Want To Be An All-Star? Be A Top Prospect

National League	Highest Top 100 Rank
Ben Zobrist	NR
Bryce Harper	1 (2012)
Kris Bryant	1 (2015)
Wil Myers	4 (2013)
Buster Posey	7 (2010)
Anthony Rizzo	47 (2012)
Marcel Ozuna	75 (2013)
Carlos Gonzalez	18 (2007)
Addison Russell	3 (2015)
Johnny Cueto	34 (2008)
American League	Highest Top 100 Rank
Jose Altuve	NR
Mike Trout	2 (2011)
Manny Machado	11 (2012)
David Ortiz	NR
Xander Bogaerts	2 (2014)
Eric Hosmer	8 (2011)
Mookie Betts	75 (2014)
Salvador Perez	NR
Jackie Bradley	31 (2013)
Chris Sale	20 (2011)

Any game that features Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and Kris Bryant is a must-watch. But as David Ortiz was pulled for a pinch-runner at the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday so that the crowd could give the retiring star the standing ovation he deserved, a home run by Bryant and a line drive double by Harper hit with such violence that it barely seemed to slow as it hit the outfield grass, were good reminders that the game is in good hands.

It’s also a good chance to look at where the game’s best players come from. Yes, the All-Star starting lineup is not a perfect analog for the best players in the game—voting matters, so right now it helps to be a Cub. But it is a good snapshot of who are the best players around.

And most of the starters in the All-Star Game were considered among the best prospects in the game not that long ago. Of the 20 starters, only four never ranked in a Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list. More than half (11) ranked among the top 20 prospects in the game, eight ranked in the top 10 at least once and six ranked in the top five.

What’s also notable is how young the starting lineups are. Only four players in the all-star starting lineups made their big league debuts last decade. The game is getting younger and more talented.