It will not be known for another couple of weeks which players will participate in the 79th All-Star Game July 15 at Yankee Stadium, but this much is certain: The Pirates feel they should have two players, not just their standard one, representing them.

And those two players, according to a clubhouse survey of 15 players conducted this week in Chicago, would be outfielders Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady.

In that order.

Each of those surveyed was asked to choose as many as three players from the roster -- though they were free to choose fewer -- then rank them in order of preference. Three points were given to a first-place vote, two for second place, one for third.

The results:

McLouth: 37 points

Nady: 30

Jason Bay: 10

Matt Capps: 4

Ryan Doumit: 2

John Grabow: 2

Zach Duke: 1

McLouth received nine first-place votes, Nady six. No one else received one.

The Pirates have had two players in the same All-Star Game just twice in the past 14 years: In 2000, it was Jason Kendall and Brian Giles. Two years ago, when the game was at PNC Park, Bay was voted in as a starter, and Freddy Sanchez was the other.

Should they have two this time?

"I don't know if we should, but we definitely could," shortstop Jack Wilson said. "Nate and X have been two of the best outfielders anywhere, but they usually don't put two guys in the All-Star Game off a team that's not high in the standings. If there are two guys on the fence and one is on a first-place team, he's going to get it. But our guys are very deserving."

GM, manager on same page?

Not much looks worse for a general manager than when he adds a player to the roster, only to have his manager never use that player.

That is what happened, of course, when Neal Huntington promoted Bryan Bullington from Class AAA late last month, only to watch him sit idle for two weeks as John Russell religiously went with other relievers. Bullington was sent back last week without ever having grabbed a baseball in anger.

It was not isolated, either: Evan Meek, while on the roster as a Rule 5 pick, also was avoided. Same with Sean Burnett for much of this month.

"Yeah, I could see how that might look bad from a distance," Huntington said. "But each case was different. In Bullington's case, he was brought up because we needed long innings, and there really was only one opportunity in that time for J.R. to use him in that role."

That came May 31 in St. Louis, when the Pirates blew away the Cardinals, 14-4, and Russell still went with Franquelis Osoria and John Grabow to finish the final three innings. The explanation: The Pirates wanted to save Bullington for the game two days later, if Tom Gorzelanny -- who was fresh off that one-inning implosion in Cincinnati -- needed backup.

"You'll see John use his four back-end guys most of the time, then Osoria for long duty," Huntington said. "Now, we have Sean there, and he's going to have to earn his manager's trust. That's up to the pitchers. They've got to go out and earn those innings. Nobody's entitled to anything on our big-league club. And, on our end, we have to provide John with people who can eat up those innings efficiently."

Second life at second base

Among the many shortcomings of the Pirates' system is a dearth of legitimate middle-infield prospects, one that probably only began to get addressed this week with the signings of shortstops Jordy Mercer and Chase D'Arnaud, their third- and fourth-round draft picks.

But there might be some light.

Shelby Ford was rated No. 6 among the Pirates' prospects by Baseball America before this season, and that stock might be on the rise: His 14-for-41 surge in the past 10 games for Class AA Altoona has driven his overall average to .327, and his other numbers -- no home runs, 12 RBIs -- might be just as impressive had he not missed six weeks to a hip flexor.

In addition to the pop, Ford has the pedigree to make it to the majors, having been previous management's third-round pick in 2006. He has the size, too, at 6 feet 3, 190 pounds, and the good hands, having posted a .989 fielding percentage that led the Class A Carolina League last year.

But range is an issue.

"Shelby Ford has some bat potential," director of player development Kyle Stark said. "Obviously, he has a ways to go, but many of us are encouraged by what we see from him in the box. His biggest challenge is his defense, and we continue to work on that. He has a chance to be an offensive second baseman at some point."

In with the old ...

For all the youth and modernity the Pirates have infused into their talent evaluation, the best way still is the old way sometimes.

In one of management's earliest pre-spring meetings in Bradenton, Fla., the consensus of most of the team officials on hand was that Doumit was best suited to be a right fielder. Or a first baseman. Or anything but a catcher.

But it was senior adviser Chuck Tanner, who will turn 79 this Fourth of July, who spoke up in favor of using Doumit behind the plate, according to another person in that room. And, when some raised dissent because of Doumit's history of injury and defensive deficiencies, Tanner pounded his fist on the table and pointed to several former catchers and asked why they could not improve him.

So, it was done.