Phillies: 3 players who could make the All-Star team
How many Phillies make an appearance during the Midsummer Classic?
Phillies and the All-Star Game don’t typically go hand-in-hand, especially during their recent rebuilding efforts. Since 2014 the club has only sent one player as a representative, those being Pat Neshek, Jonathan Papelbon, Odubel Herrera, and Chase Utley.
Even the year prior, Dominic Brown and Cliff Lee were nothing fantastic in terms of representatives. Gone are the days when the club had five players on the National League roster, such as 2011 when Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Lee, Placido Polanco, and Shane Victorino played in Arizona.
Appearing to be on the closing end of a rebuild the Phillies stand to have multiple representatives in the nation’s capital. Here are three who have a legitimate shot at representing Philadelphia.
Aaron Nola
An argument can be made that Aaron Nola has been the best pitcher in baseball about a quarter of the way through the 2018 season. The 24-year-old’s 2.9 WAR is the best in baseball among pitchers, and the next National League arm is Max Scherzer at 2.2.
Scherzer and Nola are locked into a battle for the National League lead in most pitching statistics, such as wins, ERA, and home runs per nine innings. Nola is one win behind Scherzer for the most in baseball with seven, and has the sixth-best ERA in baseball at 1.99 through nine starts.
After being called a solid number three starter last year by manager Pete Mackanin, Nola has proven to be a young ace who could potentially lead the club in a championship run. The dog days of summer will be his ultimate test, but as of this moment, Nola is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and deserves to be at the All-Star game, and potentially start.
Odubel Herrera
No hitter in baseball has been as consistent this season than Odubel Herrera, who leads the league with a 41-game on-base streak, the fifth-longest in Phillies history. Coaches always said Herrera could someday contend for a batting title, which is exactly what he’s doing 39 games into the season.
Herrera leads the National League with a .360 batting average, just .02% behind Boston’s Mookie Betts for the best in baseball. He’s got the third-best on-base percentage in the National League (second among outfielders), second in the National League in hits with 50, and first among National League hitters with a 2.1 WAR.
Simply said, Herrera is not just a candidate to represent Philadelphia for a second time, but a candidate to start behind Nola in centerfield during the All-Star game.
Jake Arrieta
The Phillies prized free agent ace Jake Arrieta has been everything fans have hoped for this season. Reinventing himself slightly after his Cy Young season in Chicago, Arrieta is 3-1 with a terrific 2.59 ERA in seven starts.
While the statistics aren’t mindblowing with 27 strikeouts and 14 walks in 41.1 innings, Arrieta has been consistent with a .432 home runs per nine innings, fourth best among National League pitchers.
Name recognition and effectiveness will push Arrieta into the All-Star conversation when players and coaches get their votes in. Six strong weeks could make up for Arrieta missing the first week of the season, and potentially have him appearing as a reliever during the All-Star game.
Next: 5 relievers the Phillies could target at the trade deadline
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