MLB All-Star Game: 2 Phillies To Represent National League
The Philadelphia Phillies will send two players to the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15. Zack Wheeler and Kyle Schwarber will represent the club for the National…
The Philadelphia Phillies will send two players to the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15.
Zack Wheeler and Kyle Schwarber will represent the club for the National League All-Star team. However, three worthy candidates won’t travel to the home of the Atlanta Braves. Trea Turner, the NL leader in hits, and dominant lefties Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez were left off Dave Roberts’ roster for the Midsummer Classic.
“We announced it to the team, and everybody was very happy for them (Wheeler and Schwarber). I told them too that I’m a little disappointed because we have a bunch of other guys that are deserving to be there. Maybe they’ll get there with people not wanting to go or can’t pitch.”
-Rob Thomson
Shohei Ohtani will start as the designated hitter for the National League All-Star team. Schwarber will be available off the bench.
Roberts will announce the starting pitcher in the coming days.
Zack Wheeler
Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images9-3, 2.17 ERA, 0.84 WHIP (18 starts)
3rd All-Star Selection
An All-Star selection was a given. The question about Zack Wheeler is whether he'll get the nod as the National League’s starting pitcher.
Wheeler earned NL Pitcher of the Month honors with a stunning string of five starts with 31 innings, two earned runs, and 42 strikeouts in June.
He somehow upstaged himself to begin the month of July. Wheeler threw possibly his most dominant outing of the season against the Cincinnati Reds, allowing one solo home run in a complete game.
The fierce right-hander has expanded his deep arsenal of pitches throughout an 11-year career in the big leagues. His nasty four-seam fastball sits around 96 miles per hour, and he effectively mixes in his sinker and cut fastball with high velocity. He’s developed his breaking pitches with a deceiving sweeper as a great putaway pitch.
Wheeler throws beyond velocity and spin rate as effectively as any major league pitcher with an approach that pushes Ricky Bottalico to praise him consistently on 97.5 The Fanatic.
Thomson summarized Wheeler’s performance most simply after a routine, dominant start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 17.
“Velocity was up, and he held it. All his stuff was good. Ball to strike ratio. It’s the same quotes. You can take your quotes from the last 20 starts. Just fill it in.”
-Rob Thomson
Paul Skenes is the only real competition for the National League All-Star starter. He outdoes Wheeler in ERA, the most central stat for a pitcher. However, Wheeler holds the advantage in innings pitched, strikeouts, WHIP, and opponent batting average.
Jayson Stark suspects that about 27 of 30 major league teams would have the same answer to the age-old question:
Who would you choose of any MLB pitcher to start Game 7 of the World Series?
It’s Zack Wheeler, and the other three teams are wrong.
Kyle Schwarber
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images.251/.383/.541
27 home runs, 63 RBI
3rd All-Star Selection
Bryce Harper grabs more attention with his larger than life superstardom. However, Kyle Schwarber has actually been the most productive hitter on the Phillies since he signed his four-year contract to join the club entering the 2022 season.
Only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani – the indisputable two best hitters in the majors – have hit more home runs than Schwarber during that span.
Schwarber leads the Phillies in home runs, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks, and total bases in 2025. He’s even stolen eight bases in nine tries this season.
A lineup that looked thin at several points during the first half leaned heavily on Schwarber’s power bat. His excellence has upheld the imperfections of a flawed first-place team in great position to make a run in the second half.
The impending free agent also brings immeasurable value to the Phillies as a clubhouse leader.
“He’s the best man-to-man leader in the Phillies clubhouse that I’ve seen… Jimmy (Rollins) was a leader, but I just think that the way that Kyle kind of bonds with guys —with everybody — and the way he talks to people and the calming effect.”
