All-Star game rosters
s-starter, elected by fans; m-managers pick; p-players’ selection
American League
PITCHERS — m-Andrew Bailey, Oakland; m-Mark Buerhle, Chicago White Sox; p-Josh Beckett, Boston; m-Brian Fuentes, L.A. Angels; p-Zack Greinke, Kansas City; p-Roy Halladay, Toronto; m-Felix Hernandez, Seattle; p-Edwin Jackson, Detroit; p-Joe Nathan, Minnesota; p-Jonathan Papelbon, Boston; p-Mariano Rivera, N.Y. Yankees; p-Justin Verlander, Detroit; m-Tim Wakefield, Boston.
CATCHER — p-Victor Martinez, Cleveland; s-Joe Mauer, Minnesota.
INFIELDERS — p-Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay; p-Aaron Hill, Toronto; s-Derek Jeter, N.Y. Yankees; s-Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay; p-Justin Morneau, Minnesota; s-Dustin Pedroia, Boston; s-Mark Teixeira, N.Y. Yankees; m-Kevin Youkilis, Boston; p-Michael Young, Texas; m-Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay.
OUTFIELDERS — s-Jason Bay, Boston; p-Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay; p-Curtis Granderson, Detroit; s-Josh Hamilton, Texas; p-Torii Hunter, LA Angels; m-Adam Jones, Baltimore; s-Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle.
FINAL MAN (one selected by Internet voting) — Adam Lind, Toronto; Ian Kinsler, Texas; Chone Figgins, L.A. Angels; Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay; Brandon Inge, Detroit.
National League
PITCHERS — p-Heath Bell, San Diego; p-Chad Billingsley, L.A. Dodgers; p-Jonathan Broxton, L.A. Dodgers; p-Matt Cain, San Francisco; m-Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati; m-Ryan Franklin, St. Louis; m-Dan Haren, Arizona; p-Josh Johnson, Florida; m-Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs; m-Jason Marquis, Colorado; p-Tim Lincecum, San Francisco; p-Francisco Rodriguez, N.Y. Mets; p-Johan Santana, N.Y. Mets.
CATCHERS — p-Brian McCann, Atlanta; s-Yadier Molina, St. Louis.
INFIELDERS — m-Prince Fielder, Milwaukee; p-Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego; m-Ryan Howard, Philadelphia; p-Orlando Hudson, L.A. Dodgers; s-Albert Pujols, St. Louis; s-Hanley Ramirez, Florida; m-Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburgh; p-Miguel Tejada, Houston; s-Chase Utley, Philadelphia; s-David Wright, N.Y. Mets; p-Ryan Zimmerman, Washington.
OUTFIELDERS — s-Carlos Beltran, N.Y. Mets; s-Ryan Braun, Milwaukee; p-Brad Hawpe, Colorado; s-Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia; p-Hunter Pence, Houston; p-Justin Upton, Arizona.
FINAL MAN (one selected by Internet voting) — Mark Reynolds, Arizona; Matt Kemp, L.A. Dodgers; Shane Victorino, Philadelphia; Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco; Cristian Guzman, Washington.
WASHINGTON — Selections to the midsummer classic have now become old hat for Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann.
Given that he battled a frustrating eye injury earlier this season, Sunday’s news that McCann had been voted by his peers to be a backup in the July 14 game at St. Louis was particularly rewarding.
"This is probably the happiest I’ve been because I didn’t know what was going on earlier in the season. But we found the solution and I bounced back," McCann said.
Earlier this year, McCann experienced deteriorating vision in his left eye after undergoing corrective laser surgery on his eyes after the 2007 season. He wound up on the 15-day disabled list when the condition didn’t improve, then unsuccessfully tried three types of contact lenses before switching to two specially fitted pairs of glasses — one used in the field and the other when he hits.
"His vision is fine right now," said Braves manager Bobby Cox.
McCann was the only Brave named when All-Star Game rosters were announced Sunday, and he will be making his fourth consecutive appearance.
"I’m disappointed we didn’t get some more guys on there, but that’s fine. You can’t get everyone," said Cox. "This is the fourth one in a row for him. It’s something we’ve grown to expect."
Added teammate Chipper Jones: "(McCann) deserves it. He’s the best catcher in the league."
McCann finished second to surprise winner Yadier Molina of St. Louis in the fan voting, amassing 2,375,808 votes to Molina’s 2,641,467. McCann, however, beat Molina in the player balloting, 499 votes to 314, giving him the edge among his peers for the reserve role.
It’s the fourth selection for McCann, who is hitting .304 with eight homers and 33 RBIs, and has hit safely in 36 of 50 games since returning from the 15-day disabled list on May 8.
Since the start of the 2006 season, the 25-year-old McCann leads all Major League Baseball catchers in homers (73), extra-base hits (204), doubles (129) and RBIs (305). He is tied for first with 40 game-winning RBIs.
McCann has appeared in each of the past three All-Star Games as a reserve, and is 0 for 2 lifetime.