Jul 2, 2007 4 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pirates fans furiously wrote in Freddy Sanchez’s name hundreds of thousands of times on ballots last summer, attempting to send their surprise star to the All-Star game in his home ballpark. Sanchez wasn’t voted into the 2006 game, but was an unexpected choice by NL manager Phil Garner despite not becoming an everyday player in Pittsburgh until May. Sanchez didn’t look out of place, making several good defensive plays in the All-Star game in PNC Park before going on to win the NL batting title with a .344 average.

It was one of those can’t-happen stories that make baseball’s All-Star game easily the best of those in the major sports, and it got even better Sunday. Despite not producing the way he did a year ago, Sanchez is an All-Star again – this time, a surprise choice by NL manager Tony La Russa of St. Louis.

“Shocked,” Sanchez said. “I’m totally shocked.”

Sanchez’s own manager, Jim Tracy, couldn’t hide his disappointment that one of the Pirates’ two young standout starting pitchers, Tom Gorzelanny (8-4, 3.05 ERA) and Ian Snell (6-5, 2.90 ERA), wasn’t chosen.

“It’s the manager’s choice. He made the choice,” Tracy said. “Both those guys (Gorzelanny and Snell) are deserving of it. … You can sit and talk about guys who are deserving. It doesn’t make it right, it doesn’t make it wrong.”

Still, considering how Sanchez has pushed his average above .300 despite playing on an injured knee that sidelined him for most of spring training, it was hard for anyone with the Pirates to be upset by Sanchez’s repeat selection.

Sanchez is the first Pirates infielder to be chosen for consecutive All-Star games since Garner, of all players, in 1980 and 1981.

“I didn’t think I had a chance,” said Sanchez, who didn’t finish among the top eight NL votegetters at second base despite winning the batting title last season.

Sanchez’s numbers (.301, 1 homer, 28 RBIs) are down from a year ago, when he hit .344 with six homers and 85 RBIs. That average was the highest by a Pirates player since Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente hit .345 in 1969.

But the knee injury slowed him badly early in the season, as evidenced by his .244 average in April.

He bounced back to hit .317 in May and .343 (34-for-99) in June.

“I was planning to go to a resort for several days, but I think I can make it to San Francisco,” Sanchez said. “I hope I can represent the Pirates in a great way.”

Tracy didn’t talk to La Russa before Gorzelanny and Snell were bypassed – possibly because La Russa feared they might be awed at being part of a game that now determines home field advantage for the World Series.

La Russa loaded his pitching staff with veterans such as John Smoltz, Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner.

The Pirates were disappointed that Colorado’s Brian Fuentes (0-4, 4.17 ERA) was chosen as one of only two NL left-handers. Fuentes recently lost his closer’s job and his statistics are mediocre.

La Russa apparently preferred to have more proven players.

“He knows I can play second base, shortstop, third base and I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Sanchez said.

Gorzelanny is among the five NL players still in the running to be voted into the final spot on the team by fans. However, given that Gorzelanny plays in a small market and the other candidates include Houston’s Roy Oswalt and the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano, he may have only an outside shot.

“It’s cool I still have a chance,” Gorzelanny said. “I’ll be excited if I go. I’ll probably vote for myself a few times, butt I’ll leave it up to the fans.”