BOSTON — John Farrell has a lot on his plate this holiday weekend.
Not only does the Red Sox manager have a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles to worry about, but, as skipper of the defending American League champions, Farrell also has the duty of making the final roster selections for the AL’s All-Star squad.
Farrell spoke about the selection process ahead of Sunday’s game at Fenway Park.
“There’s a number of things that are in place in terms of the fan voting, the player voting — it really guides your final selections,” Farrell said. “There’s so many deserving players; that’s where it really begins to get difficult. There’s going to be players who are deserving that are omitted because of making sure that every team is represented, and there’s a limit to the overall number allowed on the roster. But in the end, obviously it will be a very good team.”
That team might contain a few of Farrell’s own players, as David Ortiz, Jon Lester and Koji Uehara all are considered All-Star candidates.
Farrell also was asked about Major League Baseball’s still-controversial format of awarding home-field advantage in the World Series to the winner of the All-Star Game — a rule that made the Red Sox the home team against the St. Louis Cardinals in last year’s Fall Classic.
“My preference, personal opinion, I think the overall record in interleague play might be more representative of who deserves home-field advantage,” Farrell said. “… (The All-Star Game) is a one-game showcase. I don’t want to say it’s not a competitive game, because it is, but I just think a full-bodied season of interleague play is more representative of who’s deserving of home-field advantage.”
The All-Star rosters for both leagues will be announced at 7 p.m. Sunday.
