The 88th Major League Baseball All-Star Game and 33rd Home Run Derby are set to take place on July 10th and 11th in Miami. Here are some of the things we can expect when the festivities begin at Marlins Park.
Fans in Miami Can Get Fit at the Fan Fest
If you headed to South Beach to catch the All-Star action in person, you may have registered to run in The Electric Run MLB All-Star 5K, presented by Nike on July 8th at Bayfront Park. This run took place after dark, was lit by colored lights, and featured upbeat music blaring throughout the race course. On July 9th, Beto Perez led the MLB All-Star Zumba dance and fitness party. Participants broke a sweat and busted a move in the morning with Zumba before catching the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in the late afternoon.
SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game
This year's Futures Game will feature plenty of talent, with 27 players from MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list set to make the United States or World rosters. Fans get a chance to see the stars of tomorrow face-off on MLB Network, and many of these players could contribute in the Major Leagues as soon as next year's. Last year's game included Dansby Swanson, Hunter Renfroe, Andrew Benintendi, and Gary Sanchez, all of whom are making major contributions to their teams in 2017.
All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game
At Marlins Park, the All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball game will commence directly following the Futures Game and a performance by Flo Rida, but those watching around the world will not see the Celebrity Softball Game until it airs on July 10th after the Home Run Derby on ESPN. Olympic softball player Jennie Finch will once again participate; and she will be joined by former Marlins stars Ivan Rodriguez, Tim Raines, and Andre Dawson, Miami local and "Orange is the New Black" actress Dasha Polanco, MLB Network analyst Al Leiter, Justin Hartley from NBC's "This Is Us", and former Olympic softball player and current ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst Jessica Mendoza.
T-Mobile Home Run Derby
Miami Marlins' star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton looks to defend his 2016 Home Run Derby title at his home ballpark and will by challenged by Minnesota Twins' third baseman Miguel Sano from the American League. Stanton mashed 61 homers in last year's event, and there's little doubt the Marlins slugger will have an exciting follow-up performance in 2017.
88th MLB All-Star Game, Presented by Mastercard
Terry Francona and Joe Maddon will manage for their leagues in the 2017 Midsummer Classic. Fans voted to determine the starting lineup for each team and the final player to make each roster, while the managers chose the starting pitchers and filled the rest of the roster. Fans across the world can catch Miami's first All-Star Game on Fox on July 11th. The American League has won the last four games in the series; however, with the National League hosting and having claimed the 2016 World Series Championship, this could be the year to right the ship for the National League, which holds the all-time advantage in the series, 43-42.