Hunter named All-Star reserve, Fuentes also selected

July 5, 11:39 AMLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim ExaminerWilliam Martinez

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AP/Lori Shepler

The 2009 American League All-Star team will feature a pair of Angels, though one of them could be called a stunner to say the least.

Outfielder Torii Hunter and closer Brian Fuentes will be making the trip to St. Louis for the annual Midsummer Classic on July 14th.

Hunter, an eight-time Gold Glove winner, will make his third appearance overall and first since coming to the Angels as a free agent after the 2007 season.

The 33-year-old veteran has been by far the Angels' best player this season, anchoring the offense with a .303 batting average, 17 home runs and 61 RBI in 74 games.

He has also dominated the highlight reels on defense, making several leaping catches and leaving an imprint on outfield walls thorughout baseball.

Fuentes, who came to the team this past offseason as a free agent, will be making his fourth appearance overall. The lefty was selected based largely on a tremendous month of June, allowing just three hits in 10 appearances during the month while going 9-for-9 in save opportunities.

The Angels will have a chance to get a third selection, as third baseman Chone Figgins was listed by Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon as one of the five candidates in the Final Vote.

The speedster will be up against Detroit's Brandon Inge, Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena, Texas' Ian Kinsler and Toronto's Adam Lind in the online and SMS voting which takes place between now and Thursday afternoon.

While the threesome continue their final week of preparations before St. Louis, one person that won't be going is starting pitcher Jered Weaver.

Weaver (8-3, 3.10 ERA and three complete games) was left off despite being arguably the best starter in the division in the first half. However, the right-hander has struggled in two of his last three starts, allowing six runs in 5-1/3 innings against the Dodgers on June 20th and seven runs in 5-1/3 innings against Texas in his last outing.

The finish likely cost him a spot, with Maddon opting to take Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield instead.