Thumbnail Sketches of the All-Stars

Profiles and scouting reports on players selected by fans to start in All-Star Game:

American League

1B--Eddie Murray, Baltimore--5th All-Star selection. A switch-hitter who can hit the ball out of the park from either side but more effective from left side. A devastating fastball hitter, he likes the pitch from the belt to the knees. A pitcher who can throw him nothing but off-speed breaking balls will have success against him.

2B--Lou Whitaker, Detroit--3rd All-Star selection. An aggressive left-handed hitter who likes the ball up high. Can be fooled by an off-speed pitch. Sinkerball pitchers give him the most trouble. Good clutch hitter because he hits to all fields with men on base.

SS--Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore--3rd All-Star selection. Sees the ball better than 99 percent of the players in baseball. Patient but aggressive right-handed hitter and is better than average against the off-speed pitch. Book on him is to throw him up and away with fastballs and low and away with sliders and curves.

3B--George Brett, Kansas City--10th All-Star selection. A left-handed hitter, he murders low fastballs but has shown the ability to handle most any pitch. He is a situation hitter. With the game on the line in the late innings he will pull the ball. Early in the game, when a single will help, he will go the other way. He does not chase bad pitches.

OF--Dave Winfield, New York--9th All-Star selection. Except for Dave Kingman, has the widest stance in baseball. A right-handed hitter, he has trouble with curves low and away or hard sliders down and in because of his 6-foot-6 frame. He is arguably the best all-round player in the AL.

OF--Rickey Henderson, New York--5th All-Star selection. Has few weaknesses as a hitter. Hits the ball to all fields and also gets a lot of walks because of keen discipline as a hitter. Pitchers often try to intimidate him with pitches under the chin, which sets him up for breaking balls away. When he’s not concentrating, he can be gotten out that way.

OF--Jim Rice, Boston--7th All-Star selection. Capable of hitting the ball out of any park, including Yellowstone. Basically a low ball hitter and is usually jammed by hard stuff up and in. Impatient at times, he will chase a bad pitch if not going well at plate. Hits into a lot of double plays.

C--Lance Parrish, Detroit--5th All-Star selection. Basically a high fastball pitcher and few AL pitchers can throw that pitch by him. A right-handed hitter, he likes to pull the ball and will even try to pull pitches on the outside corner. Chases a lot of pitches out of the strike zone. Right-handed pitchers will try to give him nothing but breaking balls down and away. Left-handers will try hard stuff up and away.

National League

C--Gary Carter, New York--8th All-Star selection. A clutch hitter with home run power, he is a high ball hitter, who given his choice, likes the ball out over the plate. He loves to pull the ball to the left-center field alley but has worked hard at hitting the ball the other way. The best way to get him out by throwing him fastballs up and in and then getting him to chase a breaking ball down.

1B--Steve Garvey, San Diego--10th All-Star selection. A consistent, aggressive hitter who is at his best in clutch situations. He is particularly productive against left-handers and can hit any pitch. Occasionally he will fall into a slump and will chase bad pitches, especially low, two-strike pitches off the outside of the plate.

2B--Tommy Herr, St. Louis--1st All-Star selection. One of the biggest surprises in baseball since most thought he was past his peak after undergoing knee surgery in 1983. He leads the league in RBI and shows remarkable patience as a hitter, stemming from the fact he hit No. 2 in the lineup for so many years. A “blood and guts” type player who is not afraid to say anything critical if something is amiss.

SS--Ozzie Smith, St. Louis--5th All-Star selection. The “Wizard of Oz” is on the All-Star team because of his glove, not his bat. A switch-hitter, he is more effective from the right side. His basic problem is that he tries to hit everything too far and too hard.

3B--Graig Nettles, San Diego--6th All-Star selection. A pull-hitter who likes the ball down, he is not the offensive threat he once was when he played for the New York Yankees. He can still make a pitcher pay for a mistake, however.

OF--Dale Murphy, Atlanta--5th All-Star selection. A devastating power hitter who uses all fields. He is a streak hitter and when he’s hot he’ll hit everything. Like most power hitters, he likes the ball out over the plate. Occasionally, he will chase inside pitches, especially if they are up, and he will go fishing for down and away sliders and curveballs.

OF--Tony Gwynn, San Diego--2nd All-Star selection. A straightaway hitter who hits fastballs up or down, in or out, as well as anyone in the game. He also hits breaking balls as well as anyone in the game. An extremely disciplined hitter, he will not chase bad pitches.

OF--Darryl Strawberry, New York--2nd All-Star selection. Missed most of the first half of the season with injured hand and is only now beginning to get back in a hitting groove. Has very quick wrists and likes the ball down and out over the plate. Like most power hitters, he wants to get arms fully extended in his swing. Still learning to hit major-league changeups.