Washington, DC – Only two All-Stars have ever been teenagers, and none have ever stood anywhere on the baseball diamond other than the pitcher's mound.
Not anymore, as 19-year-old phenom Bryce Harper will get a chance to showcase his talents in Kansas City on Tuesday as a representative for the National League.
Harper is replacing the injured Giancarlo Stanton, only 22, but it's an honor nonetheless.
Like his predecessors Dwight Gooden and Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller, Harper began his career with much fanfare and success and has helped the Nationals to a hefty lead in the NL East. In 62 games this season, he's batted .283 with a .355 on-base percentage, .475 slugging percentage and eight home runs.
Harper was not selected by the players as a reserve and was not selected during the fans' final vote, but will join teammates Ian Desmond, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez in Kansas City nontheless.
He is the fifth rookie to be selected to this year's game, a record. The others are Ryan Cook, Yu Darvish, Mike Trout and Wade Miley.