Waiting for the All-Star game that will take place on the night between Tuesday 17 and Wednesday, July 18, yesterday the famous Homerun Derby took place, which saw eight participants face each other in various rounds to win the title of best outsider of this event. The participants were unwound in pairs with the classic bracket format, the first were Hoskins and Aguilar followed by Schwarber and Bregman, Muncy and Baez and finally the big match between the idol of Harper and the Freeman divisional rival. In the second round the winners namely Hoskins and Schwarber and Muncy and Harper faced each other for a place in the final, the two LF gave life to a heart-pounding battle where an excellent performance by the young Phillies outside forced the Cubs to have to send 20 balls over the fence to access the final against the darling of the public Bryce Harper that as in the All-Star game in NY had his father to throw the balls. The first to start was the outside of the Cubs who immediately made it clear to the home star that it would not be easy to win by making 18 homeruns, with the support of his audience and perfect chemistry with his pitcher he managed to score 19, the last one of the victory directly in the dead center field proving that although he is not living his best season at the pot power and technique he has to sell. With this victory is the third player in history to win this competition between the walls of friends and perhaps one of his last games between them seen the trend of the Nationals, the looming free agency and the more looming still trade deadline that scares the fans of the Nationals.
ALL STAR GAME ROSTER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Starters
C: Salvador Perez: the expert catcher of the Royals despite the bad season at the batting plate where he beats only .221 managed to earn a call to the game of the stars thanks to his ability in defense, not secondary attribute for a catcher. Defensively it is certainly at the top of the AL and the fans for once have also given weight to the defensive phase in voting, which is rare given that generally the players selected for the All Star game are the most prolific ones in battuta.
1B: Josè Abreu: the first Cuban base of the White Sox is in a subdued season especially from the point of view of the average batting (only .253), but given the injuries and the performances of the other players in his role has managed to earn the favor die fans and be elected.
2B: Josè Altuve: the MVP reigning in the AL is confirming an elite player despite its physical structure, in fact beats .332 with 9 homerun and 44 RBI all seasoned by 14 stolen bases, very good figures for the Venezuelan who left little doubt about who deserves the place in 2B.
3B: Josè Ramirez: the 25-year-old 3B Indians presents himself with really impressive figures: 29 homerun 70 RBI 20 stolen bases and an average batting of .302, if these numbers were confirmed in the second part of the season you could easily nominate as MVP and bring home the silver bat. For the young 3B not only speak the figures but also its defensive versatility and a presence that put Lindor in the background in a lineup full of talent.
SS: Manny Machado: the short stop of the Orioles (still for a little) in the first year in his original role after so many years in 3B has deserved the summons playing in a sumptuous manner in a team that has no hope but that at least he has a reason to go and see them. He has power, eye, timing and a swing really above average despite defensively not been at the top and has found some difficulty in returning to the origins.
RF: Mookie Betts: exploded like a bomb this year, from a golden glove and silver bat now safe on the bulletin board, an average of .359 seasoned by 24 homerun, are astronomical figures for a constant player and excellent future prospects able to combine power and batting average.
CF: Mike Trout: the best in the world right now, little to add, complete in every aspect and fixed point of the All Star game for years despite his team for other reasons struggling to position itself in the MLB elite.
LF: Aaron Judge: emerged last year by hitting homerun, would play on the right but will be employed on the left, pushed by an enthusiastic base fan as you had not seen for years could not miss the number 99 of the Yankees that will certainly try to give a show with its power by testing the limits of the Nationals Park.
DH: JD Martinez: the shot of the year, according to many one of the best hitters if not the best in the league saw his 29 homerun and 80 RBI and a really difficult presence for the opposing pitchers to face. Arrived in free agency at a modest price given current standards and the level at which he is playing, serious candidate for MVP and the silver club but focused on reporting ston on the roof of baseball.SP: Chris Sale: yet another Bostonian in the game of the stars, pitcher of the highest level with a way to release the ball almost sidearm, has two types of fastball, a 4 seam and a 2 seam both from mid 90's up, has a lethal slider against both left-handed and right-handed and occasionally resorts to the change-up against the right to mislead them.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Starters
C: Wilson Contreras. exuberant catcher of the Cubs, excellent athlete who often loses his calm but undoubted quality. Defensively it has to grow a lot but to the pot with a good .279 it is often productive and this productivity has allowed it to beat a better catcher like Yadier Molina.
1B: Freddie Freeman: one of the best figures of baseball is back at high levels as his Braves, left-handed beater with a crazy eye, very difficult to send strikeouts and a reliable glove. This season Freeman has definitely become the leader of a young but competitive team for the playoffs and I am sure that behind the success of the Braves there is much of the first base.
2B: Javier Baez: electric 2B of the Cubs, Puerto Rican of enormous talent and completeness in the fundamentals but with important gaps at the plate you see his difficulty in beating the inside balls. Despite everything is the classic spectacular player that in a party so can give plays from highlights.
3B: Nolan Arenado: Cuban national American now a constant high-level MLB, yet another season by All Star and possible MVP for the 3B of the Rockies that seems to have got tired of Colorado and not to have around a team to aim at the World Series, which could attract other clubs maybe not before the deadline but in the next offseason.
SS: Brandon Crawford: Giants veteran, excellent defender that after many seasons not brilliant at the batting plate is managing to find continuity by beating .292 becoming a staple for his team even in the offensive phase.
RF: Nick Markakis: 34 years after a couple of non-brilliant seasons has been reborn and has earned deservedly his first All Star game thanks to an average of .323 with 10 homeruns and constant plate productivity.
CF: Bryce Harper: it is not a CF but it will adapt for This game being the youngest of the three starting out in the exteriors, pushed more by the fans and by the reputation than by the statistics (not exciting). Batte .210 with many, too many strikeouts and even if I do not think that this will affect the decennial will receive at the end of the season.
LF: Matt Kemp: the return to knitting Dodgers gave outside a new youth finding the average batting that had had in the golden years, able to be the lighthouse of a lineup that at the beginning of the season has struggled more than expected. SP: Max Scherzer: a decade in his league, where at the individual level he won everything thanks to a very high arsenal level he sees: a 4 95 mph fastball team, a slider with a clean break, a lethal curveball and a change-up. All these launches are launches with which K sends the batsmen leaving very few feasible balls to the unfortunates who face it.
