Another NL Win in 2013? (Joey Almars)

Looking at the AL and NL All-Star Rosters for the 2013 All-Star Game, for the most part it was what I expected. Although I didn’t put Bryce Harper on my roster, I am not shocked that the fan favorite got picked. Giants Nation came out last year and made a big push to get there players in. Coming off of another World Series win I assuming that the same deal would happen this year. Although 3 Total is not as significant as 4 starters in the 2012 All Star game, the fans did there job at getting them in there. I was also very happy that Glen Perkins got a spot. He has been a bright spot on my Twins and glad to see he got recognized. The final thing that caught my eye was that not as many Cardinals made it. Quite a few did, but guys who deserved to go in my mind were Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller. With their wins and strikeout counts I was bummed that they missed the cut. But then again each team has to be represented by one player so I guess I am not surprised.

Looking at both of the lineups, I have to say that this is going to be another NL win. Both Starting lineups look solid. I feel like the best were chosen from the AL and NL for pitching. Verlander was not at his best this year but it wasn’t like Detroit fans were going to forget about him. But where the big difference comes in is the Reserves. Looking at the AL, I had the mentality of who made the list? But when I saw the NL Starters, I knew exactly who would be on the bench, because there are so many NL players having a good year. You knew Buster Posey wouldn’t get snubbed, but he would probably go behind Yadi. Then you got guys like Cuddyer, McCutchen, Goldschmidt, and right down the list who could have easily gotten the nod for the starting spot. Managers generally do a good job at cycling players out so that everyone can get in on the fun night. And when we get into the second and third subbing action, the AL pitchers are still going to have their hands full.

All these players are All-Stars but if the benches played each other I would put my money on the NL.

This is one of my favorite nights of the year and I am excited to see if the game plays out the way I think it will, or if I will be surprised.