The rumored destination is now the official one, with Petco Park hosting its first-ever All-Star Game in 2016.
Petco Park has hosted concerts, the World Baseball Classic, parts of the San Diego Comic Con experience, television filming, and more -- but it has never hosted an MLB All-Star Game. That will change in 2016, as the Padres were officially awarded the annual July event by by commissioner-elect Rob Manfred.
The timing is good for the Padres, too, as they might actually have a roster with more than just the token All-Star representatives in time for this game. They traded for Matt Kemp ad Derek Norris this offseason -- both of whom have made previous midsummer classics -- and brought potential future All-Star Wil Myers aboard as well. Throw a healthy Andrew Cashner in the mix and, hey, the San Diego crowd might actually get to watch some San Diego All-Stars.
The Orioles were the original favorite for the 2016 All-Star Game, but those plans fell through, possibly because of the ongoing fight over MASN between the O's, Nationals, and Major League Baseball. The All-Star Game is a huge event, and it's not going to be awarded to an organization that isn't playing nice.
The Padres have a beautiful park that opened in 2004, and San Diego is obviously a lovely place for an event such as this. They might not have been the initial favorites, but this is still a deserving choice. Don't worry about a lack of dingers at the Home Run Derby in pitcher-friendly Petco, either: much of those issues stem from the weather being too cool at night in San Diego, but the derby will be starting in the afternoon as far as Pacific time is concerned. It should, in theory, be a warm July day with dingers aplenty.