New York — Before Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, an attendant reached into the messiest locker stall in the National League clubhouse, picked a jersey out of a pile of clothes, cleats and catcher's gear on the floor, and hung it neatly from a hanger.

It was Brian McCann's jersey.

Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Braves catcher Brian McCann has impressed even the rival Mets.

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The young Braves catcher might have been, in the words of teammate and fellow All-Star Chipper Jones, "awestruck" by the whole tradition-soaked atmosphere surrounding this last Midsummer Classic at Yankee Stadium. But clearly that didn't stop McCann from making himself at home.

Braves teammates call him "Heap" for a reason — it's where McCann's stuff is often found, in heaps.

But his disheveled appearance and easygoing demeanor belie a driven, fiercely competitive player who happens to be one of most polished 24-year-old hitters you could ever want on your team.

"He does it all," Mets third baseman and All-Star teammate David Wright said. "You see a guy who's that disciplined at the plate, who has the ability to hit for power to all fields, drives in runs, gets on base, never takes a swing that's off-balance ... it's impressive, especially from a catcher.

"He's right on pitches. Lefties or righties, it doesn't matter — and he doesn't get cheated."

McCann is the first player in franchise history to make the All-Star team in each of the first three seasons he was on the opening day roster. If one were to believe the modest Duluth native, that's just some sort of fluke.

"I still think that's one of those weird things you could dig up on just about anybody," McCann said. "But I'm definitely honored. There's been some great players who've put on a Braves uniform. By no means do I think I'm close to any of them."

Not close? Braves manager Bobby Cox would disagree with that assessment.

"McCann's one of the best hitters in the game, for me," Cox said of the left-handed slugger, who hit .302 with 18 homers, 53 RBIs and a robust .940 on base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) before the break.

Despite his stocky build and lack of speed, McCann is tied for third in the league with 27 doubles. He uses his smooth stroke to drive balls to both gaps and down both lines.

McCann goes to his dad, former college coach Howard McCann, frequently for advice, but he also goes across the clubhouse to Jones, a mentor since McCann arrived from Class AA in June 2005.

"Brian is one of those cerebral hitters who's able to make adjustments on the fly, and not everybody can do that," said Jones, 36. "You can take him in here and we can watch film, and I can show him what he's doing, and we can go into the cage and he can apply it right away.

"That's a special quality, and I know for a fact that it's a great comfort when you do get a little off, to have somebody that can pinpoint what's going wrong and show you, then be able to go in the cage and be able to fix it."

His third consecutive All-Star game was special for McCann not just because it was the last at Yankee Stadium. He relished sharing the experience with Jones, who hadn't been in the All-Star Game since 2001.

McCann said besides his dad, Jones has been his biggest hitting influence.

"He knows the mental side of hitting better than anybody I've ever been around," McCann said of the veteran third baseman. "He knows the mind-set you have to have going up to the plate. You can't describe how much that means to a hitter, to have the right mental approach when you step into the box.

"You'd be stupid not to take advantage of it; he's there as much as you need. He's more than willing to help out whenever you're in a little bit of a slump."

Ask players around the majors to name the best all-around catchers today, and McCann's name is at or near the top of the list, with Minnesota's Joe Mauer and Cleveland's Victor Martinez.

Since the beginning of the 2006 season, here's how they've hit:

• McCann: .300 average, 358 games, 99 doubles, 60 homers, 238 RBIs, .359 on-base percentage, .522 slugging percentage.

• Mauer: .323 average, 334 games, 86 doubles, 25 homers, 185 RBIs, .411 OBP, .467 slugging.

• Martinez: .304 average, 354 games, 88 doubles, 41 homers, 228 RBIs, .375 OBP, .462 slugging.

Despite nagging injuries the past two seasons, and Atlanta's hot summers, McCann has been one of the most durable and productive catchers.

"He's a good RBI guy, because he understands how to get a hit when guys are on base," Jones said. "There are some guys that have a knack of getting big hits, and some guys who have a knack of folding under pressure. He gets big hits. He drives in big runs."

All things considered, an occasional jersey in a heap is something the Braves will gladly live with.