2 former Cubs will be representing the AL in the All-Star Game and fans love it

For most Chicago Cubs fans, Wednesday night's announcement of starters in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game centered around Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker - and rightfully so. It's been nearly 100 years since the Cubs had a pair of outfielders start in the Midsummer Classic. This is some historic stuff.

But there's more to this year's game that will catch the attention of the Wrigleyville faithful. Two Detroit Tigers teammates - Javier Baez and Gleyber Torres - both of whom have long-standing ties to the Cubs organization, will both start for the American League. Torres is the league's starter at second and Baez will start in center field.

Baez, who had spent his entire career in the infield, shifted to the outfield for manager AJ Hinch this year - and has simultaneously rebounded at the plate. Barring a season-ending injury or some other dramatic turn of events, this will, hands-down, be his best year in Detroit to date. He's already at 2.2 bWAR and his prior high as a Tiger was 2.4 bWAR back in 2022.

He entered Wednesday's action with a .285 batting average that, if maintained for the entire season, would be his best since his NL MVP runner-up performance in 2018. He has dramatically slashed his strikeout rate from earlier in his career and, frankly, it's just awesome to see him get back on track after struggling so badly since leaving Chicago.

During his Cubs tenure, he was beloved from the start. A two-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove recipient - he was the most electric player we'd seen at the corner of Clark and Addison - maybe ever. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, who knows? He may still be a Cub today.

Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez both played their own role for the 2016 Cubs

As for Torres, Cubs fans may be somewhat less familiar with him since he never made the big leagues with the team. But he played a key role in the franchise snapping its 108-year World Series drought in 2016 regardless. Torres, along with Adam Warren, Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford, was sent to the Yankees at the trade deadline for closer Aroldis Chapman - and we all know the role he wound up playing that fall.

This is Torres' first season outside the Bronx and he's certainly made the most of it. The infielder is looking more like the player who earned back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2018 and 2019, his first two years in the league, and less like the league average presence he was in his final year with the Yankees.

So even though when we tune into the broadcast in a couple weeks, we'll be watching for PCA and King Tuck - it's still pretty neat to have these Cubs ties on the other side of the matchup, as well.