Star-Studded Affair

As the month of July begins and temperatures skyrocket throughout the majority of the nation, we can finally get excited for Major League Baseball's 83rd annual All-Star Game. This year's Midsummer Classic is setting up to be a thrilling affair that will take place in Kansas City on July 10. More importantly, two players from the Pittsburgh Pirates were lucky enough to be voted onto the National League team this year. Andrew McCutchen, a likely Most Valuable Player candidate, and shutdown closer Joel "The Hammer" Hanrahan are each making their second All-Star appearance, and Bucs fans are itching for the rest of the nation to see their team's talent in action.

Fueled by an aggressive campaign by the Pirates, Bucco faithful urged their fellow fans to "#VOTECUTCH." The aforementioned hashtag spread like wildfire throughout my own Twitter and actually motivated me to vote a few extra times for Pittsburgh's star player. Most MLB analysts and experts will admit that McCutchen is easily one of the most versatile and talented players in the league. He's got speed, cat-like reflexes, power, intelligence, and a winning personality to boot. With a baseball arsenal like that, how can you NOT like this guy? He ranks in the top five in practically every statistical category in the National League, including Batting Average, Slugging, On Base Percentage, and Hits (he's tied for sixth in Runs Batted In). Moreover, he's stolen 14 bases and made a handful of highlight-reel catches out there in center field, casually playing the role of Superman for his team day-in and day-out. Long story short: Cutch is a stud.

Hanrahan may not garner as much of a following as McCutchen, but there is no denying the fact that the man can throw one mean fastball. Known as "The Hammer" because of his ability to shutdown opposing teams' batters in the ninth inning, Hanrahan is one of the best closers in the league. Easily recognized by his tell-tale chin beard, Hanrahan has notched 20 saves for the Pirates, a record that is third overall in the N.L. With the power and strength harbored by Hanrahan, it seems like this guy is going to be a successful closer for quite some time.

Two players might not seem like a major accomplishment, but when one considers the fact that the fans control a large number of the players who are voted into the All-Star Game, the results make more sense. I don't mean to suggest that they don't vote the most deserving players into the game because I think, for the most part, that they do. But for teams like the Pirates, who aren't the most popular or most successful franchise out there right now, some of the players who are most deserving of the selection get overlooked for more big-name talent. James McDonald and Jason Grilli I'm looking at you. I do realize that players and managers have some pull when it comes to voting, even further justifying why these guys should have made it. McDonald ranks sixth in the N.L. with an Earned Run Average of 2.44 and has won seven games for the Pirates. Grilli has quietly earned 18 holds. Why is that important? Well, 18 is the most in the N.L. He's also struck out 48 batters. Clearly he stands as one of the best set-up men in the league, and yet neither he nor McDonald have received an All-Star nod. Hopefully these guys will continue to work hard and produce despite that adversity and someday receive the honor they deserve.

All-in-all though, the All-Star Game should be entertaining. It actually means something, unlike the other all-star games of the NFL, NHL, and NBA. Whichever league wins the game receives home-field advantage in the World Series in October, an important prize to say the least. And given that McCutchen has been my favorite player for a few years now, I'll definitely have a blast rooting him on. And hopefully Hanrahan can showcase that fastball of his too. And don't forget about the Home Run Derby. Nothing quite like watching the best sluggers in the league pound the ball out of the park.