Major League Baseball revealed the results of the 2019 All-Star Game Starters Election, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger was named a starter for the National League while Joc Pederson fell short.
Bellinger was the leading vote-getting in all of MLB in the first round of voting, but this time he came in second among NL outfielders. He will be joined in the outfield by Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers, who was first, and Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves.
Pederson came it at No. 9 out of the nine outfielders that made it to the Starters Election.
Rounding out the rest of the NL lineup will be Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras behind the plate, Braves’ Freddie Freeman at first base, Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte at second base, Cubs’ Javier Baez at shortstop and Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado at third base.
Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts will be managing the NL squad for the second straight year, so he will have his hands full trying to create his batting order with so many great players at his disposal.
Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox will be managing the American League team, and he also has a world of talent to work with.
New York Yankees’ Gary Sanchez will be catching for the AL team while Cleveland Indians’ Carlos Santana will be at first base, Yankees’ D.J. LeMahieu at second base, Minnesota Twins’ Jorge Polanco at shortstop, Houston Astros’ Alex Bregman at third base with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Mike Trout and Astros’ George Springer and Michael Brantley in the outfield.
Hunter Pence of the Texas Rangers was selected as the AL designated hitter, while Roberts will get the opportunity to select his.
For Bellinger, this marks his second career All-Star selection and first time starting the game. He is currently the leading NL MVP candidate, hitting .354/.452/.711 with 26 home runs, 64 runs scored and 63 RBI while also playing Gold Glove-caliber defense.
While Pederson was not voted in as a starter, he still has the opportunity to make it as a reserve. It is a group effort between the player ballot and the Commissioner’s Office to select the reserves for both teams. Along with Pederson, Max Muncy, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen all have a good case make the team.
This year’s Midsummer Classic will be taking place on Tuesday, July 9 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The Home Run Derby is the night before, although Bellinger has already said that he won’t be participating this year.
