The 2012 MLB All-Star Week officially begins Sunday, and leading off the event in Kansas City will be the MLB Futures Game (5 p.m. ET on ESPN2 or MLB.TV). The exhibition game will showcase the minor leagues top talents, which included the Boston Red Sox's Xander Bogaert, who will be the World Team's designated hitter and bat fifth.
"I really worked hard in the offseason to try my best to be a part of the team," said Bogaerts to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. "It's a great honor for me to be a part of the team now. I was working hard in the offseason, thinking about it, working every day to try to make it to be here."
Bogaert will play against Team USA, which will feature current and possible future Red Sox teammate Matt Barnes. Barnes, a former University of Connecticut standout from Bethel, Conn., and Bogaert are currently playing together with Triple-A Salem. Barnes will not start for Team USA, but should see action later in the contest.
Rosters for both Team USA and Team World can be found here.
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