miami Marlins‘ Marcell Ozuna, who didn’t even crack the top 15 outfielders on the ballot, has more homers (10), RBI (27) and a better batting average (.328).

If you’re going on track record and star wattage, what about the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ Andrew McCutchen? He isn’t hitting like his former MVP self but does have nine home runs.

At second base, Ben Zobrist has been raking, as his .339/.439/.520 slash line, seven homers and 35 RBI attest.

But how can you ignore the Washington Nationals‘ Daniel Murphy, who is hitting a cool .394 with a 1.064 OPS in his first season in the nation’s capital?

Anthony Rizzo, who led all Senior Circuit vote-getters, has 11 homers and 37 RBI. In April yours truly highlighted him as an MVP candidate in the making.

But Rizzo is hitting just .238 and could justifiably be supplanted in the All-Star starting lineup by the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ Paul Goldschmidt, who is hitting .267 with a .897 OPS and 10 home runs after a slow start.

Bryant, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, is one of the game’s most exciting young stars. And he’s shrugging off the notion of a sophomore slump with a .280/.366/.510 slash line, 12 homers and 39 RBI.

But until further notice, the hot corner belongs to the Colorado Rockies‘ Nolan Arenado. Arenado outpaces Bryant with a .939 OPS and 16 homers, and he’s also the best defensive third baseman in baseball.

That brings us to the only indefensible Cubs vote-leader: Russell.

Yes, Russell is a promising player with the tools to be special for years to come. But his .704 OPS ranks eighth among qualified NL shortstops, while his .241 average ranks 11th.

If you prefer wins above replacement (WAR), he checks in behind five Senior Circuit shortstops, including the San Francisco Giants‘ Brandon Crawford and the Cincinnati Reds‘ Zack Cozart, each of whom finished in the top five in All-Star voting.

And don’t forget the St. Louis Cardinals‘ Aledmys Diaz, who leads qualified shortstops with a .900 OPS and .328 average.

OK, here’s the part where we note that numbers aren’t everything. The All-Star Game is supposed to be subjective, and it often disproportionately awards teams with robust win totals.

Bryant acknowledged as much after the first round of results was announced.

“I think it’s a result of our team record,” he said, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “We’re playing a lot better than we were at this point last year. If the team is playing good, then the players are playing good.”

It’s also worth noting the Kansas City Royals stuffed the ballot box in similar fashion last season and wound up with four starters voted in. This year’s first round of AL results features three Royals in the starting lineup, which sparked the following tongue-in-cheek rejoinder from Pinstripe Alley:

Cubs fans aren’t doing anything nefarious or unprecedented. They love their squad, and they’re showing it.

But it pays to remember that this game is more than a meaningless exhibition. The winning league gets home-field advantage in the World Series, which should cause curse-busting Cubs boosters to think long and hard about the players they want on the field in San Diego.

One, two or even three Cubs in the starting mix wouldn’t feel like an injustice. But five? That’s pushing it.

Fortunately, the game won’t be played until July 12, and voting remains wide-open. So go ahead and vote.

And keep in mind: The Cubs may be the best team in baseball, but the best players in baseball hail from all over.

All statistics current as of June 1 and courtesy of MLB.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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Major League Baseball on Tuesday provided the first voting update for the 2016 All-Star Game on July 12 with a look at the American League leaders. Results for the National League were released Wednesday.

Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles and longtime Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz—in his final season before retirement—headline the current AL starters, according to MLB:

MLB Communications passed along a complete look at the early returns for the AL:

Wednesday, the NL returns were made available:

The Royals’ voting dominance is nothing new. Last season, their fanbase helped secure spots in the starting lineup for Alex Gordon (who missed the game because of injury), Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez. They are on pace for a similar result in 2016.

Shortstop is the most competitive position, with less than 6,000 votes separating Escobar from front-runner Xander Bogaerts of Boston. The outfield spots behind Trout are also up for grabs, with about 107,000 votes separating second (Cain) from sixth place (Gordon).

Ortiz isn’t yet a lock for the starting lineup, though it would take quite an effort from the Royals faithful to get Kendrys Morales to overcome a deficit of more than 466,000 votes. Even if that happened, however, the Red Sox designated hitter would surely get in as a reserve based on his numbers.

The slugger is off to an outstanding start with a .337 average and 14 homers in 45 games. He announced in November on the Players’ Tribune he will retire after the 2016 season. His MVP-level performance has raised questions about that decision, but Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald believes it is final and recently provided comments from the 40-year-old veteran about the situation.

“As the times go by, it just gets harder and harder and harder, man,” Ortiz said. “This is just something where you get to the point where you feel like you can’t do it any more.”

If Ortiz’s stance remains firm for another month, the All-Star Game will become a celebration of his career—similar to how Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was honored at the NBA All-Star Game in February—providing a chance for rival fans to give him a respectful send-off despite all the damage he’s likely done against their teams over the years.

In the National League, Chicago Cubs fans produced a Royals-like effort that has players from Wrigley Field atop four of the six listed positions on the returns.

Not only are Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell leading the way at first base, second base, third base and shortstop, respectively, but Dexter Fowler is currently sandwiched between reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper and New York Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes as a projected starter in the outfield.

However, the Cubs may not have a monopoly on infield positions for long. Russell is a meager 20,000 votes ahead of Colorado Rockies rookie phenom Trevor Story, and he’s batting just .246 with 49 strikeouts to date. If he continues to struggle at the plate, his starting spot figures to be in jeopardy.

And with voting just heating up, there’s plenty of time for things to change before the festivities get underway at the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park.

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The 2015 MLB All-Star Game is finally here, and the game’s best players will be taking the field for a chance to earn home-field advantage in the World Series. Six starters for tonight’s game are 25-years-old or younger and those young stars should have a significant impact tonight. And, several of those players will come from the National League squad.

First, here is a little history heading into the game. The American League has won 14 of the 18 All-Star games dating back to 1997 and has won the past two games. However, National League teams have won four of the last five World Series and would love to put an end to the ASG losing streak. 

Though the batting order for each team is stacked with sluggers, the real dominance will be found on the mound. Each pitching staff is loaded with strong arms and will make the difference in the final outcome. In the past seven years, the losing team was held to three runs or fewer.

Two pitchers will light it up tonight and lead their team to victory, while one hitter is poised for another stellar performance in the All-Star game.

Zack Greinke

To say Zack Greinke has had a dominant first half of the season might be an understatement. The righty will get the start for the National League tonight—and deservedly so.

Greinke has a 1.39 ERA in 18 starts for the Dodgers. That’s the lowest earned run average by a starter with more than 100 innings pitched since 1968, as Jon Tayler showed in an article for si.com.

Tayler also noted how dominant Greinke has been of late, stating,

The eight scoreless frames extended Greinke’s current shutout streak to 35 2/3 innings, a stretch that goes back to his June 18 start against the Rangers. In that span, Greinke has allowed just 16 hits and three walks, striking out 31. Since giving up a season-high five runs in six innings against the Rockies on June 2, meanwhile, Greinke has given up just three runs in 50 2/3 innings for an absurd 0.54 ERA.

The numbers have been absurd and will continue when he takes the mound in the Midsummer Classic. Greinke will dominate the American League hitters, all except for one. 

Mike Trout

Mike Trout is one of the game’s rising stars and is playing in his fourth All-Star game at just 23 years old. He won the MVP in last year’s game, helping lead the American League to a 5-3 win with a triple, a double, two RBI and one run scored.

He has a chance to hit a first-at-bat cycle with a home run in this year’s game after he singled, doubled and tripled in his first at-bats over the past three years.

Trout has at least one hit in each of his first three All-Star games. In his career against Greinke, Trout has a similar line to what he ended up with in 2014. In seven at-bats, Trout has three hits, including a double and a triple, and two RBI.

Whether against Greinke or another National League arm, expect to see Trout on base as a centerpiece for an American League rally.

Aroldis Chapman

Aroldis Chapman has developed into the definition of a flamethrower. He not only can light up the radar gun, but he has also developed into a solid closer for the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff. Chapman has 18 saves this season and an ERA of 1.69. And that velocity? According to Brooks Baseball, Chapman has hit 100 mph in every game this season but one and has a high of 104.

In three All-Star games, Chapman has had no trouble topping 100 and hit a high of 102 in last year’s game. Expect the Cincinnati crowd at Great American Ball Park to be electric when Chapman enters the game tonight. The fans will be on their feet, providing an atmosphere worthy of Game 7 of the World Series. Chapman may have a chance to decide where that possible game would be played.

Pete Rose

Though Pete Rose’s playing days are long gone, “Charlie Hustle” will also light up the Midsummer Classic tonight, perhaps even more so than the players competing in the game. Rose will be part of the pre-game Franchise Four festivities, which will honor the top four players of each franchise. Rose was selected to represent the Reds.

The last time Rose took part in an official baseball event was during the 1999 World Series when he was named to the All-Century team. Now, back in his hometown, Rose will take the field that’s located on Pete Rose Way to an ovation that begs to be talked about for weeks to come.

Prediction:

This will be the year the National League gets back on the winning track. Though Trout might be able to spark a rally for the American League at some point, it will be too little, too late.

A pitcher has won the MVP award just seven times in 86 All-Star Games. Mariano Rivera won the last one to end his illustrious career in 2013. With pitching at a premium for this game, this year could make for number eight. Look for a low-scoring game, with the winning team taking advantage of some early mistakes and opportunities. All it takes is one mistake, and the American League will make it.

Final score: National League 3, American League 1

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The American League and National League will play for home-field advantage in the World Series in Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game, and as is the case every year, there should be no shortage of enthralling moments.

Before a pitch is even thrown, Great American Ball Park will be buzzing, as the Cincinnati Reds will honor a few of the franchise’s greats.

Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Barry Larkin figure to get a huge ovation from the home crowd when they’re announced as the winners of the Franchise Four voting:

Once that’s done, the players will be introduced. It’s always fun to hear who get the loudest cheers and who gets booed.

There’s little doubt the hometown kid Todd Frazier will receive the longest and loudest reception, especially after the show he put on in Monday’s Home Run Derby:

As the only other Reds player representing the NL, expect Aroldis Chapman to get a nice hand from the home fans.

With plenty of NL Central foes in the game, pay attention to the reaction from Reds fans when guys like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Jhonny Peralta and Yadier Molina are introduced. 

The excitement should only pick up when the actual game starts.

Greinke Against the Top of the AL Order

NL starting pitcher Zack Greinke—who has an MLB-best 1.39 ERA at the break—faces a fearsome top of the order.

AL manager Ned Yost is batting Mike Trout leadoff, Josh Donaldson second and Albert Pujols in the three-hole. 

Trout and Pujols are former teammates of Greinke, who pitched part of the 2012 season with the Los Angeles Angels.

Trout has by far the highest WAR in the AL according to ESPN. Pujols’ 26 home runs are tied for the most in the league, with Trout of course, and Donaldson is tied for third in the AL with 60 RBI. 

It’s going to be fascinating to see how Greinke handles those matchups in the top of the first inning. 

Lifetime against Greinke, Donaldson and Trout have a very small sample size, going just 1-for-3 and 3-for-7, respectively. Pujols, meanwhile, is 8-for-23 in his career against the Los Angeles Dodgers hurler. 

None of the three have taken Greinke deep before, but look for that to change when Trout digs into the plate on Tuesday night.

Rising Stars

There’s an infusion of young talent in the league right now, and it will be on display Tuesday night.

ESPN’s Peter Gammons recently talked about the emergence of young players across the majors:

After an underwhelming start to his career, Bryce Harper was under pressure to have a breakout 2015 season. His peers voted him the most overrated player in the game for the second straight year, according to Scott Allen of the Washington Post, but Harper is making sure that won’t happen a third time.

Nolan Arenado is making his first All-Star Game appearance, and a lot of fans who aren’t familiar with the Colorado Rockies star third baseman may be surprised to see what the 24-year old is capable of. He’s hitting for average and power this season, while playing his usual stellar defense.

If the ball is hit to the left side when he comes into the game, there may very well be an exceptional diving stop or barehanded throw to first from Arenado.

Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson exhibited his power to all fields in Monday’s Home Run Derby, and he’ll be in the starting lineup on Tuesday night.

When you include players such as Rizzo, Bryant, Gerrit Cole, Joe Panik, Manny Machado and many others, the 2015 All-Star Game signals what appears to be a promising era for MLB. 

This is the chance for commissioner Rob Manfred to market his stars the way the NBA does. A lot of these players aren’t only premier athletes, but they’re good people off the field as well.

There’s more star power in the league than there has been in quite some time, and it would be a shame if MLB misses out on a great opportunity to gain fans and promote the sport.

Keuchel vs. Rizzo/Harper

The lefty-on-lefty matchups of Dallas Keuchel against Rizzo and Harper should be interesting when you look at the numbers.

Of left-handed batters with at least 50 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, Rizzo is third in batting average—behind Dee Gordon and Nori Aoki—at .338. Harper is fourth at .329.

In such situations, Harper and Rizzo are first and second in OPS, at 1.092 and .966, respectively.

They’ll both get a chance to bat against Keuchel, assuming he pitches at least two innings, since Rizzo is sixth in the NL batting order.

In terms of southpaws with at least 20 innings pitched against fellow lefties, Keuchel’s 0.56 WHIP is the lowest, and his 32 strikeouts are second in baseball.

Good pitching tops good hitting, so Rizzo and Harper will manage just weak contact against the Houston Astros ace.

Prediction

It’s hard to remember a time when so many pitchers have dominated on a nightly basis the way they have in the first half. These guys will all be pitching in the same game on Tuesday night, coming in with fresh arms at one or two innings at a time, making even the best of hitters uneasy at the plate.

It’ll be a low-scoring affair—for an All-Star Game at least—and the NL team has the edge because they’re slightly deeper at pitcher.

Madison Bumgarner will receive the MVP honors for a few outstanding innings out of the bullpen in the NL’s 4-3 win.

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