This year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game set a record with 39 first-time participants, surpassing the mark set two years ago in Arizona (35). The names range from Pedro Alvarez to Jordan Zimmermann and represent a recent trend.

We have seen such an influx of young talent in the supposedly dying game that there are dozens of first-timers every July. There have been at least 27 new All-Stars every year since 2008 and at least 33 in three of the last four seasons.

Last year's game featured Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, a pair of superstar rookie outfielders with enough hype to almost completely hijack the event.

"It feels different, I know what to expect this time," Trout said. "Last year was kind of a whirlwind. I'm just taking it all in and having some fun this year."

Trout and Harper debuted in the All-Star Game at ages 20 and 19, respectively. Jose Fernandez is this season's phenom.

Fernandez is actually older than Harper, but he is considered the game's brightest young pitcher. The Cuban right-hander has just 104 Major League innings under his belt, but has gone 5-5 with a 2.75 ERA and 103 strikeouts for the lowly Marlins.

"There are a lot of new faces in the league and we are getting a sense of the younger talent coming in," Harper told RealGM on Monday. "We are playing the game the right way, hard, and doing well."

Jason Kipnis, making his first All-Star appearance in just his second season, is an auxiliary member of baseball's young core. What separates him from Trout, Harper and Manny Machado is age. He just turned 26 in April.

"I'm happy to be a part of it, to somehow be included with the young talent like Harper, Machado and Trout," Kipnis said. "I could just ride their coattails and go along with them. It's awesome. I'm hoping this isn't my one-and-only All-Star Game. If it is, I'm going to enjoy the heck out of it."

Star power fuels professional sports and as a wave of young talent has washed through the game, there were a number of All-Star perennials missing in New York. There was no Derek Jeter. No Josh Hamilton. No Alex Rodriguez. No Ryan Braun. No Chipper Jones. No Matt Holliday.

Believe it or not, that's a good thing for the game. It opened the door for guys like Justin Masterson, Glen Perkins, Jean Segura, Everth Cabrera and Jeff Locke.

"It's fun to have some young guys come up and play fearless," Trout said with a smile. "Coming up together, we root for each other."