He would not be so bold as to suggest that he ever projected Jacoby Ellsbury as a Major League Baseball All-Star. But Brent Moschetti will tell you he always knew Ellsbury was going to be an outstanding center fielder.

“Jacoby had a great bat, but not that much above everybody else,” says Moschetti, recalling Ellsbury’s role with the Jefferson County Senior Little League All-Star team Moschetti coached in 1999. “But he had the speed even then. We had him in center field, and we had our other outfielders play real tight to the (foul lines) and told ’em not to worry about it, because Jacoby’ll get to everything hit in between.

“He was just so quick.”

Ellsbury represented Jefferson County on several Little League All-Star teams while growing up in Madras.

He’s an All-Star again this season, but this time in the big leagues: Tonight, at Chase Field in Phoenix, he will represent the Boston Red Sox as a reserve for the American League in the 2011 Midsummer Classic.

The All-Star designation is a first in the big leagues for the 27-year-old Ellsbury, who is in his fifth major league season.

But before he was a rising star with the Red Sox, before he helped lead Oregon State to its first College World Series appearance in more than 50 years in 2005, before batting .357 as an 18-year-old for the Bend Elks in summer 2002, and even before an all-state senior year at Madras High School, Ellsbury was taking his first steps toward stardom in Jefferson County Little League.

“He was always the best athlete,” remembers Dallas Stovall, who coached an 11-year-old Ellsbury who had made the Jefferson County All-Star team for the Oregon District 5 12-and-under tournament. “I had a lot of other good players. But he was always, physically, the top athlete.”

So Stovall made Ellsbury his catcher — even though Ellsbury is a left-hander and the catching position is typically occupied by a right-handed thrower.

“That was never going to be a permanent spot for him,” Stovall reflects. “But he was the best guy I had, and you’ve got to have a good catcher. That way he was in every play, and he’d see the ball more, and I think that made him a better hitter too.”

Stovall saw other qualities in young Ellsbury that hinted at a successful future in baseball.

“He never criticized a teammate,” Stovall recalls. “Jacoby was always enthusiastic. He was quiet, but he’d get vocal if he needed to.”

Stovall was an assistant coach for Moschetti with the Jefferson County Senior Little League All-Star squad in 1999. That team, with Ellsbury playing center field and batting leadoff, and with what the coaches remember as a strong supporting cast, won district and state championships before losing in the finals of a six-state regional tournament.

“We just had a great bunch of kids who basically all grew up together,” says Moschetti. “And Jacoby … he was an extraordinary athlete.”

Like many Central Oregonians, Ellsbury’s former coaches have payed close attention to his ascent through high school and college, then through the minor leagues and to a World Series appearance in 2007 — his first season with the Red Sox.

“Having coached him and being around him when he was younger, and then watching him in high school, I knew he’d be a great college player,” says Moschetti, who subscribes to NESN (New England Sports Network) so he can see virtually all of Ellsbury’s games with the Red Sox. “But to say I knew then that he’d be doing what he’s doing now … to be honest, I’m not gonna say I did.

“You just don’t think a kid out of a little town like Madras, Oregon … ”

Stovall says he records many of Ellsbury’s televised games and, as a self-described “technique junkie,” breaks down his former player’s swing. He has not, however, been moved to offer advice.

“Oh no,” says Stovall. “He’s doing fine without me.”

Jacoby at the All-Star break

Batting average .316 (fifth in American League)

Hits 114 (third in AL)

Runs 62 (sixth in AL)

Doubles 26 (tied for third in AL)

Home runs 11 (career high)

Runs batted in 49

Stolen bases 28 (first in AL)

Batting average.316 (fifth in American League)

Hits114 (third in AL)

Runs62 (sixth in AL)

Doubles26 (tied for third in AL)

Home runs11 (career high)

Runs batted in49

Stolen bases28 (first in AL)