The Buster Posey partisans won out: Yadier Molina was denied the make-believe honor of being a 2012 MLB All-Star Game starter Sunday afternoon, when the San Francisco Giants' popular catcher edged him out of the fan vote a year after coming back from a gruesome injury. He's having a fine year--hitting .296/.363/.472, with 10 home runs and 40 RBI--but it's hard to argue with the Platinum-Gloved Molina, who's hitting .311/.362/.510 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI in addition to his usual stellar defense. (He was chosen as a reserve.) The St. Louis Cardinals weren't shut out of All-Star voting, though, which means somebody at Busch Stadium was doing something right.
RIght fielder Carlos Beltran, who leads the National League with 61 RBI and has 20 home runs to go with them, will start in the outfield, while another veteran acquisition, shortstop Rafael Furcal, gets a start on the infield. It's Beltran's seventh All-Star Game, and Furcal's third. Sophomore starter Lance Lynn rounds out the Cardinals' All-Star delegation; he'll take his 10 wins to the bullpen--where he almost began the 2012 season.
For more 2012 All-Star Game coverage with a decided pro-Molina bent, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis.