St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran and catcher Yadier Molina will be in the starting lineup after winning the fan vote. Molina received over 6.8 million votes, the most of any NL player. Beltran was less than 100,000 votes behind him, but topped all outfielders. They are joined on the roster by Matt Carpenter and starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who were elected through the players’ vote. First baseman Allen Craig was one of NL manager Bruce Bochy’s selections.
This marks the third time in the last four years that the Cardinals have had at least five All-Star representatives.
Beltran will make his eighth appearance since 2004. He collected his 51st RBI in the Cardinals’ 5-4 win over the Marlins on Saturday and ranks in the top five among all NL outfielders in batting average (.305), slugging percentage (.537) and home runs (19).
Molina has been named to five consecutive All-Star teams, and has been elected a starter three times. He leads the league with a .346 batting average and in conversations for being the league’s Most Valuable Player through the first half.
Wainwright is an All-Star for the second time. He pitched a scoreless inning for the NL in 2010. With Wainwright’s blessing, the Cardinals have shifted their rotation plans for next week, moving his next scheduled start up to Tuesday so that Wainwright can also pitch next Sunday, the final game of the first half.
Carpenter and Craig are both first-time All-Stars.
