Street. Lewis – Kyle Schwarber, whose June blast of strength helped turn the Phillies season on, was named to the National League All-Star roster on Sunday.
Schwarber, voted on by his teammates, is the team’s second pick in the MLB All-Star Game, which will be played a week later Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. It was Bryce Harper Initially voted the designated hitter in NL At the fan vote, he will not be able to attend due to a broken left thumb.
Schwarber’s choice was no surprise. Leading the NL with 28 homers, two shy of New York Yankee Aaron Judge leads the league lead.
Surprisingly enough, Schwarber will not be joined by Zach Wheeler or Aaron Nola for the All-Star Game. Neither was selected despite being ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in Fangraphs WAR for the NL starting pitchers.
“It’s obviously always something you want to be in your profession,” Schwarber said of his all-star status. “I think there are a lot of all-stars in this room that very much deserve it and that’s kind of a shame. I hope they can make it somehow.”
Schwarber stated that Wheeler, Nola, Seranthony Dominguez and Rhys Hoskins deserve their teammates.
Schwarber, 29, made his first All-Star team last year with Washington but did not play in the game due to a right hamstring injury. He’s excited to have time to play this year’s game.
“It is certainly an honor to be representing the Phyllis,” he said. “I don’t think I’d be here without the people around me, my teammates, and the staff. This is something that’s hanging around the room for everyone.”
Schwarber will be invited to participate in the Home Run Derby the night before the match. He’s hesitant if he’s going to do that.
“I’m up in the air now, I say 50-50,” he said. “I will make a decision in the next couple of days. I want to see how my body is. It’s something off my list of things. I did it once in 2018 and it’s fun. But it’s also stressful. You weigh the pros and cons.”
Schwarber signed a four-year, $78 million contract with the Phillies in March and made a huge impact on the club through his production and leadership in his first season in Philadelphia.
After a slow start, it exploded in June. He packed 12 homers and drove in 27 runs while scoring an OPS of 1,065 and was named NL Player of the Month. Phils went to 19-8 in June and went from eight dead games under .500 to three active games. The team’s hot streak continued into July. The Phils are 6-3 in the month and dominate the NL’s third and final wild card place as the match progresses over the Cardinals.
Wheeler, runner-up to last year’s NL Cy Young Award, is having another great season. Running in 14 runs is not allowed more than two rounds starting this month and ranks 5th in the NL in ERA (2.46) and 10th in WHIP (1.05).
Wheeler’s body language suggests some disappointment at not being selected for the team.
“It could have been a privilege,” he said. “But that’s what it is. I’m going to spend time with my family.”
Wheeler can still be selected as a filling agent. It’s not uncommon for shooters to drop out of an All-Star game based on their workload in the days leading up to the event.
Nola, who bid for the Phillies against the Cardinals on Monday night, ranks 14th in the league with a 3.15 ERA, but is second in innings (score 111) in strokes (120), and fourth in WHIP (0.93).
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