Three Astros voted AL All-Star starters

HOUSTON -- The American League starting lineup at the All-Star Game will feature three Astros: the Most Valuable Player of last year’s Midsummer Classic, the 2017 World Series MVP and the man who spent the last decade as a steady and reliable star in Cleveland -- the site of this year's game.

The fans voted Alex Bregman as the starter at third base -- the first Astros third baseman to start an All-Star Game -- and George Springer and Michael Brantley in the outfield for the July 9 game at Progressive Field. Astros players Josh Reddick, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Robinson Chirinos were finalists in the Starters Election, but weren’t elected.

• Here are all the 2019 All-Star Game starters

This marks the second time in franchise history that the Astros will have three position players start the All-Star Game. In 2017, Altuve (second base), Correa (shortstop) and Springer (left field) all started for the Astros.

Players who do not get elected starters are not automatically added to the team as reserves -- they will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office. All-Star pitchers and reserves will be announced on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

The 2019 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will be played on Tuesday, July 9, at Progressive Field in Cleveland. It will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.

Mike Trout of the Angels led the voting among AL outfielders, garnering 25.5 percent of the vote, followed by Springer (15.7) and Brantley (10.8).

Brantley, who signed a two-year deal with the Astros prior to this season after 10 years with the Indians, has made his fourth All-Star team and is making his first start (he was a reserve in 2014 and 2017-18). He’s hitting .316 with 11 homers, 21 doubles and 43 RBIs for the Astros.

“It’s very special to go back to a place I broke into the Major Leagues and go back to Cleveland. I’m very excited for it,” Brantley said. “I’m going with a great group of teammates and hopefully a lot more. When the time comes, we’ll see how I’m feeling then, but right now, I’m very excited and thankful.”

This will be the second consecutive All-Star appearance and first start for Bregman, who was named MVP last year in Washington when he hit a go-ahead homer in the 10th inning of the AL’s 8-6 win. He’s hitting .264 and leads the club in homers (22) and RBIs (52).

“It’s so special,” said Bregman, who beat out the Yankees’ Gio Urshela (23.3) and Royals’ Hunter Dozier (27.6) by receiving 49.1 percent of the vote. “I’m super thankful to the Astros fans and all the fans across the country. It’s incredible, an honor, a dream come true and something I dreamed about as a kid. To be able to start this year is really special.”

Springer is an All-Star for the third year in a row and second time as a starter (also in 2017). Last year, he came off the bench and hit a homer in the 10th inning, going back-to-back with Bregman after the third baseman hit his tie-breaking homer.

“You never know if it’s ever going to come back around,” Springer said. “It’s one of those things where you go and enjoy it and you share the clubhouse with guys that you normally compete against. It’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of festivities, and you kind of just get to enjoy the day and enjoy the moment.”

Springer was voted as a starter despite missing a month of the season with a strained left hamstring. He returned to action Tuesday against the Pirates and is hitting .315 with 18 homers and 44 RBIs in 51 games this season.

“To miss a lot of time and still get that support from the fans is awesome to me,” Springer said. “I don’t think they know how much that means to me. Thank you to everybody. I’ll honor that for sure and enjoy the day.”