The unofficial halfway point of the baseball season is almost here, as everyone descends upon Petco Park in San Diego for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game. But there is more to the Midsummer Classic than just the game itself. There are three days of All-Star events to keep track of.
MLB All-Star Weekend 2016: Schedule, events, TV coverage and streaming
The Futures Game, Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game are scheduled for three days at Petco Park.
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Calling this an All-Star weekend is a bit of a stretch, but it technically works since we start up on Sunday. The three days of activities will be televised by a combination of Fox, ESPN and MLB Network, and depending on the event, online coverage available via Fox Sports Go, Watch ESPN or MLB.com.
The major event on the first day is the MLB Futures Game, an annual showcase of several of the top prospects in baseball. All 30 teams are represented in some fashion, with the prospects divided into two teams. Former Padres closer Trevor Hoffman manages the U.S. team, while former major league outfielder and current Padres front office special assistant Moises Alou will manage the World team.
With actual major league games still on the schedule on Sunday, there used to be a conflict with the Futures Game, but this year the schedule makers wised up and set the Futures Game for 7 p.m. ET, right about where every afternoon MLB game should be ending.
Monday is essentially media day at the All-Star Game, where the starting pitchers and lineups are announced, and managers and players meet with the media in the morning. That is followed by an All-Star workout for both teams, with players wearing specially designed “National” or “American” jerseys, depending on their league.
Monday culminates in MLB's answer to the slam dunk contest: the Home Run Derby, with eight contestants lined up for three timed elimination rounds to determine a champion. Last year's new format proved to be exciting, with hometown hero Todd Frazier, then of the Reds, winning in his home ballpark in Cincinnati, beating out Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson.
Tuesday begins with the red carpet event, in which the MLB All-Stars parade through downtown San Diego before arriving at Petco Park. But in case you were worried that such a carpet is some sort of ostentatious waste, Major League Baseball assures us, via press release, that "the players will be traveling on a 100 [percent] polypropylene carpet that will be recycled after its use."
Whew. I can sleep easier knowing that.
The three days of All-Star hoopla comes to an end on Tuesday night, with the National League and American League battling in the 87th MLB All-Star Game. The AL has won the last three games, with the winner on Tuesday determining home field advantage in this year's World Series.
Here is your schedule and how to follow three days worth of All-Star fun. All times ET.
Sunday
7 p.m. - MLB Futures Game
TV: MLB Network (Matt Vasgersian, Mark DeRosa, Heidi Watney and Jonathan Mayo on the call)
Online; MLB.com
Monday
1 p.m. - All-Star press conferences
TV: MLB Network
Online: MLB.com
8 p.m. - MLB Home Run Derby
TV: ESPN (Chris Berman, Aaron Boone, Jessica Mendoza)
Online: Watch ESPN
Tuesday
4 p.m. - All-Star Red Carpet Show
TV: MLB Network
Online: MLB.com
8 p.m. - 87th MLB All-Star Game
Pregame: 7 p.m. (Fox Sports 1), 7:30 p.m. (Fox)
TV: Fox (Joe Buck, John Smoltz, Tom Verducci, Ken Rosenthal)
Online: Fox Sports Go
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