I wrote previously about the up-and-coming players who were in the running for the all-star game on July 13. And those guys have made it. Thanks to the major league's great rule that rewards at least one player from every team, we'll get to find out what youngsters like Evan Meek (Pittsburgh) and Trevor Cahill (Oakland) have to offer. For some fans, it'll be the first time they have even heard of these players. So we've definitely seen the changing of the guard at the front of both leagues.
Without as many "no-brainer" all-star picks as we've seen in past years - when the announcement of the players would be a blasé moment rather than a gripping one - opportunities were available for other, lesser-known player to step in and fill out the rosters. This shift in roster makeup could have negative effects on the game, though, since fans may not be familiar with the players and thus be less inclined to tune in. On the reverse side of this, however, there's also a great story to tell, that being of the veteran players who have also capitalized on chances to get selected for the big mid-season showcase. In fact, these vets' roster selections are perhaps a bigger story than the unknown Elvis Andruses and Martin Prados who'll take the field.
Nobody could have anticipated that we'd see over-the-hill and longtime role players like Arthur Rhodes, Marlon Byrd, and Omar Infante on the NL team and Ty Wigginton, Adrian Beltre, and Jose Bautista on the AL side. These are recognizable names, but they're more typically the names of guys who seek to hang on to a franchise - any franchise - at the close of the pre-season. It's more their experience and adapatability that defines them than their talent and prowess. Yet, this year, these players have excelled. It's a sweet reward not only for their successful first halves, but it's validation for their long, unheralded, and mostly understated careers.
Sure, Beltre has had some solid years when he crushed the ball. And Rhodes has somehow found work whenever he sought it. But these players have never been viewed as the stars who carry their teams beyond just helping to relieve a momentary jam or supplying a necessary glove in the field or clutch pinch hit at the plate. They're just not who you envision taking Pujols' or Halladay's spot when they exit the annual game.
So while interest in the game is bound to dissipate in the later innings of the game next week, these replacements' surprising achievements should be acknowledged. Their appearances are also more than a nod to great first-half play; it's an indication that managers, when making their selections, have begun to envision the fuller roster for their teams instead of more conventionally stacking the roster with sluggers. If you want to win the game, you need these types of guys behind you.
This piece originally ran on the Sports Nook blog.