Trout, Harper, plenty of fresh faces highlight All-Star Game - USA TODAY
CINCINNATI (AP) — Not too long ago, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Gerrit Cole were the ones picking up the extra balls and getting pranked into paying the pricey checks. Now, along with the likes of Kris Bryant, Matt Harvey and many others, they've become the face of the All-Star Game and the future of the major leagues. We have a great new crop of young players," new Commissioner Rob Manfred said. "I think the young talent in baseball is better than it's been in years," said Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, one of the older All-Stars at 35. "These are exciting players, players that kids can look up to. ". His former teammates — baseball... Major League Baseball, which often relies on the nostalgia of its 19th-century roots, is striving to connect with 21st-century youth more familiar with Reddit and Tinder than Josh Reddick and Branden Pinder. "We're working very hard to give our fans the kind of access to those players and others in order to raise their awareness of these players," Manfred said. How different it was in 2011, when Trout was 19 and arrived at his first big league camp. Source: www.usatoday.com
