Latin Flavor in the MLB All-Star Game

Major League Baseball is gearing up for its mid-season game this year in Colorado. The highest caliber players in the MLB will duel over which division is superior. The All-Star Game or All-Star Game will be played again after the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to COVID-19.

As usual, the players who participate in the All-Star Game are chosen by the fans in a vote that takes place on the official MLB website. They are usually chosen for their quality and charisma. For the 2021 edition, which will take place at Coors Field in Denver, there will be quality to spare in a showdown that will define which division will start the World Series at home. The game will be played on July 13.

Player selection process

Through a collaboration with Google to carry out the election of the participants, from Thursday, June 24, fans were able to vote through a ballot of players in each position nominated by their respective teams. That was considered the first phase of the process.

The top three with the most votes at each position (and the top nine outfielders) in each league advanced to Phase 2, which ran through July 1, to elect the starters. The pitchers and substitutes of the position will be chosen through selections in the ballots of the players and selections made by the Office of the Commissioner, according to the Major League Baseball website.

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Both teams will be led by the managers of the teams that reached the 2020 World Series as is often the tradition. Dave Roberts (of the Dodgers) will be in charge of leading the National League. While Kevin Cash (of the Tampa Stripes) will lead the American League.

The rest of the templates were announced on July 4. Among the American League standouts is Cuban Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman. The Tigers' Dominican starter Gregory Soto. The duo of the Astros, Carlos Correa and José Altuve. The Dominican third baseman for the Cleveland Indians, José Ramírez. Cuban outfielder, Adolis Garcia of the Texas Guardians. And Dominican outfielder Nelson Cruz representing the Minnesota Twins.

On the part of the Old Circuit, they have selected Venezuelan pitcher Germán Márquez for the Rockies. Alex Reyes, the Dominican pitcher representing the Cardinals. The Venezuelan shortstop for the Cascabeles, Eduardo Escobar. And the Dominican outfielder, Juan Soto of the Nationals.

New clothes

The uniforms in the 2021 All-Star Game will undergo a big change compared to previous years. As was tradition, they played with the uniforms of their respective clubs. These will still carry the logo of the teams they represent on both the jersey and the cap but will wear the same colors depending on the division.

The American League will wear blue with red and white details; while the Old Circuit will endorse a white uniform with red and blue fragments.

The headline Latinos

Among the starters chosen by the fans to defend the colors of the American League is the powerful first baseman of the Toronto Blue Jays, the one of Dominican descent, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., second place in the race for the lead in home runs in the MLB, approaching 30 homers so far this year behind Japan's sensational Shohei Ohtani (data as of July 2). Another Toronto player who will accompany the runner-up leader in home runs will be Teoscar Hernández as a left fielder with a good batting percentage so far this season.

Also present will be the Red Sox third baseman, Rafael Devers, who has had an impressive year in raising the Boston team. Venezuelan Salvador Pérez will be the AL's starting catcher, representing the Kansas City Royals.

On the part of the Old Circuit, there will only be two Latinos who will play the All-Star from the start. At shortstop, there will be the talented Dominican Fernando Tatis Jr., rewarding a phenomenal season with the San Diego Padres in both attack and defense. In left field would be the Venezuelan Ronald Acuña Jr. who, unfortunately, will miss the game due to an injury that has ended his 2021 season.

Multiple players will not be able to heed the call for the Midseason Classic, therefore, substitutes have been named. Among them, Yadier Molina had been called to play what would be his tenth All-Star Game, but he has decided to step aside to travel to Puerto Rico and rest to be at one hundred percent for the second half of the season.

Latinos predominate in the American League roster, although those who will represent the National are high-caliber players. The 2021 All-Star Game will be packed with big names and will be a sensational game to celebrate the middle of the season between two very talented divisions that will give it all on the Coors Field diamond to define which is the predominant division in MLB.