The 2013 All-Star Rosters Have Been Announced...What Do You Think???

The MLB All-Star Game rosters have been announced. Here are the players who are going:

American League Starters (with 2013 Topps Card # and retail team set if applicable. Note #US numbers are subject to change, but the player is presently scheduled to appear in the 2013 Topps Update Series at that card number.)

1B-Chris Davis, Orioles (#119, BAL9)
2B-Robinson Cano, Yankees (#612, NYY2)
3B-Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (#660, DET2)
SS-J. J. Hardy, Orioles (#533, BAL5)
OF-Jose Bautista, Blue Jays (#441, TOR2)
OF-Adam Jones, Orioles (#10, BAL1)
OF-Mike Trout, Angels (#27, LAA2)
C-Joe Mauer, Twins (#107, MIN1)
DH-David Ortiz, Red Sox (#595, BOS1)

American League Pitchers

P-Clay Buchholz, Red Soxº (#503, BOS6)
P-Bartolo Colon, Athleticsª (#259, OAK3)
P-Yu Darvish, Rangers (#11, TEX1)
P-Felix Hernandez, Mariners (#34, SEA1)
P-Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners (#403, SEA5)
P-Justin Masterson, Indians (#63, CLE6, selected by MGR)
P-Chris Sale, White Sox (#49, CHW1, selected by MGR)
P-Max Scherzer, Tigers (#37, DET4)
P-Justin Verlander, Tigers (#35, DET1, selected by MGR)
RP-Brett Cecil, Blue Jays (selected by MGR)
RP-Jesse Crain, White Soxº
RP-Joe Nathan, Rangers (#236, TEX14)
RP-Glen Perkins, Twinsª (#547, MIN11)
RP-Mariano Rivera, Yankees (#600, NYY8)

American League Reserves

1B-Prince Fielder, Tigers (#28, DET14)
2B-Jason Kipnis, Indians (#267, CLE5, selected by MGR)
2B-Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox (#15, BOS3)
2B-Ben Zobrist, Rays (#218, TAM3, selected by MGR)
3B-Manny Machado, Orioles (#270, BAL2)
SS-Jhonny Peralta, Tigers (#327, DET8)
OF-Nelson Cruz, Rangers (#650, TEX8)
OF-Torii Hunter, Tigers (#565, DET16)
OF-Alex Gordon, Royals (#204, KCR2)
C-Jason Castro, Astros (#640, HOU11, selected by MGR)
C-Salvador Perez, Royals (#655, KCR13)
DH-Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays (#310, TOR4)

American League Final Man Candidates

RP-Joaquin Benoit, Tigers (#495, DET11)
RP-Steve Delabar, Blue Jays
RP-David Robertson, Yankees (#230, NYY15)
RP-Tanner Scheppers, Rangers
RP-Koji Uehara, Red Sox (#618, BOS7)

National League Starters

1B-Joey Votto, Reds (#19, CIN1)
2B-Brandon Phillips, Reds (#386, CIN4)
3B-David Wright, Mets (#400, NYM1)
SS-Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies (#453, COL2)
OF-Carlos Beltran, Cardinals (#527, STL3)
OF-Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies (#5, COL1)
OF-Bryce Harper, Nationals (#1, WAS1)
C-Yadier Molina, Cardinals (#4, STL7)

National League Pitchers

P-Madison Bumgarner, Giants (#379, SFG4, selected by MGR)
P-Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks (#502, ARI10)
P-Jose Fernandez, Marlins (#589, selected by MGR)
P-Matt Harvey, Mets (#577, NYM10)
P-Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (#22, LAD3)
P-Cliff Lee, Phillies (#33, PHI3, selected by MGR)
P-Jeff Locke, Pirates (#372, PIT16, selected by MGR)
P-Adam Wainwright, Cardinals (#50, STL2)
P-Travis Wood, Cubs (#391, CHC15, selected by MGR)
P-Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals (#588, WAS5)
RP-Aroldis Chapman, Reds (#396, CIN2)
RP-Jason Grilli, Pirates (#174, PIT14)
RP-Craig Kimbrel, Braves (#46, ATL1)

National League Reserves

1B-Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks (#454, ARI5)
1B-Allen Craig, Cardinals (#321, STL15, selected by MGR)
2B-Matt Carpenter, Cardinals (#193, STL17)
2B-Marco Scutaro, Giants (#597, SFG10, selected by MGR)
3B-Pedro Alvarez, Pirates (#517, PIT5)
SS-Everth Cabrera, Padres (#412, SDP7, selected by MGR)
SS-Jean Segura, Brewers (#387, MIL4)
OF-Domonic Brown, Phillies (#625, PHI13)
OF-Michael Cuddyer, Rockies (#449, COL3)
OF-Carlos Gomez, Brewers (#619, MIL2, selected by MGR)
OF-Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (#122, PIT1)
C-Buster Posey, Giants (#128, SFG1)

National League Final Man Candidates

SS-Ian Desmond, Nationals (#120, WAS6)
1B-Freddie Freeman, Braves (#105, ATL9)
1B-Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers (#228, LAD1)
OF-Hunter Pence, Giants (#3, SFG14)
OF-Yasiel Puig, Dodgers

Notes:
º Injured, will not participate
ºº Elected not to participate
ª Named as replacement

If you notice, not counting those injured, there will be two 34-man rosters here (including the Final Man winners). In 2010, a new rule was implemented to allow for one "re-entry" player...somebody who can go leave the game and then possibly later on get back in at another position. Previously, only catchers were allowed to leave the game and be re-inserted later. While I can see the AL has a utility guy this year (Zobrist), who is the NL's utility player?

Including the players on the Final Man balloting, five players do not have any cards from either the eponymous Topps set or the retail sets. This year, they include All-Stars Jesse Crain of the White Sox (who is on the DL and will not be participating) and Brett Cecil of the Blue Jays, as well as AL final men Steve Delabar (also of the Jays) and Tanner Scheppers of the Rangers. On the NL side, only one player doesn't have a card in either product, and that is Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig. All five should be getting cards in the Update series in one way or another. To alleviate their slights, I will be using the team's stadium cards to fill-in for them (found only in the team retail sets although that would be hard if somehow Delabar wins the final man...I don't have two Rogers Centre cards).

Lots of youth on both rosters. And a ton of first-time All-Stars to boot. If you look at the Final Man Nominees, all five AL candidates are relief pitchers. Besides Delabar and Scheppers, Joaquin Benoit, David Robertson, and Koji Uehara are on the ballot for that final AL spot. On the NL side, besides the Dodgers' wunderkind, you have vets Ian Desmond, Hunter Pence (who I think has been through this before), and first basemen Freddie Freeman and Adrian Gonzalez.

On a final note, Clay Buchholz is injured and will not participate. So in his stead (as requested by AL skipper Jim Leyland) will be the A's Bartolo Colon (who ironically, is the ONLY member of the Oakland squad on the All-Star Team). The aforementioned Crain is being replaced by Twins reliever Glen Perkins. I read somewhere earlier today that the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright, ASG be darned, has asked manager Mike Matheny to move the rotation around so that he pitches on Sunday. Now the rule for pitchers is that if they are set to pitch on the last day before the All-Star break, they become ineligible to appear in the game. They still get to participate in the All-Star festivities, are still officially All-Stars, but just won't play. If that is the case, there is no word on who his replacement would be if it comes to that point. I have not yet seen any news about All-Star pitchers that could be affected by this as of yet.

Let's hear the answers to these questions:

Who do you think should have been chosen that wasn't (not even for the Final Man ballot)?

Of the players selected, who shouldn't be going to the game?

Were the guys you wanted from your team chosen?

If not, then who should have represented your team?

Let the debates begin.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama