Five former Georgia high school players are on the rosters for the Major League All-Star Game on Tuesday at Citi Field in New York.
All will suit up for the National League. They are Brandon Phillips of the Reds (Redan), Domonic Brown of the Phillies (also Redan), Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (Glynn Academy), Buster Posey of the Giants (Lee County) and Brian McCann of the Braves (Duluth).
There have been as many as five Georgia players in the All-Star Game only one other time since 1947. In 2010, the list included McCann, Marlon Byrd (Sprayberry), Matt Capps (Alexander), Jason Heyward (Henry County) and Jonathan Broxton (Burke County).
This year, Phillips, a 1999 Redan graduate, was voted the starting second baseman for the National League by fans. He is hitting .262 with 12 home runs, 13 doubles and 64 RBI in 90 games.
Brown, a 2006 graduate of Redan, is hitting a career high .281 through 90 games in what has been a breakout season. The outfielder has 23 home runs with 64 RBI.
Wainwright will be making his second All Star Game appearance. He is 12-5 with a 2.30 ERA. He leads the NL in victories.
Posey, the 2012 NL MVP, is making his second All Star appearance. He is hitting .317 with 13 home runs. McCann, despite missing the first six weeks of the season, is hitting .291 with 12 home runs.
While it speaks well for Georgia baseball that five players have made the All-Star Game for the second time in four seasons, the golden era of Georgia All-Stars still was the 1940s. In 1946 and 1947, the same five Georgia players participated in the game – Luke Appling, Spud Chandler, Marty Marion, Rudy York and Johnny Mize. Appling and Mize are in the Hall of Fame. Chandler and Marion are former league MVPs.
Read our expanded roster of past MLB All-Stars with Georgia roots on the AJC Prep Zone High School Sports blog.
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