ST. LOUIS - Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen and closer Joel Hanrahan were named All-Stars for the second straight year.
Both were named reserves to the National League team on the MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday afternoon, and both are All-Stars for the second time in their careers.
The two were voted in by their peers, with McCutchen placing fourth in the player balloting, with 432 votes, and Hanrahan third among NL relievers, with 106.
"That's obviously a big honor, that means that everybody in the league knows what's going on here in Pittsburgh,'' Hanrahan said. "They see what we're doing, and it's obviously fun to get selected by your peers. It just means that the Pirates are heading in the right direction again.''
Heading into Sunday, McCutchen was fifth in the Major Leagues with a .346 average and tied for fourth with 97 hits. His 51 RBIs also ranked sixth in the NL, while his 15 homers were tied for seventh-most. All 15 of his homers this season have come since May 8, tied for third-most in the Majors over that span. He also ranked in the top 10 in the big leagues in OPS (.993) and slugging percentage (.593).
McCutchen, who sat out Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals after spraining his left wrist Saturday, has been one of the hottest players in baseball as of late. His 26 RBIs in June ranked second in the NL. He was also tied for second in homers (seven) and fourth in batting average (.370).
McCutchen was added to the 2011 All-Star team only after Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun dropped out. McCutchen said the achievement is much sweeter this time around.
"Well, last year I wasn't even supposed to go, so ... definitely wasn't expecting to go last year at all, and then a couple of people got hurt, and the next thing you know I'm out there and I'm on the team,'' McCutchen said. "This year, I didn't really have to go through that, so it's definitely a lot different. It feels like it's more deserving than last year, and it definitely feels good just to go out and to be on the team.''
Hanrahan was tied for sixth in the Majors with 20 saves in 31 games and owns a 2.10 ERA.
The drive from Hanrahan's hometown of Norwalk, Iowa, is less than three hours from Kansas City, and he expects to have a good group of family and friends in attendance. Hanrahan said while it's difficult to prepare for the atmosphere of an All-Star Game, having been there last year will be beneficial for both himself and McCutchen.
"It's a great experience to know what you're kind of getting into,'' Hanrahan said. "Last year, Cutch and I both didn't know what was going on, just kind of running all over the place. We'll have a better idea, and it will be an exciting time.''
McCutchen went 0-for-1 in one at-bat in the 2011 All-Star Game, and Hanrahan threw one-third of an inning while striking out one in last year's contest.
Pirates starters A.J. Burnett and James McDonald, both regarded as possible All-Star selections, were not chosen.
There's still a chance for the two to be selected. More pitchers will likely be chosen later in the week to take the spots of pitchers already named to the All-Star roster who will not be available to pitch in the All-Star Game.
