Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler clearly deserved an All-Star selection this year, and the fact that he was left off the roster has clearly gotten under his skin. Following a dominant 14-strikeout performance against the Reds on Tuesday night—a 4–1 Phillies victory Wheeler made his frustration known, calling out MLB not only for overlooking him initially but also for passing him over when the first round of replacement pitchers was announced.
“It pisses me off,” Wheeler stated. “It’s kind of BS. 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.”
On Tuesday, the National League added Braxton Ashcraft (Pirates), Jesús Luzardo (Phillies), and Riley O’Brien (Cardinals) to replace Max Meyer (Marlins), Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), and Paul Skenes (Pirates). Meyer, Skenes, and Misiorowski are all scheduled to start on Sunday, and league rules state that pitchers who start the final game before the All-Star break are ineligible to appear in the Midsummer Classic.
Wheeler falls into that same category, as he’s lined up to start Philadelphia’s last game of the first half. Still, he could have been named to the roster just like Meyer, Misiorowski, and Skenes were and received the All-Star recognition, even if he later had to be replaced on the active squad. This year’s All-Star Game is being held at Citizens Bank Park, which would have given Wheeler the chance to acknowledge the home crowd and vice versa.
“I feel fine the second and third days (after a start), when I usually throw my bullpen,” Wheeler added, making his case for why he could actually pitch in the game. “So I’d be fine throwing an inning, but it’s not even an option, I guess.”
When a fan-voted starter for the All-Star Game is unavailable, the next highest vote-getter takes his place. Beyond that, MLB handles the selection of replacements, with pitchers replacing pitchers, position players replacing position players, and each team required to have at least one representative. Aside from those parameters, there are no set guidelines for who gets chosen as a replacement.
Tuesday’s gem moved Wheeler to 9–1 with a 2.28 ERA across 14 starts this season. His advanced metrics are equally impressive: a 3.12 FIP, a 2.70 expected ERA, and a 4.90 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Despite not making his season debut until April 25 following surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome Wheeler ranks 18th among all pitchers with 2.9 WAR.
Now in his seventh year with the Phillies, Wheeler is a three-time All-Star and two-time runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award. Tuesday’s victory, paired with Atlanta’s loss to Pittsburgh (12–4), pulled Philadelphia within two games of the NL East lead their closest margin since April 13. As recently as June 7, they had been 9 ½ games back.
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