Former Sun Devil Dustin Pedroia named All-Star Starter for American League

Former Sun Devil Dustin Pedroia has been named an American League All-Star and will start at second base in the All-Star Game, which will be played at Yankee Stadium on July 15.

Pedroia, who played at Arizona State from 2002-2004, was the leading vote-getter among American League second baseman with 2,492,698 votes, beating out Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers. Pedroia is one of seven Red Sox named American League All-Stars in 2008.

After winning American League Rookie of the Year and helping the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2007, Pedroia has continued his strong play this season. He is 10th in the AL with a .313 batting average, and he has nine home runs and 44 RBI on the season.