The All-Star honor roll represented by Catholic high schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in baseball’s “mid-summer classic” is not a list that stretches back many decades (only four, in fact), but it includes some of the game’s most notable stars for that period.
Beginning in 1973 and concluding with last week’s 2014 game, here is the list of the 13 locally-schooled All-Star Game representatives, including one from the Diocese of Orange, in chronological order:
— Dave Nelson (Junipero Serra), Texas Rangers second baseman, 1973.
— Matt Young (St. Francis), Seattle Mariners pitcher, 1983 (his rookie season).
— Mike Witt (Servite), California Angels pitcher, 1986-87.
— Mark McGwire (Damien), Oakland Athletics first baseman, 1987-92 and 1995-97; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman, 1998-2000 — a total of 12 selections.
— Jack McDowell (Notre Dame), Chicago White Sox pitcher, 1991-93 (he was the winning pitcher in 1993, the year he won the American League Cy Young Award).
— Nomar Garciaparra (St. John Bosco), Boston Red Sox shortstop, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, 2006 (six selections total).
— Jeff Cirillo (Providence), Milwaukee Brewers third baseman, 1997; Colorado Rockies third baseman, 2000.
— Royce Clayton (St. Bernard), St. Louis Cardinals shortstop, 1997.
— Mark Loretta (St. Francis), San Diego Padres second baseman, 2004; Boston Red Sox second baseman, 2006.
— Michael Young (Bishop Amat), Texas Rangers shortstop, 2004-08, and third baseman, 2009 (six selections total).
— Dan Haren (Bishop Amat), Oakland Athletics pitcher, 2007; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher, 2008-09.
— Evan Longoria (St. John Bosco), Tampa Bay Rays third baseman, 2008-10.
— Giancarlo Stanton (Notre Dame), Miami Marlinsoutfielder, 2012 and 2014.
Those who have started the All-Star Game (by fan vote or manager’s selection) include:
— McGwire, at first base for the American League (1988-90 and 1992), and for the National League (1998-99).
— Garciaparra, as the American League’s shortstop (1999).
— Michael Young, as the American League’s shortstop (2005) and third baseman (2009).
— Loretta, as the American League’s second baseman (2006).
— Haren, as the American League’s starting pitcher (2007).
— Longoria, as the American League’s third baseman (2010).
— Stanton, as the National League’s designated hitter (2014).
And one has earned the coveted All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award: Bishop Amat’s Michael Young, who hit the game-winning two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning of the 2004 game at Pittsburgh to give the American League a 3-2 victory. ŒΩ
—Mike Nelson
