MINNEAPOLIS – Mike Trout is burning up the base paths in Los Angeles. Bryce Harper is rocking and rolling in D.C. And the standings in both leagues are dotted with newcomers like the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates who are surprisingly in the hunt for the playoffs.

Suddenly, the Grand Old Game has a fresh-faced new edge to it as the season passes the halfway point and heads into the All-Star break.

As the big leagues prepare to convene in Kansas City for the midsummer classic, the 20-year-old Trout has electrified the Angels and brought them back into contention in the AL West, the Orioles are within shouting distance of the mighty New York Yankees in the AL East, and the young Pirates are finally playing a brand of ball worthy of that gem of a ballpark in Pittsburgh.