Fans of our regional major league baseball teams should have plenty to watch at this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Voting by fans across the nation gave the Detroit Tigers three starters and the Chicago Cubs two starters for this year’s midsummer classic to be played July 15 in Atlanta.

The Tigers — owners of the best record in the big leagues — will be represented by second baseman Gleyber Torres, left fielder Riley Greene and center fielder Javier Baez.

The NL Central-leading Cubs had center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and right fielder Kyle Tucker named to the National League outfield. It’s the first time two Cubs outfielders have been in the All-Star starting lineup since 1936.

There are all kinds of connections between those five players.  Torres and Crow-Armstrong are both former South Bend Cubs. Torres played here in 2015, while Crow-Armstrong called South Bend home in 2022.

Interestingly, the two center fielders — Baez and Crow-Armstrong — were traded for each other in 2021. Baez and Trevor Williams were shipped to the Mets for Crow-Armstrong, who was the Mets first-round draft choice in 2021.

Torres is having the best year of his big league career, batting .279 with nine homers and 43 RBI.  Baez is making a bid for Comeback Player of the Year, playing a new position and bating .284 with nine homers and 36 RBI.  Greene, a former first-round pick of the Tigers, has crushed 21 homers with 69 RBI while batting .296.

As for the Cubs’ selections, Tucker has shown why the Cubs pursued him in the off-season, bating .290 with 17 homers and 52 driven in. Crow-Armstrong is having a breakout year at the age of 23, playing sparkling defense while providing electrifying offense with 21 homers, 26 stolen bases and 64 RBI.

Expect both teams to have more additions to the All-Star squads when final rosters are announced Sunday.