DYK: Facts to know about All-Star rosters

July 6th, 2016

The rosters are mostly set the for the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park, and they contain some familiar faces, but also plenty of new ones.
American and National League starting lineups and reserves for the 87th Midsummer Classic, set for July 12 with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, were announced on Tuesday night's Esurance All-Star Selection Show, and still to come is the Esurance All-Star Game Final Vote. Fans have until 4 p.m. ET on Friday to help determine the final slot on each roster.
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But for now, the two leagues have combined for 11 first-time fan-elected starters, the most in a season since there were 11 in 2005. Overall, there are 26 first-time All-Stars, 13 in in the AL and 13 in the NL.
All-Star rosters packed with dynamic talent
Here are some more facts and figures to know about the rosters:
• Out of 17 total starters, 12 are no older than 26 years old, including eight of nine in the AL. Throughout the rosters, there are 29 players who are 27 or younger. Three are in their age-22 seasons: AL reserve shortstop Francisco Lindor of the Indians, NL reserve shortstop Corey Seager of the Dodgers and NL starting shortstop Addison Russell of the Cubs.

• With Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher Salvador Perez, and Orioles third baseman Manny Machado each winning the vote at their positions in the AL, this marks the first time that each of the squad's starting infielders and catcher will be 26 years old or younger, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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• The rosters include 25 players born outside of the U.S.: the Dominican Republic (11), Venezuela (six), Cuba (two), Puerto Rico (two), Aruba (one), Colombia (one), Curacao (one) and Mexico (one). Bogaerts is the first Aruba native to make an All-Star team.
• No race was closer than at second base in the NL, where Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist slipped past the Nationals' Daniel Murphy, 3,013,407 to 3,013,319. That's a difference of just 88 votes.

• The next-tightest race was NL catcher, where the Giants' Buster Posey edged the Cardinals' Yadier Molina by a margin of 105,049 votes. Those two players now have combined to win each of the last five elections at their position, and seven out of eight.
All-Star FAQ: How the teams are built
• Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, second baseman Zobrist, third baseman Kris Bryant and shortstop Russell make Chicago only the second team to have all four members of its infield selected as starters. The other was the 1963 Cardinals (Bill White, Julian Javier, Ken Boyer, Dick Groat). Outfielder Dexter Fowler also was voted in, establishing the Cubs as the second team -- along with the 1976 Reds -- to have five players elected since van voting was reinstated in '70. Combined with starters Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester, that means an MLB-high seven All-Stars for the Cubs, their most since they had eight in 2008.

• Meanwhile, in the AL, the Red Sox got four starters for the third time (1946 and 2005), according to ESPN, with designated hitter David Ortiz and outfielders Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. joining Bogaerts in the lineup. It's the 11th time in AL history a team has had four players win fan-elected starting spots. Boston starter Steven Wright and closer Craig Kimbrel also made it, giving the club an AL-best six All-Stars.

• Ortiz, making his 10th All-Star team, is the oldest player on either roster, at 40. He also is the first Red Sox player to be voted into the starting lineup eight times, passing former teammate Manny Ramirez.
Cut4: Get to know every 2016 All-Star Game starter
• Perez led all players with nearly 5 million votes, becoming the second Royals player, along with George Brett (1981), to do so.
• Angels outfielder Mike Trout can become the sixth player in AL history to start at least four Midsummer Classics before his 25th birthday. He joins Ivan Rodriguez along with four players who have been voted into the Hall of Fame: Joe DiMaggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Al Kaline and Mickey Mantle.