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MLB All-Star team from this year's Super Bowl states

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

We're just hours away from one of the most anticipated days in sports, and from a baseball perspective, it got us thinking: Who are the best MLB players from the two Super Bowl states?

From Roy Halladay (Denver) to Gaylord Perry (Williamston, N.C.), the two states are well-represented historically, but ahead of Sunday's Carolina Panthers-Denver Broncos showdown, we set out to compile an All-Star team of current North Carolina- and Colorado-born players. The list we came up with, thanks to Baseball-Reference, is Carolina-centric, and features a mix of old and young position players, a top-heavy starting rotation, and a lights-out bullpen.

1B Ryan Zimmerman (NC)

Drafted fourth overall by the Nationals in 2005, Zimmerman's baseball career began in Washington, N.C., but took off about 140 miles north where he starred for Kellam High School in Virginia Beach. Zimmerman's 34.9 WAR is the most of any active North Carolina-born player, though these days his connection to the Super Bowl is decidedly less prestigious. Zimmerman is suing Al Jazeera for defamation after the Nationals first baseman was included in the doping report that linked Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and several other professional athletes to HGH and other PEDs.

2B Brandon Phillips (NC)

Another North Carolina native whose baseball career blossomed elsewhere, Phillips was a two-sport star at Redan High School in Georgia before making a brief stop in the minors en route to a 22-year-old debut for the Expos. The Raleigh-born second baseman was among Reds players repping the Cincinnati Bengals before their wild-card loss, but "Dat Dude" has been seen in recent days championing his hometown Panthers.

SS Corey Seager, 3B Kyle Seager (NC)

The Seager brothers will likely throw their support behind Cam Newton and the Panthers on Sunday after spending the formidable years of their careers starring in the Tar Heel State. Both attended Northwest Cabarrus High School in Concord before going on separate paths to the majors. Older brother Kyle stayed in-state to compile a record-breaking run at the University of North Carolina, while Corey made the jump from high school to the Dodgers' minor league system after Los Angeles made him the 18th pick of the 2012 draft.

LF Chase Headley (CO)

Perhaps the most accomplished Colorado-born position player in major-league history, Headley's 22.3 WAR, 104 homers, and 480 runs batted in lead all rocky mountain natives by a comfortable margin. Given his strong ties to the state, it should come as no surprise Headley predicted a 28-21 Broncos win. The Yankees third baseman - whose 196 games of experience in left field make him a natural fit for the position - will be pro-Manning on Sunday after finishing a decorated career at Fountain-Fort Carson High School and attending the quarterback's alma mater at the University of Tennessee.

CF Cameron Maybin (NC)

Maybin, a toolsy center fielder selected 10th overall in 2005, drew comparisons to Ken Griffey Jr. as an MVP freshman for T.C. Roberson High School in Asheville, N.C. Though Maybin's had trouble living up to the lofty expectations, he's more than made his mark in the state. Rated the sixth-best prospect in baseball entering the 2008 campaign, Maybin put his skills on display for the Marlins' Double-A affiliate Carolina Mudcats that season, hitting 13 homers with 21 steals and a .831 OPS.

RF Josh Hamilton (NC)

Hamilton's troubled past had yet to derail his promising career during his early days in Raleigh, where Hamilton played little league and emerged as a multi-position superstar for Athens Drive High School. A 6-foot-4, 200-pound high school senior, Hamilton established himself as a consensus top pick entering the 1999 MLB draft. Though Hamilton's career has largely fallen victim to off-the-field issues, the former No. 1 pick remains among the most accomplished players out of North Carolina. Hamilton's 200 homers are tied with Zimmerman for first place among state-born players, while the five-time All-Star and 2010 AL MVP's 28.1 WAR ranks 10th all time.

DH Wil Myers (NC)

If Myers' North Carolina days are any indication, the 25-year-old Thomasville native may be destined for greatness. Before the Royals made him a third-round pick in 2009, Myers starred for Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, N.C., batting .450 as a freshman third baseman and going 10-0 in his junior year as a pitcher.

SP Madison Bumgarner (NC)

Who better to lead the starting rotation than a North Carolina living legend? Bumgarner's ties to the state are well-documented, dating back to his standout career at South Caldwell High School in Hudson, where he went 12-2 with a 0.99 ERA and 120 strikeouts in just 84 innings as a junior. His decorated career in the state included winning the 2007 Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year, which earned him the nickname "The Carolina Peach." Despite committing to pitch for the Tar Heels, Bumgarner elected to make the jump right to the bigs, and was selected 10th overall in 2007 by the Giants en route to three championships and the 2014 World Series MVP.

Rotation City State
Madison Bumgarner Hickory NC
Chris Archer Raleigh NC
Matt Harrison Durham NC
Ryan Vogelsong Charlotte NC
Kevin Gausman Centennial CO

RP Mark Melancon (CO)

For a team comprised of nearly all North Carolinians, at least the bullpen leans Colorado-heavy. Anchored by Pirates closer Mark Melancon, the two Super Bowl states collaborate for a stingy relief corps that features Colorado pitchers Luke Hochevar (Denver) and Brian Matusz (Grand Junction), as well as North Carolina-born relievers Greg Holland (Marion) and Carter Capps (Kinston). Good thing the pitching staff as a whole is strong, because they'll be throwing to ...

C Cody Stanley (NC)

According to Baseball-Reference, Stanley is one of just two active catchers (the other being pitcher Chris Hatcher) from either state to have made at least one appearance behind the plate. In fact, they're the only catchers from Colorado or North Carolina to play in the majors since Landon Powell in 2011. Stanley, a 27-year-old product out of Clinton, N.C., appeared in two games for the St. Louis Cardinals last season after compiling 45 homers and posting a .726 OPS across six minor-league seasons.

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