LOS ANGELES - Major League Baseball announced today that right-handed pitcher Kenley Jansen, left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw and shortstop Corey Seager were named to the National League All-Star team. All three were selected via player balloting, with Jansen and Seager making the first All-Star appearances of their careers and Kershaw making his sixth. Major League Baseball's 87th All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 12 at Petco Park in San Diego.
Jansen, 28, leads MLB relievers with a 0.66 WHIP and ranks among National League relievers in saves (25, 2^nd), ERA (1.30, 3^rd), opponents' batting average (.153, 3^rd) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.80, 2^nd, 44 SO/5 BB) in 36 appearances this year. Jansen, who became the franchise's all-time saves leader earlier this year, is the first Dodger reliever to be named to the All-Star team since 2010 (Jonathan Broxton & Hong-Chih Kuo) and is just the third All-Star ever from Curacao, joining Andruw Jones (2000, '02-03, '05-06) and Jair Jurrjens (2011). Jansen is in his seventh big league season after being signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent on Nov. 17, 2004.
Kershaw, 28, is the first Dodger to be named to six consecutive All-Star teams (2011-16) since Fernando Valenzuela (1981-86), but will not play in the game due to injury (mildly herniated disc). Kershaw would have been a strong candidate to start the game for the National League prior to going on the DL June 27, with his MLB-leading 1.79 ERA, 16.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.73 WHIP. He also ranks among the Major League leaders in wins (11, 11-2, T-4^th), innings (121.0, 2^nd), strikeouts (145, 3^rd) and opponents' batting average (.185, 2^nd). The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL Most Valuable Player is in his ninth MLB season after being selected by the Dodgers in the first round (7^th overall) in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
Seager, at 22 years, 69 days, is the youngest position player to be honored as an All-Star in franchise history (previous: Pete Reiser: 22 years, 113 days) and the third-youngest Dodger All-Star overall (at the time of their first selection), behind only Fernando Valenzuela (20 years, 281 days in 1981) and Ralph Branca (21 years, 183 days in 1947). He is just the second Dodger rookie shortstop to be selected to the Midsummer Classic, joining Bill Grabarkewitz in 1970, and the first Los Angeles shortstop to be named an All-Star since Rafael Furcal in 2010. Seager, who enters play today with the longest active hitting streak in the Majors at 17 games, ranks among the NL leaders in hits (100, 3^rd), runs (57, 3^rd), doubles (20, T-12^th) and home runs (17, T-12^th), while posting a .305/.363/.540 slashline in 84 games. The reigning NL Rookie of the Month leads the Dodgers in hits, runs, doubles, triples (3), home runs and RBI (41, T-1^st), while hitting .311 with runners in scoring position (19-for-61). Seager is in his second MLB season after being selected by the Dodgers in the first round (18^th overall) in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Northwest Cabarrus High School in North Carolina.