Dingers and dives: Get to know the 2015 AL All-Star starting lineup

If you thought the Fourth of July was full of fireworks, just wait until July 14 in Cincinnati when baseball's biggest stars converge at Great American Ball Park for the MLB All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile. 

And with home-field advantage in the Fall Classic on the line, you can be sure that the Junior Circuit is going to send the best of their best to Cincy. We're talking guys on pace for 50 homers, guys on pace 50 steals, rookies, veterans ... the best of the best regardless of how they get it done.

Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, here is the starting lineup for the 2015 American League All-Star team. And be sure to check out the National League's here. 

C - Salvador Perez, Royals

Perez hates not playing baseball. He played 150 of the Royals' regular-season games last season and is on pace for 151 this year. And the Royals clearly love having him in the lineup. In addition to being a superb defender, Perez also offers plus power from the position. 

After setting a career high in home runs with 17 last year, Perez already has 13 to start this season. Which includes this bottom of the eighth line drive laser against the Rangers that gave the Royals the victory. 

1B - Miguel Cabrera, Tigers

Though baseball fans around the world are crushed since Cabrera will miss the All-Star festivities with an injury, Cabrera is actually currently outpacing his 2013 Triple Crown by hitting .350/.456/.578.

If you're wondering just what we'll be missing when the All-Stars come together, just look at this. Cabrera took Johnny Cueto so high and so deep to the opposite field that it literally started raining as the clouds could not contain him any longer. That's insane. 

2B - Jose Altuve, Astros

Last season, Altuve led the league in hits and stolen bases and set a career high in home runs with seven. This year, he's hitting over .300 again, leading the AL in steals and has already matched last year's dinger total. So despite standing 5-foot-6, he's been smashing plenty of balls like this one off of R.A. Dickey. 

3B - Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays

Perhaps no highlight was as easy to choose than this one. After all, Donaldson didn't just make a nice catch and didn't just protect an at-the-time perfect game, but he also showed little regard for his well-being as he literally flew into the stands for this one. When people think of the 2015 season, they'll think of this highlight. And there's nothing wrong with that. 

This catch (and perhaps Stephen Amell) helped Donaldson set an all-time voting record with 14,090,188 votes tallied. 

SS - Alcides Escobar

I hope the National League batters aren't expecting to hit any balls through the left side of the infield because Escobar is going to be manning that. While I could cite any number of advanced defensive metrics, that's really not necessary. Just watch the above highlight where Escobar ranged to his right, dove and made an absurd flip to second from his back for the out against the D-backs in August of last season. 

OF - Alex Gordon, Royals

Gordon is a jack of all trades and one of the best all-around players in the game. He may not lead the league in average or home runs or even in mustache-style points, but he'll do a little bit of everything. Which includes showing little regard for his health and well-being as he routinely launches himself into any and all barriers to make the catch. 

OF - Mike Trout, Angels

How does one even choose one highlight for Trout? After all, the 23-year-old is like an evil supercomputer that is getting exponentially smarter and faster than every human on Earth. So thank god that Trout is using those powers for good.

Because of all that, I'm cheating a little. Sure, it's "one" highlight, but includes three great catches and a home run as he single-handedly beat the Yankees. 

OF - Lorenzo Cain, Royals

And just so you didn't think that Gordon was the only one sacrificing his body in the Royals outfield, here's Cain. With speed that lets him almost move through time, Cain consistently gets to balls few other outfielders can dream of reaching. Of course, that means when he meets a wall, it's an even harder impact. Not that it would stop him from reeling in those catches, anyway. 

DH - Nelson Cruz, Mariners

One year after bashing a league-leading 40 home runs with the Orioles, Cruz is playing for the Mariners in spacious Safeco Field. Surely he couldn't keep that kind of production up? 

Very funny. 

The homer-bashing DH has 21 first-half homers, including a five-game, six-homer stretch in April. But none sum up his season quite like this. At a Statcast™-estimated 482 feet, there have been no homers hit further than this one that Cruz hit off Wandy Rodriguez in April. 

With the amount of power on display in the All-Star Game, maybe we'll see it topped in Cincinnati this July, though. 

Don't think this is all you'll see, though. Pitchers and reserves will be announced on Monday followed by the MLB Final Vote, so you can once again select the final player in both the AL and NL.