Mets Shortstop Jose Reyes was named the National League's starting shortstop Sunday afternoon, but the day before he ensured he wouldn't play in it.
Reyes, 28, who is in the midst of what's looking like a career year-he leads the NL in batting average (.354), hits (124), runs (65) and ranks second in steals (30)-suffered a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring running to first base against the Yankees during Saturday's contest, and after missing four games and taking some practice and ginger workouts, he's skipping the Midsummer Classic to be more effective and available for the Mets, who are 45-42 but 9.5 games behind the NL East-leading Phillies.
A Grade 1 strain is considered mild-namely, a slight pull with no tearing of the muscle-but Reyes will be sure to wait it out and heal completely in the midst of a very important contract year.
While a big question is whether Reyes, who has been on fire of late, will continue to play at such a high level once he returns in the second half, another is who will replace him on the NL's starting roster.
Behind Reyes, NL Manager Bruce Bochy selected two shortstops, Starlin Castro of the Chicago Cubs and Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies.
Castro, 22, is hitting .307 with 111 hits, 22 doubles, eight triples, two home runs and 38 RBIs, has been one of the Cubs' few bright spots in 2011, and is making his All-Star debut this season.
Tulowitzki, 25, who was signed to a major contract extension by the Rockies this past offseason, is hitting .271 with 88 hits, 18 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 57 RBIs.
Reyes' missing the All-Star Game will deprive the game of one of its most electric talents, and one of the best players this year, but this opens the door for an interesting debate as to who should fill his spot. Castro has been the main attraction to ol' Wrigley this year, and is a stupefying young talent, though the Midsummer Classic would be his first chance to get widespread recognition. Tulowitzki, playing in the first (thus far) uninjured season of his career, is a much more recognizable name and a former Rookie of the Year runner-up who has also played in a World Series, but after a scorching finish to 2010 and a similarly-hot start to his season, he has cooled off quite a bit.
I'd go with Castro-the eight triples really win me over-but it's Bochy's call.
And Reyes may have left the NL squad for July 12's contest but they gained a new face today in Phillies' outfielder Shane Victorino. 'The Flyin' Hawaiian' won the NL's All-Star Final Vote competition today by snagging 9.2 million votes, beating out Los Angeles' Andre Eithier, Colorado's Todd Helton, Washington's Michael Morse and Arizona's Ian Kennedy. Victorino, who also won the Final Vote competition to reach the Midsummer Classic in 2009, is hitting .303 this year, with 81 hits, 53 runs scored, 14 doubles, nine triples, nine home runs and 34 RBIs.
His counterpart in the Final Vote victory was Chicago White Sox' first baseman Paul Konerko, a five-time All-Star, snagged 8.4 million votes to defeat Detroit's Victor Martinez, Kansas City's Alex Gordon, Baltimore's Adam Jones and Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist. Konerko is hitting .319 with 100 hits, 13 doubles, 22 home runs and 64 RBIs.
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