Colby Rasmus is deep in a slump, and Jay Bruce is now an All-Star right fielder, but the Pittsburgh Pirates' entrant in the National League Central's set of centerfield super-prospects has finally been named to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game after being snubbed in the fan voting, the player voting, the Final Vote, and everything else he could possibly be snubbed for. McCutchen, who's hitting .292/.393/.500 thanks to a career-best 25 at-bats between home runs, was named as an injury replacement for Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun Saturday. McCutchen, making his first appearance, joins closer Joel Hanrahan as the Pirates' representatives on the NL All-Star team.
McCutchen was the 11th-overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft; the Reds selected Jay Bruce with the next pick, and the Cardinals chose Colby Rasmus 28th overall. The Brewers chose Ryan Braun fifth overall, which leaves the Cubs with left-handed pitcher Mark Pawelek, currently out of baseball, as their only memento of the year the rest of the National League Central picked an offensive cornerstone.