Freddy Sanchez, a former Glendale College baseball standout, was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Star game as a reserve, which was played July 14 in St. Louis.

Sanchez, representing his Pittsburgh Pirates for the National League, did not get into the game, which was won by the American League 4-3.

Sanchez is currently batting .316 with 6 home runs and 34 runs batted in 77 games.

This marks the third appearance for the 31-year-old in the mid-summer classic… He previously made it in 2006 and 2007.

Sanchez not only played at Glendale, but also graduated Burbank High School in 1996, where he was named CIF MVP in his senior year.

Sanchez played for the Vaqueros in 1997 and 1998. He was MVP of the Western State Conference and led the Vaqs to a tie for the conference championship in 1998.

Sanchez spent time in the Red Sox farm system from 2000-2003 before being traded to the Pirates in July of that year.

Vaqueros head coach Chris Cicuto was teammates with Sanchez briefly at Glendale and played against him in summer leagues throughout high school. The two have remained friends, and Cicuto said he was proud of his former teammate.

“He’s always been a great hitter,” Cicuto said. “He’s still the same guy. We’re happy he’s making some money now.”

Despite being a slick fielder, Sanchez is known mostly for his hitting. He won the National League batting title in 2006 with a .344 average. In 2007 he set a career high in home runs with 11.

“Freddy was a bad ball hitter. Kind of like Vlad Guerrero, but without the power,” Cicuto recalled. “Swinging at balls out of the strikezone but good enough to get it over guys’ heads or get it in the gaps.”

Cicuto called Sanchez’s personality “Very kick back, not too animated on anything. I guess you would say his personality fits his hitting style. It’s very consistent. Extremely consistent.”