All-Star Game Lineups: Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen Tabbed As Leadoff Hitters For 2015 MLB All-Star Game

All-Star Game lineups have been released by the managers. The 2015 MLB All-Star Game takes place on Tuesday (July 14), with Mike Trout hitting leadoff for the American League and Andrew McCutchen hitting leadoff for the National League. A report from ESPN on Monday (July 13) also states that the starting pitchers have been announced. AL manager Ned Yost went with Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros, while NL manager Bruce Bochy went with Zack Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yost has three players from the Kansas City Royals in his starting lineup, with Lorenzo Cain hitting fifth and playing right field, Carlos Perez hitting seventh and playing catcher, and Alcides Escobar hitting ninth and playing shortstop. As for the rest of the lineup, it includes third baseman Josh Donaldson hitting second, followed by first baseman Albert Pujols (3rd), Designated hitter Nelson Cruz (4th), left fielder Adam Jones (6th), and second baseman Jose Altuve (8th). Pujols and Jones replace Miguel Cabrera and Alex Gordon due to injuries.

In the National League, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen starts off the All-Star Game lineup. He is followed by third baseman Todd Frazier, right fielder Bryce Harper, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, catcher Buster Posey, DH Anthony Rizzo, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, left fielder Joc Pederson, and second baseman DJ LeMahieu. The lineup certainly has a lot of power from top to bottom, suggesting the odds are in the favor of the NL on Tuesday.

It’s interesting to note that the All-Star lineup for the AL is good at getting on base, while the NL All-Star lineup is better at hitting home runs. It will be interesting for fans to see how the differing styles work out against some of the best pitchers in the game. The difficult decision for Ned Yost was determining who should start the game. He said that he had looked at Chris Archer, Felix Hernandez, David Price, and Chris Sale as other possible options before settling on Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel has a 2.23 ERA to go with 11 wins so far this season.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Home Run Derby takes place Monday evening (July 13). The 2015 MLB All-Star Game will then begin coverage at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday night, with Fox providing the live viewing. Some late news is that pitcher Hector Santiago of the Los Angeles Angels, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies, second baseman Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins, and outfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers have all been named as injury replacements to the game.

Now that the 2015 MLB All-Star Game lineups are out, fans can begin debating which team will win its league the honor of hosting Game 1 of the 2015 World Series. After all, now it matters.

[Image Source: Jason Miller / Getty Images]