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Josh Beckett and Jacoby Ellsbury will join David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez on the 2011 American League All-Star team, having been selected by the players to represent the league.
There's no surprise here. Josh Beckett may not have picked up as many wins as others along the way, but even with his rusty game against Philadelphia last week, Beckett is second only to Jered Weaver in ERA. It's been a while since the Sox last saw him, but they seem to have found their old ace again.
As mentioned before, Jacoby Ellsbury had a good argument for starting this year, but will have to settle for a backup role. While his numbers have fallen off a bit after a 2-for-24 slump against National League opponents, the young center fielder's offense has continued to progress. He's taking more walks than ever before, leveled out the plane of his swing to result in more slap hits, and has even gotten ahold of a good few homers along the way. His poor reads in the outfield may frustrate some of us here, but he's got the speed to make up for it, and is--as always--the author of more than a few highlight grabs.