MLB All-Star Game starters election: Yankees' Gary Sanchez, DJ LeMahieu named American League starters

Gary Sanchez and DJ LeMahieu will represent the Yankees as starters in next month’s All-Star Game, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday night.

Sanchez will start at catcher and LeMahieu will start at second base for the American League. The MLB All-Star Game is set for July 9 at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich were elected starters for one of the youngest All-Star Game lineups ever, leading the millennial-heavy National League.

The Dodgers’ Bellinger, Brewers’ Yelich and Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. will start in the outfield for the NL, leading a lineup averaging just 25.8 years old. Depending on who is chosen as the club’s designated hitter, the starting position players could be younger than the 1967 NL and 2017 AL clubs, which averaged 26.0 years old.

Angels star Mike Trout and Astros third baseman Alex Bregman will lead the AL squad.

First baseman Luke Voit, shortstop Gleyber Torres, third baseman Gio Urshela and outfielder Aaron Judge were the other Yankees named as the three finalists on the ballot to start at their respective positions.

Voit, Torres, Urshela and Judge could be named to the AL roster as reserves, but Judge will likely be bypassed after missing about two months of the season with an injury. Pitchers and reserves for the All-Star Game will be announced at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

Sanchez is having a bounce-back season after an injury-plagued 2018. He is hitting .266 with 23 home runs – second in the AL behind teammate Edwin Encarnacion – and 52 RBIs. Sanchez, who batted .186 with 18 home runs last season, was an All-Star in 2017, when he hit .278 with 33 home runs that season.

LeMahieu, who agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract with the Yankees in January after spending seven seasons with the Rockies, is putting together a career season. He is hitting an AL-best .336 with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs. LeMahieu’s previous career high for home runs was last season with 15 and his previous career high for RBIs was 66 in 2016. LeMahieu, who led the National League in batting in 2016 with a .348 average, was an All-Star in 2015 and 2017.

Judge has played in only 25 games this season after suffering a strained left oblique on April 20. Judge returned to the lineup last week and is hitting .286 with six home runs and 15 RBIs. He was an All-Star in 2017 and 2018.

Torres was an All-Star as a rookie last season. He is hitting .291 with 19 home runs and 47 RBIs this season. 

Voit, who was acquired from the Cardinals last July, has already set career highs with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs. He is hitting .270 this season.

Urshela was acquired from the Blue Jays last August and has been a pleasant surprise replacing Miguel Andujar at third base. Urshela is hitting .303 with six home runs and 35 RBIs.

No Mets were finalists in the National League.

Here are the starters for both the American League and the National League:

American League

Catcher: Gary Sanchez, Yankees

First base: Carlos Santana, Indians

Second base: DJ LeMahieu, Yankees

Third base: Alex Bregman, Astros

Shortstop: Jorge Polanco, Twins

Outfield: Mike Trout, Angels; George Springer, Astros; Michael Brantley, Astros;

Designated hitter: Hunter Pence, Rangers

National League

Catcher: Willson Contreras, Cubs

First base: Freddie Freeman, Braves

Second base: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks

Third base: Nolan Arenado, Rockies

Shortstop: Javier Báez, Cubs

Outfield: Christian Yelich, Brewers; Cody Bellinger, Dodgers; Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves

With AP