July 8, 2008

Former Mizzou infielder and current Texas Rangers' second baseman Ian Kinsler has been named to the American League All-Star team. He is the first former Tiger to be named an All-Star since Tim Laudner in 1988.

Kinsler led the voting of MLB players for the starting second baseman spot, but came up short in the fan voting to Boston's Dustin Pedroia.

Heading into the week, Kinsler was hitting .332, which led the American League. He also led the league with 199 total bases and 79 runs scored. He has 14 home runs and 53 RBI on the year.

Kinsler hit .335 with six home runs and 45 RBI for Mizzou as a junior in 2003. He was drafted by the Rangers in the 17th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft and made his Major League debut for the Rangers in 2006.

The MLB All-Star game will be played at Yankee Stadium in New York at 7 p.m. on July 15 and will be televised on Fox.