Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Clovis Unified Mourns Passing of Former Superintendent Terry Bradley

6 hours ago

Clovis At-Risk Missing Person Found Dead in Fresno Canal

6 hours ago

DOJ Asks California Sheriffs for Names of Inmates Who Aren’t Citizens

7 hours ago

Israel Agrees to Allow Syrian Troops Limited Access to Sweida

8 hours ago

Border Patrol Agents Raid a Home Depot in Northern California

8 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

1 day ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

1 day ago

US Seeks One-Day Sentence for Police Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Case

1 day ago

Manhattan Prosecutor Who Handled Epstein Cases Is Fired

1 day ago
Fans Elect Historically Young NL Lineup for All-Star Game
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
June 28, 2019

Share

NEW YORK — Surrounded by sweet-swinging sluggers Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger and Ronald Acuña Jr., All-Star stalwart Nolan Arenado is set for a new role with the National League — elder statesman.
“It shows how good these young guys are,” Arenado said.

“I’ve never seen this much young talent in the game. There’s a lot of fun players to watch — talented and the personalities from some of these young players.” — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts
The five-time All-Star will be joined by a bumper crop of talent in one of the youngest All-Star Game lineups ever — a millennial-heavy NL group that could make history at the midsummer showcase in Cleveland on July 9.
Major League Baseball revealed the results from fan balloting for its All-Star starters Thursday, and the average age of the eight NL starters is 25.8 years old. Depending on who is chosen as the club’s designated hitter, the starting position players could be the youngest ever, surpassing the 1967 NL and 2017 AL clubs, which averaged 26.0 years old.
“I’ve never seen this much young talent in the game,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who will lead the NL. “There’s a lot of fun players to watch — talented and the personalities from some of these young players.”
Angels star Mike Trout was the leading vote getter in the final round. He’ll be joined on the AL squad by three Astros — Alex Bregman, George Springer and Michael Brantley — and two Yankees — Gary Sánchez and DJ LeMahieu.
The lineups are full of unlikely names. LeMahieu didn’t crack New York’s opening day lineup. Rangers designated hitter Hunter Pence could only find a minor league contract as a free agent last offseason. Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte and Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco hardly garnered All-Star attention in previous years. Now they’re All-Star starters.

Trout Would be Sixth AL Player to Start Six Times Before Age 28

“It was quite a wild journey from this year to last year,” Pence said. “And to even be speaking about this now, is a miracle. It’s a blessing, and I’m very grateful.”
The NL’s oldest elected starters are 29-year-old Freddie Freeman from Atlanta and 28-year-old Arenado of Colorado.
“Some of these young players are unbelievable players,” Arenado said. “We’re fortunate to be in this time, when you get to see how good they are.”
Indians first baseman Carlos Santana was elected to start in his home park in the 33-year-old’s first All-Star selection. He’ll be joined in the lineup by Brantley, a former teammate who left the Indians in free agency last offseason for a $32 million, two-year deal with Houston. Brantley edged Yankees slugger Aaron Judge by 0.9% for the final outfield spot.
The Cubs’ Willson Contreras and Javier Baez will each start for the NL for the second straight year. Baez was elected at shortstop a year after starting at second. Only three other All-Stars have started in consecutive years at different positions.
Trout is set to be the sixth AL player to start six times before turning 28. The others are Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ivan Rodriguez, Rod Carew and Ken Griffey Jr. It’s Trout’s eighth straight selection overall.
“I just enjoy going to them,” he said. “Every year it seems like I am slowing it down and embracing the experience. The first couple I was running around and it went so fast.”

Photo of Christian Yelich
Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich hits an RBI double against the Cincinnati Reds on June 23. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

New Balloting Structure Used

Yelich was second in voting behind Trout. He homered in last year’s All-Star Game, then staged a second-half tear that ended in him winning NL MVP. He’s been just as good in 2019, leading the majors with 29 homers while hitting .332 with a 1.149 OPS.

“I didn’t know how the year was going to go, but I wasn’t going to look back on last year and think anything was guaranteed. Just because you’re an MVP the previous year, you’re not going to just walk through the next year and everything was going to be fine.” — Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich
“In spring, there were a lot of questions if I could do it again,” Yelich said. “Was it a fluke? Am I a good player? That stuff kind of lights a fire in me.
“I didn’t know how the year was going to go, but I wasn’t going to look back on last year and think anything was guaranteed. Just because you’re an MVP the previous year, you’re not going to just walk through the next year and everything was going to be fine.”
The league adopted a new balloting structure this season, which operated exclusively through Google. Fans voted up until June 21 to determine finalists for All-Star starters. The top three vote getters at each position — top nine in the outfield — in each league then entered a second phase of voting, which ran Wednesday and Thursday. Vote totals were reset prior to the final round.
Fans elected the nine starting players for the AL team and eight for the NL — with the extra AL player being the designated hitter. The rest of the 32-man rosters for each league, including the DH for the National League, will be determined by player balloting and selections from the Commissioner’s Office. Those All-Stars will be announced Sunday.
 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Who is the Future US Attorney for Fresno? Two Big Names Say They’re Not Interested

DON'T MISS

Fresno Firefighters Rescue Girl Trapped in Chimney

DON'T MISS

Rubio Says 10 Americans Detained in Venezuela Have Been Released

DON'T MISS

US Firms to Develop Syria Energy Masterplan After Trump Lifts Sanctions

DON'T MISS

More than Severance: Fresno Unified Wants to Give $162K to Nikki Henry to End ‘Dispute’

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Man Accused of Chasing, Shooting Victim

DON'T MISS

What You Need to Know About Trump, Epstein and the MAGA Controversy

DON'T MISS

How Many Millions of Dollars Will Fresno Get From Airport Car Rentals?

DON'T MISS

DOJ Wants California Jail Data on Noncitizen Inmates. Fresno Sheriff Reviews Request.

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Three in Drug Raid, Recover Firearms and Narcotics

UP NEXT

Wonderful Co. Has a New Face Promoting Pistachios: MVP Josh Allen

UP NEXT

Uber Named Official Rideshare, Delivery Partner for Los Angeles Games

UP NEXT

Trump to Attend Club World Cup Final, FIFA Opens Office in Trump Tower

UP NEXT

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

UP NEXT

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

UP NEXT

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

UP NEXT

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

UP NEXT

Wonderdog Still Barking: Justin Wilson Thrives With Boston Red Sox

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Orders CA to Strip Trans Athlete of Medals

UP NEXT

Thunder Cap Incredible Season by Beating Pacers for NBA Title

US Firms to Develop Syria Energy Masterplan After Trump Lifts Sanctions

3 hours ago

More than Severance: Fresno Unified Wants to Give $162K to Nikki Henry to End ‘Dispute’

3 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Man Accused of Chasing, Shooting Victim

3 hours ago

What You Need to Know About Trump, Epstein and the MAGA Controversy

4 hours ago

How Many Millions of Dollars Will Fresno Get From Airport Car Rentals?

4 hours ago

DOJ Wants California Jail Data on Noncitizen Inmates. Fresno Sheriff Reviews Request.

4 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Three in Drug Raid, Recover Firearms and Narcotics

5 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Lavisha Denise Beard

5 hours ago

Blast at Los Angeles Sheriff’s Facility Leaves Three Dead, Media Reports

5 hours ago

Clovis Unified Mourns Passing of Former Superintendent Terry Bradley

6 hours ago

Who is the Future US Attorney for Fresno? Two Big Names Say They’re Not Interested

The dismissal of the U.S. Attorney in the Fresno area before a full-time nominee was appointed was unusual, a man who previously held the jo...

28 minutes ago

28 minutes ago

Who is the Future US Attorney for Fresno? Two Big Names Say They’re Not Interested

A juvenile girl was rescued early Thursday, July 17, 2025, after becoming trapped inside a chimney at a Fresno home and was hospitalized with minor injuries. (Fresno FD)
48 minutes ago

Fresno Firefighters Rescue Girl Trapped in Chimney

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a nuclear cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (not pictured), at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Umit Bektas)
2 hours ago

Rubio Says 10 Americans Detained in Venezuela Have Been Released

Men work at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

US Firms to Develop Syria Energy Masterplan After Trump Lifts Sanctions

3 hours ago

More than Severance: Fresno Unified Wants to Give $162K to Nikki Henry to End ‘Dispute’

Julian Nathaniel Benavidez was arrested in connection with a July 6 shooting in northwest Fresno that left one person injured. (Fresno PD)
3 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Man Accused of Chasing, Shooting Victim

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
4 hours ago

What You Need to Know About Trump, Epstein and the MAGA Controversy

4 hours ago

How Many Millions of Dollars Will Fresno Get From Airport Car Rentals?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend