Major League Baseball All-Star

A Major League Baseball All-Star is a professional baseball player who has been named to either the American League (AL) or National League (NL) All-Star Team for the annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game also known as the "Midsummer Classic", which is held during the All-Star break.

Major league All-Star namings began in July 1933. Fans have generally participated in the selection of the players who fill the AL and NL All-Star rosters; managers, players, and coaches have also made choices in the selection process during various seasons.[1] Between 1935 and 1946, each All-Star team's manager selected their entire teams; in 1945, the scheduled All-Star Game was cancelled due to travel restrictions during World War II and no players were officially named.[2][3] From 1959 through 1962, All-Stars played in two All-Star Games each season.[4] On January 29, 1936, Babe Ruth became the first of the original thirty-six All-Stars to be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame; twenty original All-Stars are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.[5][6][7] Hank Aaron holds the record for the most All-Star namings (21) and the most All-Star Game appearances (25).[8]

In 2017, each All-Star team will have 32 players, with fans voting for the starting players (including a designated hitter of the AL team), and the players selecting the reserve players for each position and five starting pitchers and three relief pitchers. The final All-Star player vote still exists, but the MLB commissioner's office will now fill out the remaining roster spots instead of the managers.[9][10] The 88th All-Star Game is scheduled to be held on July 11, 2017, at Marlins Park, home of the NL East Division's Miami Marlins.[11]

All-Star namings and uniforms

1933 AL All-Stars - Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Al Simmons

The All-Star roster size each season for both leagues was 18 in 1933, 20 in 1934, 25 in 1939, and 30 in 1982.

On July 1, 2009, each league's team roster was expanded from 32 to 33 players.

MLB rules effective April 28, 2010:[12]

1. Rosters were expanded by one extra position player, to a total of 34.

2. The designated hitter will be used in all games, even in NL ballparks.

3. Pitchers who start on the Sunday before the game break will be replaced on the roster, but will still be recognized as All-Stars.

4. Each manager may designate a position player who will be eligible for game re-entry if the last position player is injured or ejected. This is in addition to a rule that allows a player to re-enter to replace an injured or ejected catcher.

Selection process

1. Fan voting (8 NL players; 9 AL players): Baseball fans vote on the starting position players for the All-Star Game, with ballots formerly distributed at Major League Baseball games before mid-season and, as of 2015, exclusively on the Internet. In games with the designated hitter, the AL DH is also selected in this manner (and the NL DH is selected by the manager). Fan voting has been recently criticized because most of the starting players can come from teams that have large fan bases or passionate fan bases such as the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago Cubs.[13]

2. Player voting (16 players): Eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers) and one back-up player for each position are elected by the players, coaches, and managers.[14] If the top vote-getter at a position has also been selected via fan voting, the second-place finisher in this category is selected.

3. Final vote (1 player): After the list of 33 players for each league is announced, fans vote (on the Internet) for one additional player, chosen from a list of 5 players that is compiled by the manager of each league's team and the Commissioner's Office.

4. Replacements: After the roster is selected, the All-Star manager and the Commissioner's Office will replace players who are injured, decline to participate, and pitchers who started on the Sunday before the game.

Uniforms

For the inaugural 1933 All-Star Game, the NL All-Stars wore gray uniforms with navy blue letters spelling "NATIONAL LEAGUE" across the front of the jersey, blue belts, and "NL" caps,[15] while the AL All-Stars wore their regular team uniforms. Since the 1934 All-Star Game, All-Stars of both leagues have worn their regular team uniforms rather than specially made uniforms for the game.

In the 1970s and 1980s, alternate jerseys were commonly worn by players from the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. When the late 1980s and early 1990s approached, fewer alternates were worn. Alternate jerseys were back in use in 1992 and red (AL) and blue (NL) All-Star Game jerseys began being used in 1997, which according to MLB rules are no longer allowed to be worn as players must wear either their team's white or gray uniforms, depending on which league is the home team. Instead these uniforms are worn during batting practice and the Home Run Derby.[16]

All-Star firsts and records

All-Star firsts
Willie Mays in 1954; 20-time All-Star,[17] 24 All-Star Games
All-Star Game records

(1959-1962 seasons had two All-Star Games and 1945 season no All-Star Game)

See also

List of Major League Baseball All-Star Games

References

  1. ↑ Baseball Almanac
  2. ↑ ESPN, MLB Baseball All-Star Game History
  3. ↑ Cohen, Jenny (2010) History in the Headlines, Baseball's First All-Star Game
  4. ↑ Donnelly, Patrick. SportsData LLC (2012) "Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game". "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2015-04-05. SportsData, LLC. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  5. ↑ National Baseball Hall of Fame, Hall of Famers, 1936-1939. 1936, Class of 1936 "Babe Ruth, Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 1936"
  6. ↑ ESPN, "Hall of Fame, Inducted in 1936". Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  7. ↑ This Day in History, January 29, 1936, "1936, Baseball Hall of Fame inducts first members". Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  8. ↑ Baseball Reference, "Most Seasons on All-Star Roster"
  9. ↑ Schoenfield, David. ESPN (2017), Senior Writer.
  10. ↑ Baseball Almanac. Retrieved May 4, 2017
  11. ↑ Baseball Almanac. Retrieved May 4, 2017
  12. ↑ Stephens, Bailey (April 28, 2010). "Modifications in Place for All-Star Game". Major League Baseball. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  13. ↑ Newman, Mark (April 18, 2007). "Voting Under Way for 78th All-Star Game". Major League Baseball. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  14. ↑ Chass, Murray (May 2, 2003). "Players Union Accepts Change to the All-Star Game". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ Buchanan, Lamont (1951). The World Series and Highlights of Baseball. E. P. Dutton. p. 120. OCLC 1478115.
  16. ↑ 2016 Chicago Cubs All-Stars
  17. ↑ National Baseball hall of Fame, "20-time All-Star".
  18. ↑ Baseball Reference, "Most Seasons on All-Star Roster"
  19. ↑ Baseball Reference, "Most Seasons on All-Star Roster"
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