Philadelphia Phillies players aren’t happy that the MLB named Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski to the All-Star Game.
Misiorowski has only started five games in the MLB, and although he has been stellar, many Phillies players weren’t happy with the decision. Phillies shortstop Trea Turner felt like Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez should have been picked over the rookie.
“What a joke,” Turner said to The Athletic. “That’s (expletive) terrible. I mean, that’s terrible, dude… I mean, it’s not the All-Star Game in the sense that the best players go there, or people who have had the best season. It’s whoever sells the most tickets or has been put on social media the most. That’s essentially what it’s turned into.”
Phillies catcher, J.T. Realmuto, agreed as he felt Sánchez and Suárez were the most obvious All-Star replacements.
“That’s just how MLB does it now,” Realmuto said. “Nothing against the Misiorowski kid. But those two (Sánchez and Suárez) are deserving of being on the team in the first place. There’s no doubt.”
Nick Castellanos, meanwhile, didn’t mince words as he ripped the MLB for naming the rookie to the All-Star game.
“It’s turning into the Savannah Bananas,” Castellanos said.
Misiorowski is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 5 starts this season. Sánchez, meanwhile, is 7-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 18 starts, while Suárez is 7-3 with a 1.94 ERA in 13 starts with the Phillies.
Phillies’ Sánchez Ineligible to be Named an All-Star
Although the Phillies thought Sánchez and Suárez should be All-Stars, Sánchez isn’t eligible to play in the game.
Sánchez is set to start the Phillies game on Sunday, which means he isn’t eligible to pitch in the All-Star Game. However, Philadelphia players felt like Sánchez deserved to be named an All-Star and then replaced.
“That shouldn’t be the case,” Realmuto said.
“He should be named an All-Star still,” Schwarber added.
“That’s unacceptable that they can’t name him an All-Star and do the same thing (to replace him),” Turner said. “So the only excuse that that guy’s not in the All-Star Game is that he can’t pitch that day? That’s terrible.”
Schwarber believes being named to an All-Star Game is something players still want, even if they don’t play in the game.
“When they announce guys on the field, when it’s the throwback day or the 10-year reunion,” Schwarber said, “it’s, ‘He was an X-time All-Star.’”
Suárez, meanwhile, was asked to pitch in the Game, but he wanted the rest. However, Schwarber believes the MLB still should have named him an All-Star before asking if he was available, as they do with other All-Stars.
“Even if you’re going to ask him that, then he should be labeled an All-Star at that point,” Schwarber said. “Not just if you can pitch.”
The Phillies are 54-40 and atop the NL East.
Phillies’ Castellanos Shares Theory Behind All-Star Game
Castellanos believes the All-Star Game is no longer about the best players, but rather the most marketable.
The outfielder says players’ names and hype get them into the game every year, and not their play this season.
“Major League Baseball is really just focusing on the most marketable players,” Castellanos said. “So the fact that they can have somebody in the game that is going to basically blow out one inning and throw 103, 104 (mph), they’re going to get more eyeballs on baseball. They’re going to think it’s getting more popular.”
Castellanos believes that is the reason why Misiorowski was named to the All-Star Game.
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