The MLB All-Star Game is rapidly approaching, as it is just over a month away. At this point in the season, which pitchers should start for the American and National Leagues?
The 2016 MLB All-Star Game is the one night every year in which each league bands together to fight for the coveted home field advantage during the World Series.
Both the National and American Leagues will rely on the pitcher selected to start for his respective league to make a statement early and boost momentum as the game goes on.
This year, the race for who will be named the starting pitcher for both the American and National Leagues is tighter than ever.
In the National League, the 39-16 Chicago Cubs boast one of the most dominant pitchers in the game in Jake Arrieta. The right-hander is 9-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 9.79 K/9 ratio. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw will look to keep his throne as the league’s best hurler. Thus far, he is 8-1 with an MLB-leading ERA of 1.46.
San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner and the New York Mets’ Noah Syndergaard both have an ERA of 1.91 and will also look to start for the NL as the All-Star Game nears. Not to mention Jose Fernandez’s breakout over the past month, posting an MLB-leading 110 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA this year. However, at this point it is a two-man race in Arrieta and Kershaw.
As for the American League, the race is much closer. Danny Salazar currently leads the AL in ERA, sitting at 2.24, just .01 ahead of comeback sensation Rich Hill. Hill is second in wins with eight, only behind Chris Sale, who has nine. Marco Estrada has also been in contention as the best pitcher in the AL thus far, becoming the newest ace in MLB, as Adam Piede writes here.
With the All-Star Game set to take place in Petco Park on July 12, the question that remains is: which pitchers will toe the rubber for their respective leagues?
Next: American League's Ace