The brightest stars in Major League Baseball are on full display Tuesday night as the 86th annual All-Star Game emanates live from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
Home-field advantage for the World Series hangs in the balance as the Ned Yost-led American League battles the National League, which is guided by San Francisco Giants skipper Bruce Bochy.
Before the All-Stars take the diamond at the home of the Cincinnati Reds, here is a position-by-position evaluation of which team has the edge.
The 2015 AL #ASG starting lineup. pic.twitter.com/JcoPEWu76o
— MLB (@MLB) July 13, 2015
The 2015 NL #ASG starting lineup. pic.twitter.com/PrRsuNAw8Z — MLB (@MLB) July 13, 2015
Starting Pitchers: Dallas Keuchel (11-4, 2.23 ERA & 114 strikeouts) vs. Zack Greinke (8-2/1.39/106)
Keuchel's 11 victories are tied for the AL lead and knot him for second in the majors. The Houston Astros pitcher leads the MLB with 137.1 innings pitched and is third in the AL in WHIP (1.00) and fourth in average allowed (.208). He's twirled three complete games and two shutouts in 19 starts this season.
Greinke's ERA leads the entire MLB while he is second in the majors in WHIP (0.84) and average allowed (.191). The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher is second in the NL with 123.1 innings pitched and has tossed one complete game this season.
Edge: National League
Catcher: Salvador Perez (.262 AVG, 15 HR, 38 RBI) vs. Buster Posey (.314/14/58)
Perez and Posey rekindle a World Series rivalry between the Royals and Giants backstops. Perez leads all MLB catchers in homers and he has thrown out 19 of 54 attempted base stealers this season.
Posey paces all MLB catchers in average, RBI, on-base percentage (.381), slugging percentage (.498), OPS (.880) and hits (95). His RBI also rank fourth in the NL. He has a (.542) stolen base percentage, having thrown out 11 of 24 base stealers.
Edge: National League
First Base: Albert Pujols (.255/26/56) vs. Paul Goldschmidt (.340/21/70)
Pujols, replacing Miguel Cabrera as the starter, is tied for the AL lead and knotted for second in the majors with 26 homers this season while his RBI rank second among all AL first baseman. The Los Angeles Angels first baseman has committed two errors in 529 total chances this season.
Goldschmidt is having an MVP-caliber campaign, entering the break tied for the MLB lead in RBI and leading the NL in batting average. Goldschmidt is also second in OPS (1.064), fourth in hits (122) and fifth in total bases (192) and runs (60) while landing in the top five in other categories as well. The Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman has two errors in 770 opportunities this season.
Edge: National League
Second Base: Jose Altuve (.293/8/38) vs. DJ LeMahieu (.311/4/35)
Altuve leads the AL and is third in the MLB with 28 stolen bases this season while he is first on the Houston Astros with 16 hits, 45 runs and 98 doubles. He has committed three errors in 338 chances in 2015.
LaMahieu, replacing the injured Dee Gordon, leads the Colorado Rockies with a .365 on-base percentage and has two errors in 436 chances this season.
Edge: American League
Shortstop: Alcides Escobar (.290/2/33) vs. Jhonny Peralta (.298/13/46)
Escobar leads all AL shortstops with 47 runs and ranks second with 92 hits. The Royals shortstop has an alarming nine errors in 328 chances this season.
Peralta is tied for fourth in the NL with 100 hits on the campaign and leads all MLB shortstops with 20 doubles. He paces all NL stars at his position with 31 walks and a .355 on-base percentage. The St. Louis Cardinals shortstop has made three errors on 327 opportunities this season.
Edge: National League
Third Base: Josh Donaldson (.293/21/60) vs. Todd Frazier (.284/25/57)
This is about as tightly contested a matchup as there is in the position-by-position analysis. Donaldson is third in the majors with 65 runs and fifth with 104 hits. The Blue Jays third baseman also ranks tied for third in the AL in RBI, second in total bases (189) and fifth in slugging percentage (.532). Donaldson has 10 errors on the season in 260 chances.
Frazier will be playing in his home ball park after winning the 2015 Home Run Derby and leads the majors with 200 total bases while ranking tied for second in the MLB with 26 doubles. The Reds man at the hot corner is also third in the Senior Circuit in homers, fourth in runs (54, tied) and fifth in slugging percentage (.585). Frazier has 11 errors this season in 208 total chances.
Edge: Even
Left Field: Adam Jones (.281/14/43) vs. Joc Pederson (.230/20/40)
Jones owns a .281/.326/.490 slash line and a .816 OPS through the first half. The Baltimore Orioles outfielder has two errors and five assists thus far in 2015.
Pederson doesn't hit for average, but he leads all rookies with 20 homers. The 2015 Home Run Derby runner-up is third in the NL with 58 walks, but also leads the league with 107 strikeouts. The Dodgers rookie outfielder has two errors and four assists
Edge: American League
Center Field: Mike Trout (.312/26/55) vs. Andrew McCutchen (.295/12/56)
Trout is first in the MLB with 68 runs and is tied for the AL lead and second in the league with 26 homers. The Angels outfielder is also first in the AL with 199 total bases and a .614 slugging percentage while ranking in the top five in the majors in several categories. The reigning AL MVP has no errors and two assists in the field.
McCutchen is tied for second in the NL with 24 doubles and knotted for fourth with a .392 on-base percentage. He hasn't committed an error and has four outfield assists.
Edge: American League
Right Field: Lorenzo Cain (.316/8/42) vs. Bryce Harper (.339/26/61)
Cain is fourth in the AL in batting average and places tied for second in the league with 17 stolen bases. The Royals center fielder paces the club with a .491 slugging percentage and a .864 OPS. Cain has five errors and three outfield assists.
Harper is a first-half MVP candidate and is the leader in the MLB with a .464 on-base percentage, a .704 slugging percentage and a 1.168 OPS. The Nationals outfielder is second in the league in batting average, homers and runs (59). He has four errors and four assists.
Edge: National League
Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz (.308/21/53) vs. Anthony Rizzo (.298/16/48)
Cruz is fourth in the AL with 179 total bases, a .546 slugging percentage and a .919 OPS.
Rizzo is fourth in the majors with a .413 on-base percentage and fifth with a .955 OPS. The Cubs first baseman is also tied for second in the NL with 24 doubles.
Edge: American League
Both leagues are stacked this year with quality pitching and some of the league's best sluggers, so it should be a tight game in Cincinnati.
PREDICTION: NL 4, AL 3
The 86th annual All-Star game emanates live from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
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