CHICAGO -- The Cubs have never asked Willson Contreras to cease the surplus of emotion that bursts out of him during games. What manager Joe Maddon has tried to express, during his many conversations with the catcher over the years, is that Contreras needed to focus that energy, because it is infectious when controlled.

"I've often told him, 'We plug into you,'" Maddon said. "I've pointed to wall sockets and said, 'Understand. We plug into you. Your energy.' With that, there's going to be a lot of emotion, and I think he's learned to curb that a little bit better than he had in the past."

The National League All-Star team will have a chance to plug into Contreras during Major League Baseball's 90th All-Star Game. Both Contreras and Cubs shortstop Javier Baez were voted into the NL's starting lineup by fans in the first Starters Election. It marks the second year in a row that Contreras and Baez will start for the Senior Circuit, making some history in the process.

Contreras is the first Cubs catcher to start in consecutive All-Star Games since Gabby Hartnett in 1936-37 and the fourth NL catcher (joining Buster Posey, Yadier Molina and Mike Piazza) to start in back-to-back summers over the past 25 years. Baez is the first player in MLB history to start at second base (2018) and shortstop ('19) in consecutive seasons.

• 2019 All-Star Game starters

"I think Javy is one of the most watchable guys in the game," Maddon said. "[Contreras and Baez] both, that's what you're looking for. You're looking for highly-skilled, young Major League players that can represent you in the All-Star Game and appeal to a wide audience. I think they both appeal to a wide audience."

The 2019 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will be played on Tuesday, July 9, at Progressive Field in Cleveland. It will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.

The Cubs also had Starters Election finalists in Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr. and Jason Heyward, but they fell short of making the cut. That does not mean Chicago's list of All-Stars is complete, though. The rest of the pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday at 4:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Contreras earned the starting nod with 44.6 percent of the vote among the three finalists at catcher in the NL, topping Atlanta's Brian McCann and Milwaukee's Yasmani Grandal. Baez earned 43.3 percent of the vote at shortstop, defeating Dansby Swanson of the Braves and Trevor Story of the Rockies.

"I'm speechless right now," Contreras said. "It's my second time being there. It means a lot to me and my family. I dedicate this achievement for myself to my country [Venezuela] and for my team. I'm just proud of what I've done this year so far and I know I have so much more work to do."

Baez is known for his creativity on the diamond, whether it is with athletic slides, daring baserunning, defensive wizardry or slick tags. The amount of jaw-dropping plays he has compiled over the years has earned him the nickname, "El Mago."

Even Baez, however, pointed to Contreras as a catalyst for the rest of the players in the Cubs' clubhouse.

"What Willson brings to the team, it's huge," Baez said. "When he's down, everybody's down. When he's doing all these electric and crazy things out on the field, it gets to us and kind of gets us into the game. I'm really excited for him. Hopefully, after the break we'll keep it going."

Their high-octane style of play was certainly on display over the Cubs' recent homestand.

In this week's series against the Braves, Contreras belted a pair of home runs, including one on Monday night that featured him pounding his chest and getting into a shouting match with Atlanta catcher Tyler Flowers. That ignited a brief bench-clearing altercation. One day earlier, Baez propelled Chicago to a win over the Mets with a go-ahead homer in the eighth. He answered a curtain call, yanking out his dirt-caked jersey as he yelled to the crowd.

"The way that I play the game," Baez said, "not everybody's going to like it. But, there's going to be more people that like it than the ones that don't. I'm really excited. I'm really grateful to have a lot of fans following my career since the day I came up. I know this is huge for Chicago and Chicago fans."

And Baez had a promise for Cubs fans in light of being named an All-Star once again.

"I'm just ready to put on a show," Baez said.