2019 All Star Game (07-09-19): NL (Ryu) at AL (Verlander) 6:30 PM CDT

[Eye Black]

 

 

MLB All-Star Game Rosters by the Numbers (via FanGraphs)

[BruisedCrew]

I used to enjoy All Star Games many years ago, but now I just can’t get interested in it. The best thing I can say about it is that, of the four major sports, it is the only All Star Game that is actually played like a real game.

 

Back in the late 50’s when my first memories of baseball took place, the All Star Game and the World Series were the only games televised in Milwaukee. The Braves waded slowly into televising a few games a year. So, the All Star Game was the only opportunity to see most of the best players in the game, especially the American Leaguers. And the top stars often played the whole game. But now, as players skip the game, and managers try to get just about everyone on the growing rosters into the game, it is more of a hodgepodge exhibition of players we see on TV all the time anyway. For many of them their status as All Stars is pretty slim. Plus, as teams throw out a succession of pitchers, including a lot of closers, there often isn’t enough hitting to keep the games interesting.

 

I will probably have the game on and hope the Brewer players do something (and don’t get hurt), but otherwise it’s hard for me to pay much attention to it.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I always enjoy watching the All-Star game. There aren't really any stakes, but it's still fun seeing the best in the business on one field together. Hopefully the four Brewers who are likely to play tonight have a positive impact on the game.

[trwi7]

The All-Star game sucks but all of them suck. The NBA is just a dunk fest, the NHL is a glorified OT with less than no effort on defense and the Pro Bowl is the worst of them all.

[willie key]

I don’t consider this a real baseball game unless the pitcher bats 8th

[pacopete4]

I would be good with naming an all star team and giving them a week with their families. But they make money on this junk so it will continue.

[Eye Black]

I think I’m more sentimental about the All Star Game than most. For me watching the All-Star games in the very late 80’s (1989 is the first one I vividly remember) as well as the early-to-mid 1990’s was one of my few opportunities to see the stars of the game as a kid. I pretty much watched it religiously each year from about ages 8 to 14. When youth baseball games got in the way I was still usually able to get home in time to see the Brewers participant enter the game. For me it brings back some positive baseball memories.

[sveumrules]

I think I’m more sentimental about the All Star Game than most. For me watching the All-Star games in the very late 80’s (1989 is the first one I vividly remember) as well as the early-to-mid 1990’s was one of my few opportunities to see the stars of the game as a kid. I pretty much watched it religiously each year from about ages 8 to 14. When youth baseball games got in the way I was still usually able to get home in time to see the Brewers participant enter the game. For me it brings back some positive baseball memories.

 

Yeah, this is pretty much where I'm at too.

 

Though my first ASG memory was Higuera getting struck out by Fernando back in what the internet is telling me was 1986.

 

1989 always sticks in the memory too with the Bo & Boggs bombs.

[pitchleague]

I like rock and roll but I found it kind of rude that FOX decided

Not only to split screen some of the player introductions with the guitarists jamming out to famous guitar riffs, but also made the guitarists part of the screen larger than the players.

 

Yeah, maybe that’s petty of me but I found it unnecessary.

[tomwopat]

At least there's some real baseball fans in the house, booing Chapman and Cubs.

[Eye Black]

MLB Stats tweeted this earlier today...

 

Last time the #AllStarGame was in Cleveland, we had ELEVEN future @baseballhall members in the starting lineups.

 

 

 

 

It was 1997 and the Hall of Famers are obviously highlighted in gold. It got me wondering, how many of this year’s starters do you think are either future Hall of Famers or at least currently on a Hall of Fame trajectory?

 

The game’s starters seem to be trending younger than in the past, so it’s sort of a tough question.

 

Verlander and Trout seem like no doubters, but it becomes much tougher after that, in my opinion.

[MrTPlush]

I don’t mind the All Star game. I admire the baseball players for putting in some real effort unlike the other sports.

[pitchleague]

Having Freddy Freeman mic’d up for his at bat was kind of fun.

[MrTPlush]

Having Freddy Freeman mic’d up for his at bat was kind of fun.

 

I wish they would mic a starter.

[wildcat83]

The all star game is entertaining to me strictly on individual matchups. I love watching best on best, and tonight will offer some great individual matchups at the plate.

[DHonks]

It's weird seeing the pitchers with the green screen advertisement behind them. Tanaka looks like he's been superimposed on the screen like a weather man

[PinaMadness]

Amd the AL is on their way to another win.

[wildcat83]

Cool to have Yelich and Bellinger mic’d. When you think about all star games in general I think MLB is doing it as well as any sport. Competitive yet open to fan entertainment.

 

Yelich on juiced baseballs: “I’m not a scientist, they’re fine the way they are.”

[BruisedCrew]

Amd the AL is on their way to another win.

 

The Brewers are the albatross of the All Star Game. They switched leagues right about the time the power switched from the NL to the AL.

 

I haven’t counted it up, but I think the record of the Brewers league is about 9-40-1.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Amd the AL is on their way to another win.

 

The Brewers are the albatross of the All Star Game. They switched leagues right about the time the power switched from the NL to the AL.

 

I haven’t counted it up, but I think the record of the Brewers league is about 9-40-1.

 

They also seem to lay a lot of duds in the game. I know Fielder won the MVP, but I think that is still the only Brewer to ever homer in the game.

[PinaMadness]

Oh, let's make sure we bring up Baez and his logic defying tags.

[pitchleague]

Amd the AL is on their way to another win.

 

The Brewers are the albatross of the All Star Game. They switched leagues right about the time the power switched from the NL to the AL.

 

I haven’t counted it up, but I think the record of the Brewers league is about 9-40-1.

 

They also seem to lay a lot of duds in the game. I know Fielder won the MVP, but I think that is still the only Brewer to ever homer in the game.

 

 

Yelich homered last year.

[sveumrules]

MLB Stats tweeted this earlier today...

 

Last time the #AllStarGame was in Cleveland, we had ELEVEN future @baseballhall members in the starting lineups.

 

It got me wondering, how many of this year’s starters do you think are either future Hall of Famers or at least currently on a Hall of Fame trajectory?

 

The game’s starters seem to be trending younger than in the past, so it’s sort of a tough question.

 

Verlander and Trout seem like no doubters, but it becomes much tougher after that, in my opinion.

 

Bonds, Walker & A-Rod could be three more from the 1997 lineups at some point too.

 

After Trout & Verlander I think the best HOF chances in the starting lineups are probably Yelich, Freeman, Bellinger, Arenado, Acuna & Bregman.

 

Yeli is currently 55th in active WAR & the only guys his age or younger who are above him are Trout, Mookie & Machado.

 

Freeman is probably on more of a Hall of VG track just because 1B is so tough, Bellinger is only 23 but already has 15 WAR & looks like the real deal, the Coors curse should be broken by the time Arenado comes up plus he has the GGs, Acuna is even younger but looks like a monster & Bregman is another guy that looks like a natural at the plate who should age well assuming health.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Well our guy looked nice and no one dug up his old tweets yet.

 

In hindsight, that whole thing really became a nothingburger. There was so much talk about it following him forever and it seems like it just kinda vanished and most took it as the dumb ramblings of a kid. Sorta refreshing for a change.

[PinaMadness]

Let's go Moose, clinch MVP right here.