All-Star rosters announced: Five Rangers get the nod

Last week, I predicted five Texas Rangers would play in the July 13 All-Star game in Anaheim, Calif.

Turns out five Rangers made the team.

Very exciting.

I correctly predicted four of them (Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz).

In a bit of a surprising development, Ian Kinsler will make his second all-star team, while Michael Young missed out.

Much of that has to do with Dustin Pedroia, who would have been the AL backup at second base to Robinson Cano, being injured. Since Pedroia can't play, a roster spot automatically opens up at second base. It's awarded to the next player on the second baseman voting: Kinsler.

Young is having more of an all-star-worthy season, but Evan Longoria, Alex Rodriguez and Adrian Beltre made the team over Young at third base.

Young still has an outside chance at making the team. He's one of five AL players, along with Paul Konerko, Nick Swisher, Kevin Youkilis and Delmon Young, vying for the Final Vote. Fan voting will make that determination.

How good does the Mark Teixeira trade look now? When he turned down an eight-year, $140 million deal from the Rangers in 2007, Texas general manager Jon Daniels traded Teixeira to Atlanta for Andrus, Feliz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones. Three years later, two of those pieces are all-stars. Teixeira, somewhat comically, didn't make the all-star game this season.

I'm really looking forward to watching the game. The five Rangers all-stars are the most since 2004. The American League has won 12 straight All-Star games (excluding a tie in 2002), and I look for the AL to keep the trend going this year.

Here are the rosters:

American League
Starting position players:
C: Joe Mauer, Minnesota
1B: Justin Morneau, Minnesota
2B: Robinson Cano, NY Yankees
3B: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
SS: Derek Jeter, NY Yankees
OF: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle
OF: Josh Hamilton, Texas
OF: Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay
DH: Vladimir Guerrero, Texas

Pitchers:
RHP: Clay Buchholz, Boston
RHP: Trevor Cahill, Oakland
RHP: Fausto Carmona, Cleveland
RHP: Neftali Feliz, Texas
RHP: Phil Hughes, NY Yankees
LHP: Cliff Lee, Seattle
LHP: Jon Lester, Boston
LHP: David Price, Tampa Bay
RHP: Mariano Rivera, NY Yankees
LHP: CC Sabathia, NY Yankees
RHP: Joakim Soria, Kansas City
LHP: Matt Thornton, Chi. White Sox
RHP: Jose Valverde, Detroit

Reserves:
C: * Victor Martinez, Boston
C: # John Buck, Toronto
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
2B: * Dustin Pedroia, Boston
2B: # Ian Kinsler, Texas
SS: Elvis Andrus, Texas
3B: Alex Rodriguez, NY Yankees
3B: Adrian Beltre, Boston
INF: Ty Wigginton, Baltimore
OF: Torii Hunter, LA Angels
OF: Vernon Wells, Toronto
OF: Jose Bautista, Toronto
DH: David Ortiz, Boston

*unable to play; #replacement player

National League
Starting position players:
C: Yadier Molina, St. Louis
1B: Albert Pujols, St. Louis
2B: * Chase Utley, Philadelphia
3B: David Wright, NY Mets
SS: Hanley Ramirez, Florida
OF: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee
OF: Jason Heyward, Atlanta
OF: Andre Ethier, LA Dodgers

Pitchers:
RHP: Jonathan Broxton, LA Dodgers
RHP: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis
RHP: Matt Capps, Washington
RHP: Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee
RHP: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia
RHP: Tim Hudson, Atlanta
RHP: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado
RHP: Josh Johnson, Florida
RHP: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco
RHP: Evan Meek, Pittsburgh
LHP: Arthur Rhodes, Cincinnati
RHP: Adam Wainwright, St. Louis
RHP: Brian Wilson, San Francisco

Reserves:
C: Brian McCann, Atlanta
1B: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego
2B: & Martin Prado, Atlanta
INF: Omar Infante, Atlanta
SS: * Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado
SS: # Jose Reyes, NY Mets
2B: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati
3B: Scott Rolen, Cincinnati
OF: Michael Bourn, Houston
OF: Marlon Byrd, Chi. Cubs
OF: Corey Hart, Milwaukee
OF: Matt Holliday, St. Louis

*unable to play; #replacement player; &will start at 2B in place of Chase Utley.