Griffey, Rodriguez Honored As Best At Their Positions

Mark McGwire, who connected 52 times in baseball’s Year of the Home Run, and slugging outfielders Ken Griffey Jr., Albert Belle and Juan Gonzalez highlighted The Associated Press major league all-star team Tuesday.

Los Angeles catcher Mike Piazza, picked for the combined team for the fourth consecutive season, and Belle were the only players to repeat from 1995.

Alex Rodriguez, who led the majors in hitting at .358 in his first full season, won selection by the widest margin. In voting by a nationwide panel of 175 sportswriters and broadcasters, 151 chose the 21-year-old Seattle shortstop.

“This whole year has been a learning experience,” Rodriguez said. “There are still a lot of areas in which I think I can improve.”

The closest vote was at second base, where Chuck Knoblauch of Minnesota beat out Roberto Alomar of Baltimore, 76-75. Gonzalez of Texas finished ahead of Ellis Burks of Colorado 75-73 for the third outfield spot.

The American League dominated the voting, which was completed before the playoffs began. Piazza, San Diego third baseman Ken Caminiti and right-handed starter John Smoltz of Atlanta were the only National League players selected.

Left-handed starter Andy Pettitte and reliever John Wetteland, of the World Series champion New York Yankees, also made the team.

Paul Molitor was chosen as the designated hitter for the fourth time in 10 seasons.

In a record-breaking season for offense, power dominated the allstar team.

McGwire became the 13th player in major league history to reach the 50-homer mark.

Griffey hit 49 homers for Seattle, Belle had 48 for Cleveland and Gonzalez hit 47. They came in ahead of Burks, who hit .344 with 40 homers, 128 RBIs and scored a major league-high 142 runs.

Among the outfielders who finished farther back were San Francisco’s Barry Bonds, only the second player to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in the same season, 50-homer man Brady Anderson of Baltimore and seven-time N.L. batting champion Tony Gwynn of San Diego.

Rodriguez, who hit 36 homers and had 123 RBIs and a major league-leading 54 doubles, was an overwhelming winner at shortstop. Baltimore’s Cal Ripken was second with six votes.

Knoblauch hit .341 and scored 140 runs for Minnesota.

Caminiti hit .326 with 40 home runs and 130 RBIs for San Diego.

Piazza hit .336 with 36 homers and 105 RBIs.

Molitor, who led the majors with 225 hits, got 108 votes. Edgar Martinez of Seattle was the runner-up at DH with 21.

Smoltz led the majors with 24 wins and 276 strikeouts for the N.L. champion Braves and Pettitte led the A.L. with 21 victories.

Wetteland had 43 saves for the Yankees.