Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler is very angry that he is being left off the National League All-Star team. And he has a point.
Wheeler is 9-1 this season with a stellar 2.28 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched. Numbers like that are almost, without fail, good enough to get an All-Star Game invite.
However, on Tuesday, Major League Baseball announced that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo, and St. Louis Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien were being added to the National League All-Star roster. Zack Wheeler, however, was not.
Then, just to show how crazy it is that the team left him off, Zack Wheeler went out and struck out a career-high 14 batters over seven innings in a 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
“That was about as good as I’ve seen him,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said about Wheeler’s performance.
After the game, reporters asked Wheeler about being snubbed for the Midsummer Classic
“That was a reminder for whoever needs to be reminded,” he told reporters. “So, it p—– me off, and it’s kind of B.S. So, maybe if I wasn’t necessarily right in there, I wouldn’t be saying this. But I feel like I’ve earned it. … Just because I pitch on a certain day, I can’t pitch an All-Star Game, or even be there, or get the recognition for it.”
Even if he pitched on Sunday, Wheeler said he would make himself available for the All-Star Game, especially since they were holding it at Citizens Bank Park – his home field.
“I feel fine the second and third days [after a start], when I usually throw my bullpen,” Wheeler said. “So I’d be fine throwing an inning, but it’s not even an option, I guess.”
Phillies manager Don Mattingly and slugger Kyle Schwarber agree with Wheeler
“Wheels does not get the attention nationally,” said Mattingly. “Even like Harp, right? Harp, you’re around long enough and you’re good every year, you start to always [say], ‘Oh, who’s the next new thing? What’s the next new thing happening?’ And those guys get a lot of attention, and they probably deserve it, which is fine. But you start to forget about those guys a little bit, because they’re not on the tip of your tongue. They’re not on the tip of MLB Tonight and things like that.”
For the record, unlike in years past, these days, pitchers for the MLB All-Star Game are selected through a combination of the Player Ballot and the Commissioner’s Office. Players vote to select eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers) for their respective leagues’ rosters, while Major League Baseball selects the remaining four pitchers to complete the staff.
“It just sucks that we have to deal with it,” said Schwarber. “We dealt with it last year, we dealt with it this year. When someone deserves it, someone that’s putting up numbers deserves it, you want them to just get that nod.”
“They could have did it a few different ways,” Wheeler added. “Maybe put me in, but not necessarily be chosen right away. But, I feel like I was right there. … You figure they would have a clue about it by now, with how many All-Star Games they’ve had.”