Is the tremendous honor worth it?
You could make a case that Zack Wheeler is one of the most underrated players in baseball. Yes, he is the unquestioned ace of a Phillies staff that is putting up some historic numbers. Yes, he’s been arguably the best pitcher in baseball since arriving in Philadelphia in 2020. But he hasn’t exactly racked up the accolades to go with his illustrious Phillies tenure.
Wheeler was named to his third All-Star game this year, his third in six years as a Phillie. But he is still searching for his elusive Cy Young Award, the hardware he was the runner up for in his other two All-Star seasons. He has also never started the Midsummer classic, losing out to then rookie phenom Paul Skenes last season. He is certainly a worthy candidate again this season, as Wheeler leads all pitchers in WAR (4.8) and leads the NL in WHIP (0.84), strikeout percentage (33.6%), and opponent’s average against (.177) in addition to being second in ERA (2.17), wins (9), innings pitched (116) and quality starts (14).
Wheeler’s last start of the first half will be tomorrow, thus putting him in line to at least throw a couple of innings as a starter at the All-Star game on Tuesday. It would be a tremendous honor for Wheeler to be sure, as he is a Georgia native and the game is being played in Atlanta. Maybe it would finally add that little extra punch to his Cy Young case at the end of the year so he could finally add the trophy to his collection and bolster his Hall of Fame chances after his impending retirement following 2027.
But of course, there are some practical reasons for Wheeler not to pitch at the game. After all, the All-Star game is purely an exhibition, as it no longer determines who has home field advantage in the World Series. The Phillies will need all the innings from Wheeler they can get in the second half, as they look to cobble together a competent bullpen and to override their offensive peaks and valleys while locked in a dogfight with the Mets for first place in the NL East.
So, do you want Zack Wheeler to start the All-Star game? Would he be your choice? Or would you rather he sits out and refrains from pitching in Atlanta in order to prepare for the second d half of the season?