The stars of Major League Baseball will be on full display when the All-Star Game emanates live from Petco Park in San Diego on July 12.
The voting for the starters has closed, but with a lot of players worthy of starting for the American League, it's hard to fill out the perfect ballot.
We're far from perfect, but we've opted to take a stab at it anyway. Here are our position-by-position picks for the AL starters in the All-Star Game. To view this article in slideshow form, CLICK START at the top right of this page.
Note: Stats as of July 1, 2016.
Pitcher: Chris Sale, White Sox
There are a plethora of great options for AL manager Ned Yost of the reigning World Series champion Royals to choose from -- including the likes of knuckleballer Steven Wright of the Red Sox and Danny Salazar of the Indians, but given his resume and numbers up to this point, Sale is more than deserving of the nod.
Sale leads the AL with 13 wins and ranks tied for the league lead with a 0.98 WHIP and three complete games. He also ranks fourth in strikeouts (109) and ERA (2.79), while his .213 batting average against places him fifth.
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Royals
Perez is having a great year for Kansas City, owning a .289/.321/.504 slash line while ranking tied among AL catchers with 12 RBIs and in sole possession of first with 37 RBIs. He also has caught an AL-leading 21 would-be base stealers this season while owning a plus-9 in the defensive runs saved metric, according to Fangraphs.\
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Red Sox
This is a no-doubter as Ortiz celebrates his final season with one last All-Star appearance. Big Papi is third in the AL with a .336 batting average and has 18 homers and 63 RBIs.
First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
It's a close race between Miggy and Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, but in the end the Tigers veteran wins out. Chris Davis has also made a lot of noise with his bat due to his 19 homers, but his .243 batting average holds him back. Cabrera is hitting .294 and leads all AL first baseman in on-base percentage (.372), slugging percentage (.536) and OPS (.908), while he's launched 18 homers and has 51 RBIs.
Second Base: Jose Altuve, Astros
This is a no-brainer as Altuve leads the MLB with an unreal .357 batting average, a .452 on-base percentage and 111 hits. The Houston second baseman is such a dynamic player, pacing the AL with 21 stolen bases and ranking in the top five in several categories.
Third Base: Manny Machado, Orioles
It's a neck-and-neck race between Machado and Blue Jays third baseman, reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson, but the former wins out. Machado is tied for the MLB lead with 174 total bases, ranks second in on-base percentage (.609) and is third in OPS (1.001). He also has 18 homers and 50 RBIs, while he has just one error on the season.
Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
Francisco Lindor deserves an honorable mention and will likely come to San Diego in a reserve role, but the Boston shortstop certainly has a slight edge. Bogaerts is second in the AL with 110 hits and ranks third with a .342 batting average. On top of his nine homers, Bogaerts leads all AL shortstops with a .342/.393/.491 slash line, a .884 OPS, 50 RBIs and 59 runs. If there's one knock on Bogaerts, it's his seven errors and minus-4 ranking in defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs.
Outfield: Mike Trout, Angels; Mark Trumbo, Orioles; and Mookie Betts, Red Sox
Trout is a former AL MVP and a five-tool player while ranking fourth in the AL with a .422 on-base percentage and fifth with a .995 OPS. Trumbo leads all AL outfielders with 23 homers (tied for first overall in AL) and 60 RBIs (tied 4th). Betts is a very dynamic player, leading the MLB with 67 runs, while owning a .287/.327/.501 slash line. Betts is tied for the lead among all AL outfielders with 99 hits and has 16 homers and 54 RBIs.
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