Brave Allstars

[Goodoleboy58]

Heyward, Prado, McCann, Infante, Hudson!

who knew Infante was even in the running? Congrats to them all so far... lets get Wags and Glaus in!

[Goodoleboy58]

i think this is the best representation we've had in awhile... congrats to all the Allstars! and fans votes!

Edited July 4, 2010 by Goodoleboy58

[mookie3127]

huddy is in. hope to see wagner in there also. i would hope, if nothing else, b/c he's having a great year in his final year would get him some consideration. infante has to be a surprise and there are going to be a lot of worthy players that fans from other teams say should have made it instead. i would like to have seen glaus make it, but he's got some of the toughest competition at his position.

[falcon_bob]

Infante deserves it. Nice to see him get some recognition.

[Goodoleboy58]

huddy is in. hope to see wagner in there also. i would hope, if nothing else, b/c he's having a great year in his final year would get him some consideration. infante has to be a surprise and there are going to be a lot of worthy players that fans from other teams say should have made it instead. i would like to have seen glaus make it, but he's got some of the toughest competition at his position.

Glaus let everyone catch up to him with his struggles the last couple of weeks... if he could have kept distancing himself he might have made it.... cant believe that Howard is the only Phillie make it?

[Goodoleboy58]

Utley, but he wont play

[Joremarid]

infante deserves it for sure but i am surprised he got it. good job

[Hatch]

Kinda useless that Heyward made it since he will not be playing in the All-Star.

[Goodoleboy58]

Kinda useless that Heyward made it since he will not be playing in the All-Star.

i havent heard definitely that he's not playing... has it been said 100% yet? I Know hes still making the trip

Wags can be voted in!!! lets log on and vote!

[Hatch]

i havent heard definitely that he's not playing... has it been said 100% yet? I Know hes still making the trip

Wags can be voted in!!! lets log on and vote!

They put him on a 15 day DL, they also said he was not playing in the All-Star game, at least that's what I heard.

[Goodoleboy58]

Vote For Wags

[Unknøwn]

Completely shocked Infante got in but congrats on the recognition

[Goodoleboy58]

i guess there is a new "utility" spot... so Infante got that which I can understand... they failed to mention it really on the selection show

[Goodoleboy58]

David O'Brien

July 4th, 2010

12:50 pm

I’ve got a feeling Bobby Cox probably made a strong recommendation of Infante to Charlie Manuel.

By the way, beginning with a three-hit game against Manuel’s Phillies on May 9, Infante has hit .340 (35-for-103) with five doubles, 14 RBI and 14 runs in his past 37 games.

He had at least three at-bats in 20 games during that stretch, and had 11 multi-hit games out of those 20.

[Goodoleboy58]

Braves sending five players to Anaheim

Heyward second-youngest to be elected All-Star starter

07/04/10 12:31 PM ET

ATLANTA -- A left thumb injury will prevent Jason Heyward from taking advantage of the fact that he has become the second-youngest Major Leaguer to ever be elected to start an All-Star Game. But Phillies second baseman Chase Utley's right thumb injury has allowed the Braves to still potentially have a presence in this year's National League starting lineup in the form of Martin Prado.

Prado will be joined at this year's All-Star Game by his good friend Omar Infante, the Braves utility player who received a surprise selection after Phillies manager Charlie Manuel decided to add a versatile asset to the NL's bench.

Heyward, Prado, Infante, Tim Hudson and Brian McCann have all been elected or selected to represent the Braves at this year's All-Star Game, which will be held July 13 at Angel Stadium. This marks the club's most representatives for the All-Star Game since 2003, when seven of its players were chosen to be part of the NL roster.

This is the first All-Star selection for Heyward, Infante and Prado. Hudson will be experiencing the Midsummer Classic for the third time, and McCann has gained his fifth All-Star selection in just his fifth full season. No other player in franchise history had ever gained three All-Star selections in their first three full seasons.

2010 All-Stars

AL starters

C: J. Mauer, MIN

1B: J. Morneau, MIN

2B: R. Cano, NYY

SS: D. Jeter, NYY

3B: E. Longoria, TB

OF: J. Hamilton, TEX

OF: I. Suzuki, SEA

OF: C. Crawford, TB

DH: V. Guerrero, TEX

NL starters

C: Y. Molina, STL

1B: A. Pujols, STL

2B: C. Utley, PHI

SS: H. Ramirez, FLA

3B: D. Wright, NYM

OF: R. Braun, MIL

OF: A. Ethier, LA

OF: J. Heyward, ATL

AL Final Vote hopefuls

• P. Konerko, CWS

• N. Swisher, NYY

• D. Young, MIN

• M. Young, TEX

• K. Youkilis, BOS

NL Final Vote hopefuls

• H. Bell, SD

• C. Gonzalez, COL

• J. Votto, CIN

• B. Wagner, ATL

• R. Zimmerman, WAS

Fans, having already decided the starters and final player on each team, once again will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevy via the 2010 All-Star Game MVP Vote Sponsored by Sprint on MLB.com during the All-Star Game.

The 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and Le Reseau des Sports, and around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Game coverage.

The 20-year-old Heyward is a little more than three months younger than Ken Griffey Jr. was in 1990 when he became the youngest player to ever be elected an All-Star starter. If he hadn't been placed on the disabled list last week because of a deep bone bruise in his left thumb, the Braves' young right fielder would have become the first non-Japanese rookie outfielder to start an All-Star Game since Minnesota's Tony Oliva in 1964.

With Utley sidelined two months with a strained right thumb, Prado appears to be the logical choice to fill his role as the NL's starting second baseman. Entering Sunday, the Braves second baseman was leading the Majors with 115 hits and his .336 batting average was 15 points higher than any other qualified NL player's mark.

While vaulting to the top of the NL East standings, the Braves have been led by the consistency Prado has produced at the top of their lineup. Since moving into the leadoff role on May 14, the 26-year-old second baseman has hit .353 with a .386 on-base percentage.

The Braves have recognized Infante's value while he has hit .301 during his three seasons in Atlanta. The .353 batting average he has compiled against the Phillies this year likely enhanced a candidacy that was further strengthened by the fact that he has hit .367 in 49 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Living up to the expectations the Braves had when they gave him a three-year contract extension in November, Hudson has once again legitimized himself as an ace. While compiling a 2.37 ERA that ranks fifth in the NL, the 34-year-old right-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 14 of his 15 starts.

Hudson, who returned from Tommy John surgery in time to make seven starts last year, entered Sunday evening's start against the Marlins having posted a 2.09 ERA in his previous 12 starts. This is his first All-Star selection since he represented the A's at the 2004 Midsummer Classic.

McCann's vision problems have forced him to endure rough starts to each of the past two seasons. But the 26-year-old catcher has recently shown some signs of why he has already won three NL Silver Slugger Awards. He had hit .271 and compiled seven of his nine homers in the previous 48 games that he had played, entering Sunday.

Despite not matching his production of previous seasons, McCann still leads all qualified NL catchers with a .261 batting average, and his nine homers were just two behind the leading mark posted by Colorado's Miguel Olivo and New York's Rod Barajas.

Heyward entered this season as the game's top prospect, and when he drilled a three-run homer with the first swing of his career on Opening Day at Turner Field, he drew even more focus on the national scene. When Heyward was hitting .301 with 10 homers and a Major League-best 1.017 OPS through May 30, he was the top NL Rookie of the Year candidate and a potential MVP candidate.

But while sliding head first into third base on May 14, Heyward suffered the thumb injury that created discomfort that caused him to alter the mechanics of his swing. Consequently he hit just .172 with one homer and a .507 OPS in the 25 games he played before the Braves placed him on the disabled list last week.

Heyward is eligible to be activated from the disabled list the day before this year's All-Star Game. While he is expected to travel to Anaheim to experience the festivities surrounding the Midsummer Classic, he has said he will not play in the game.

[Goodoleboy58]

Infante gains surprise selection

When we awoke this morning, I think it's safe to say most of us expected Jason Heyward, Martin Prado and Tim Hudson to be named to this year's All-Star team. There was also little shock when the players provided Brian McCann his fifth consecutive All-Star selection.

But the biggest surprise and thrill of the day came when it was learned Omar Infante was granted his first All-Star selection. It's obvious that the Braves aren't the only ones who have recognized the value he brings with his dependable versatility as a utility player.

"I'm so happy for him," Hudson said. "I was just thrilled when I learned that he made it. That's just great."

The fact that Infante has hit .353 against the Phillies this year likely aided his cause when Phillies manager Charlie Manuel began looking at options to strengthen his bench.

The .345 batting average Infante has compiled with runners in scoring position since the start of the 2008 season ranks fifth among all Major Leaguers who have compiled at least 200 plate appearances in this situation.

"We feel like we got a good player there, who is a contact hitter, who can handle the bat," Manuel said during TBS's Selection Show.

Making his third All-Star selection and first since 2004, Hudson said he is looking forward to taking his son Kade down on the field to be surrounded by the game's other greats during the Home Run Derby on July 12.

Prado will start at second base in place of the injured Chase Utley. Heyward has said that his injured left thumb will likely keep him from playing.

The five All-Star selections are the most the Braves have totaled since sending seven players to the 2003 Midsummer Classic.

UPDATED: Billy Wagner is part of the Final Vote Ballot. You can help the veteran closer make his final All-Star appearance by casting your votes through Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

[RedandBlack4Life!]

Awesome article.

I'm glad that Huddy, Prado and McCann all got in. I never expected Infante to get in, or that he was even being considered, but that is awesome that he will get the chance to show the world what he can do. I just hope that Charlie Manuel actually utilizes him and Infante doesn't sit on the bench the whole game.

We need to vote Wags in without a doubt. He deserves to be there, especially with this probably being his last year.

Vote for Wags!!

[sdogg]

Congrats to all our All-Stars. Its been a great 1st half....well, except for April. If we can continue to play like we have most of the 1st half, we should win the NLE. Especially if Heyward can get back to his self and if Hanson is truly back to his.

[Goodoleboy58]

Mark Bowman mlbbowman

Heyward will get his cast off today. If he is able to take BP pain-free later this week, there's still a chance he plays in the ASG.

[ATL Fan in the DMV]

Mark Bowman mlbbowman

Heyward will get his cast off today. If he is able to take BP pain-free later this week, there's still a chance he plays in the ASG.

Good news with the cast. I still don't want him playing at all in the ASG. There will be many ASG's in his future.

And yes, we gotta get Wags in. He has been awesome for us in his final year.

[nobkowski]

Got my vote for Wagner in, and will vote for him more as I'm allowed.

[JTRaines92]

Good for all of them but Omar getting in is very crazy! Good for Omar!

[WTA]

Votto > Wagner

[youngbloodz]

Votto > Wagner

I also think Votto will get in over Wags

[ATL Fan in the DMV]

Votto > Wagner

Apples to oranges I say. One is one of the best young 1st Basemen in the NL, while the other in one of the best closers (this year) in the entire game.

That said, Votto most likely gets in over Wagner.