Published: July 06, 2008 11:50 pm            

McLouth selected to All-Star squad

Less than a year ago, Nate McLouth was a backup on one of the worst teams in baseball. Now, he’s a reserve player on the National League All-Star squad.

McLouth will be the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lone representative in the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 15.

Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun joined Chicago Cubs Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome as starters in the outfield, as voted on by fans. Colorado’s Matt Holliday, St. Louis’ Ryan Ludwick and McLouth are the reserve outfielders.

Reserves can be selected by player voting or by the team’s manager, which in this case is Colorado’s Clint Hurdle.

“Any time your peers feel that way about you and vote you into an All-Star game it’s extremely special and it makes you feel good,” McLouth told The Associated Press.

In 83 games, McLouth is hitting .280 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs. He is tied for the league-lead with 28 doubles and his 171 total bases rank 10th in the league.

Not bad for a guy who entered spring training locked in a battle with Nyjer Morgan for the Pirates’ job in center field.

“This guy is a true baseball player,” manager John Russell said in a story on the Pirates’ Web site. “He wraps himself up in the game, he pays attention, he learns, he retains. He’s just a solid baseball player. If you have a head like that on your shoulders and have the talent, you have a solid player.”

An argument could also have been made for Xavier Nady, McLouth’s outfield teammate in Pittsburgh. Nady ranks fifth in the NL with a .325 average and has a league-high nine outfield assists, but he was not included on the team, nor was he selected for the Final Vote competition.

        

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