PITTSBURGH - Explaining Jack Wilson's success at the plate this season is simple.

All the Pirate shortstop had to do was listen - to himself.

Wilson, 26, entered this season with a .246 lifetime batting average in three big league seasons. His career-high was .256 last year.

"Talking to younger players like Tike Redman and Jose Castillo about hitting, one of the things I said was you get 500 to 600 at bats in a season, so don't worry if you go 0-for-3," Wilson said. "There's another 597 at bats to go.

"I figured if I'm going to be giving advice, I better learn to follow it myself."

Wilson admittedly used to start pressing at the plate if he'd go hitless in a game.

Not anymore.

"Jack's been going deeper in the count - though I still wish he'd walk a lot more - and he's using the entire field to hit," Pirate manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He's covering the breaking ball better and he's not worried about getting jammed.

"If a pitcher beats him, he's not concerned. He just tips his hat and comes right back with the same approach."

That approach has been working wonders. Wilson was batting .340 - sixth in the National League - and leading the circuit with 112 hits Sunday morning when McClendon informed him he had made the NL's all-star squad.

Wilson received more votes from other major league players than any other player.

"That means the world to me," he said.

Wilson's career high in hits is 143, set last year. He has at least 10 more hits than any other National Leaguer - San Diego's Mark Loretta has 102 - and he is one of only six players in the senior circuit with at least 100 hits thus far in 2004.

Wilson also leads the league in triples with seven, multi-hit games with 32 and is among the league leaders in total bases. He has walked only nine times in 344 plate appearances.

He already has 21 doubles and eight homers this season. Wilson's previous career-highs in those categories are 22 and nine, respectively.

"I'm proud of him," McClendon said. "Jack Wilson is still a young guy and he's made himself into an outstanding player."

While making the All-Star Game wasn't one of Wilson's goals, he could see it coming.

"I started thinking about it a while ago, when family members kept calling me and telling me the batting averages of the other shortstops," Wilson said.

"I was always taught to just go out and play the game the best I can. I've always played that way. My goal was never to become an all-star or even make it to the major leagues.

"That attitude helped to get me drafted, got me through rookie ball, Class A to Class AA, to the big leagues, then back to the big leagues after I was demoted," he added.

The last time Wilson played in an all-star game was in the Class AA Texas League as a member of Little Rock, Ark., in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

He was named MVP Of that game. Wilson was traded to the Pirates for relief pitcher Jason Christiansen shortly thereafter.

Wilson has started 77 of the Pirates' first 79 games this season. He hit the first inside-the-park home run in PNC Park history Friday night.

"When Mac told me the news (of making the NL all-star team), I actually felt nervous going out on the field," Wilson said. "I haven't had that type of feeling for a couple of years now.

"I'm going to be pretty restless for the next week or so. I guess it'll hit me that I'm there when I'm sitting in the grass with my son in Houston watching the home run hitting contest."

There's still a chance Wilson will be accompanied by a Pirate teammate to Houston. Catcher Jason Kendall is one of five players on the MLB.com ballot for the final NL all-star berth.

Kendall is batting .312 and leads all major league catchers in games played this season. He is a three-time National League all-star.

"Jason has been a workhorse for us," McClendon said. "He goes out there every day, even when he's extremely tired, and performs at a very high level.

"He's the leader of this team and I hope he gets there."

Fans can long on to MLB.com and vote through Wednesday.