Philadelphia Phillies All-Star studs, snubs and no-shows…
We’re just about a month away from the 2019 MLB All-Star Game. It’s fair to start thinking about which Philadelphia Phillies will make the cut and which still have some work to do.
Here at NJBetting.com, we ran down the Phillies roster and broke it down to see who we can expect to be there, who is on the fence and who are the complete longshots. Here’s a look:
PROBABLE 2019 MLB ALL-STARS
Cesar Hernandez
Out of anyone on this team, I think Cesar is the most deserving to get an invite to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game. He’s been snubbed before for bigger names and lower numbers, but if it happens again this year it will be a travesty.
Cesar Hernandez should receive an invite to the Midsummer Classic based on his 2019 MLB offensive numbers alone. He leads all National League second basemen in terms of batting average, about 10 points higher than second-place. He’s also fifth in RBI’s and runs scored and WAR. He was on fire in the month of May, batting .328 while knocking in 19 runs.
He faces an uphill battle as he’s not exactly a household name, so he probably won’t get the votes to start. But his production is enough for him to be on the team.
Let’s make sure he gets the accolades he deserves: VOTE NOW
JT Realmuto
JT Realmuto is arguably the best catcher in baseball, so he’s a good bet to be there. Sure, he has to compete with Wilson Contreras and Yasmani Grandal, but three National League catchers get named and JT is definitely one of the guys on this team that deserves the starting nod.
He’s currently tied for the lead (with Yadier Molina) for most RBI’s in the National League with 33. He’s the clear leader at the position in WAR in the National League.
Bryce Harper
It’s hard to envision the All-Star Game happening without one of the game’s biggest stars, Bryce Harper. He’s made the team every single year except for 2014. Although his stat line isn’t leading in any major stat categories he is still one of the most popular players in the game, and whether deserving or not… that will definitely help his chances once again.
Early on, it looked like there could be a chance that he’d miss out but he’s played much better in May. In May, Harper batted .255 with an .811 OPS. He had four home runs, 11 doubles and 21 RBI’s in the month. If he keeps that up, he’ll grab a spot on the team.
ON THE FENCE
Jean Segura
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Segura made his second straight All-Star team but he’s got a bit of a climb. There’s lot of talent at the position in the National League with guys like Trevor Storey, Javier Baez and Ketel Marte.
He currently ranks 4th with a .287 AVG and a .339 OBP among other NL shortstops. His WAR has dropped to 0.8, which puts him outside of the Top 10 at the position. He’ll need a hot month of June to get in.
2019 MLB All-Star Game Ballot – VOTE NOW
Aaron Nola
There aren’t many Phillies pitchers that are going to get All-Star looks but Nola should. Even if he is having a down year from the 2018 season. While his 4.18 ERA ranks him 36th in the National League, some of his other numbers should help the case.
He’s currently 6-1 and while wins don’t mean much with pitching, it does tend to help with MLB All-Star nods. Before his most recent loss, he has fantastic over his last seven starts, giving up just 11 earned runs in that span. He’ll need to get back on that pace after his first loss and keep it for him to be selected again.
JUST A BIT OUTSIDE
Rhys Hoskins
It would be nice to see Rhys Hoskins in the All-Star Game but the challenge is that only three first basemen make the cut and there are a lot of good options ahead of him.
Pete Alonso is making a good case as he leads all NL players at the position with 19 home runs. He did bat .232 in May, so that leaves the door open. However, Josh Bell leads the first baseman class with a 1.077 OPS and has 18 home runs and a league-high 53 RBI’s. He’s batting .332; only one other first baseman in the NL is batting over .300. Speaking of which, that would be Freddie Freeman, who is making a good case himself.
The good news for Hoskins is he’s first in OBP, fifth in home runs, fifth in OPS and fourth in RBI’s among other NL first basemen. He’s not far off but he’ll need a very strong June to get some notoriety. This is a crowded position.
Scott Kingery
Kingery would be a shoe-in all-star if it wasn’t for him only having 83 at bat’s so far this year. In the beginning of the year he wasn’t an every day starter, and then just when he was starting to heat up, Kingery was hit with the injury bug and missed quite a bit of time.
Although Kingery has a .325 AVG, .894 OPS and a SLG % of .530… he just doesn’t have enough playing time to qualify among the elite NL players. But, with him being an extreme utility player with several positions played, his chances of being an all-star could increase because he can basically play anywhere on the field.
Kingery needs to play every day without any decrease in any of his stat lines for him to have an outside shot of making the 2019 MLB All-Star Game. But I hope I’m wrong. I hope he gets picked be a 2019 MLB All-Star. Good luck, kid.
MAYBE NEXT YEAR
Andrew McCutchen
He’s a five-time All-Star, former MVP, and the Phillies are very happy with what he has brought to the team so far. Unfortunately leadership usually isn’t the most important factor of making an all-star game.
McCutchen has a WAR of 1.7 – but he barely makes the top 10 in most categories among NL outfielders. He has 10 home runs but is batting merely .256 with just two stolen bases. His best number is his runs scored (45), which ties him for the sixth-most in the Majors.
He needs a very strong month in June but even then, there are too many outfielders ahead of him.
Jake Arrieta
Arrieta has been decent for the Phillies as he has a 3.56 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Unfortunately, All-Stars usually rank better than 28th and 36th in those categories, respectively. He’s also 26th in strikeouts, 26th in WAR and 40th in opponent batting average.
Sometimes, a pitcher who does well with wins can gain notoriety for All-Star votes (even when the peripheral numbers aren’t great) but we don’t have that with Arrieta. The Phillies have actually lost four of the last six times he’s pitched.
Check out new voting guide for the 2019 MLB All-Star Game
Claim free bets, promo codes and bonus offers at the top NJ online sportsbooks around:
