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07/06/2008 3:00 PM ET
Four Rangers selected to 2008 American League All-Star Team
Hamilton to start in right; Bradley, Kinsler, and Young all named reserves
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BALTIMORE -- The Texas Rangers have four players on the 2008 American League All-Star roster as it was announced today by Major League Baseball. Josh Hamilton was the only Texas player selected in fan voting, as he is scheduled to start in right field for the game on Tuesday, July 15 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Milton Bradley, Ian Kinsler, and Michael Young were selected as reserves, as the top four regulars in the Texas batting order will be in New York for the Midsummer Classic.
This is the first time in club history for Texas to have four position players selected to the All-Star team. This is the most players for the Rangers since the club had four in 2005, and this year's total falls one shy of the team-record five selections in 2004. It is the fourth time the team has sent at least four players to the All-Star Game. This is the first All-Star selection for Bradley, Hamilton, and Kinsler, and the fifth selection for Young.
Hamilton is one of 3 American League players voted to the starting lineup for the first time, joining Red Sox Kevin Youkilis (first base) and Dustin Pedroia (second base). He received 3,708,709 votes, most among American League outfielders and 3rd-most among all A.L. players behind only Yankees Alex Rodriguez (3,934,518) and Derek Jeter (3,737,437). Kinsler finished 34,243 votes behind Pedroia in fan voting at second base.
All four Rangers players led the A.L. at their respective positions in player voting: Bradley at designated hitter, Hamilton in the outfield, Kinsler at second base, and Young at shortstop. While a substitute is still pending, David Ortiz, the fan-elected designated hitter for the A.L., will likely not appear in the game. Bradley tallied more votes on the players ballot than any other individual in the designated hitter category.
Hamilton would be the first Texas outfielder to start an All-Star Game since Juan Gonzalez in 1998. He is the first elected Texas starter since Mark Teixeira (first base) in 2005, this in just his second major league season. He has batted .307 with 19 home runs this season, and leads the major leagues with 83 RBI. His RBI total is already the second-highest figure in team history before the All-Star break, trailing only the 101 RBI by Gonzalez before the break in 1998. Entering today, Hamilton ranked among A.L. leaders in total bases (2nd, 187), home runs (T2nd, 19), multi-hit games (T2nd, 34), hits (T4th, 105), extra-base hits (T5th, 41), and slugging (5th, .547). He was voted A.L. Player of the Month in both April and May, the first player in league history to win awards for each of first two months in a season.
Bradley is in his ninth major league season. He entered today's contest in Baltimore batting .320 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI. He leads the A.L. with both a .605 slugging percentage and .434 on-base percentage, and also ranks third in the league in both at-bats per home run (15.1) and at-bats per RBI (4.7). A free agent signee with Texas this offseason, he is just over nine months removed from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Kinsler is the first Texas second baseman to be selected since Alfonso Soriano in both 2004 and 2005, although Young played second base in his All-Star Game MVP performance in 2006. Kinsler entered the day leading the league in average (.328), total bases (196), hits (118), runs (77), multi-hit games (35), and extra-base hits (46). He has a current 17-game hit streak and ranks second in the league with a .413 average with runners in scoring position.
This is Michael Young's fifth selection to the All-Star team, now the second-most in team history behind only catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who had 10 All-Star nods in his career with Texas. This is the 8th consecutive season that the Texas starting shortstop has been selected to the All-Star team, as Alex Rodriguez was an All-Star from 2001-03. Entering today's game, Young held a .292 average with 7 home runs, 23 doubles, 58 runs scored, and 46 RBI. He leads all major league shortstops in RBI and ranks second in the majors with a .987 fielding percentage at the position.
Joining the four players at the All-Star Game will be Rangers Medical Director and Head Trainer Jamie Reed. This will be Reed's second All-Star contest, as he also worked the game in 2000 in Atlanta while he was with the Tampa Bay organization.
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