Phillies updated top five 2018 All-Star Game candidates

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 11: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies is congratulated by Rhys Hoskins #17 after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the first inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on May 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

With the 2018 MLB All-Star Game less than a month away, let’s take another look at the Phillies top five All-Star candidates this year.

The MLB All-Star Game is less than a month away with the game set to take place July 17 in Washington, D.C. The last few years, the Phillies have only gotten a representative mainly because every team gets one. However, there are some truly deserving candidates on the team this year.

While Philadelphia doesn’t have any players that rank highly in All-Star voting, there are several who have a good chance of making it via manager’s selection and/or the final vote. With that in mind, let’s take a look at their top five All-Star candidates this year.

Jake Arrieta

Jake Arrieta was easily the Phillies’ biggest signing since Cliff Lee after the 2010 season. He brought the star power and postseason experience the team has been lacking for a few years now. He has outperformed expectations and may now be on the way to his second career All-Star Game.

Arrieta got a late start to the year after missing half of spring training, but that hasn’t stopped him at all. In 14 starts, he has a 3.42 ERA, 1.228 WHIP, and 3.97 fielding-independent pitching. Arrieta has turned himself into a ground-ball pitcher, ranking third in MLB with a 55.6 percent ground-ball rate.

Arrieta started off the month of June rough, but he bounced back this week with a six-inning, three-run performance against the Cardinals. He will still get four more starts before the All-Star Game and could climb into the conversation for a spot on the roster.

Rhys Hoskins

If I wrote this article at the beginning of June, Rhys Hoskins would not be on the list. He was mired in a major slump before hitting the disabled list. After returning, he looks like the player he was to start the season.

Since coming back from the disabled list June 9, Hoskins has a tremendous .348 batting average with four home runs, four doubles, eight walks, and nine strikeouts in 12 games. His 1.143 OPS prior to Friday’s game is significantly better than his April OPS of .985 (although obviously over a smaller stretch of games).

Due to his poor May, Hoskins has an overall line of .257/.378/.473 with a 132 wRC+, 10 home runs, 41 runs batted in, and 39 runs scored. His overall numbers are dragged down by that poor month, so he will have to maintain his recent strong performance to make his first All-Star Game.

Seranthony Dominguez

A year after reliever Pat Neshek was the Phillies’ lone representative in the All-Star Game, another Philadelphia bullpen arm could be representing the team.

Seranthony Dominguez has become Gabe Kapler’s go-to reliever in the first month and a half of his major-league career. His rise to the majors from Double-A this year is well-documented. With the rest of the bullpen struggling, Dominguez as emerged as the top reliever.

Dominguez has given up just four runs and three walks in 22.1 innings this year, striking out 29 batters. Among NL relievers with 20 or more innings pitched this year, he ranks 12th in ERA, fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio, second in WHIP, and fifth in fielding-independent pitching. His ability to pitch multiple innings in close games could give him an added boost over other potential All-Star relievers.

Odubel Herrera

Odubel Herrera is the lone Phillie to rank among the top vote-getters on the All-Star ballot. As of Tuesday, he ranked 12th among NL outfielders with 263,903 votes. The starting NL outfield is likely set with Atlanta’s Nick Markakis, Washington’s Bryce Harper, and Los Angeles’s Matt Kemp holding the top three spots by a wide margin. With Herrera ranking more than 660,000 votes behind Kemp, he isn’t making the game as a starter.

Aaron Nola

Aaron Nola has been Philadelphia’s top All-Star candidate all season long and it’s not even close. In 15 starts this year, he has a 2.55 ERA, 3.62 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 1.01 WHIP. He ranks third among NL pitchers in Fangraphs wins above replacement (2.7) and second in Baseball Reference WAR (4.2).

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Nola is nearly guaranteed a spot on the All-Star team this year. There is a good chance he could even start with the way he is pitching. The other two pitchers in the running with Nola are Washington’s Max Scherzer and New York’s Jacob deGrom. Scherzer ranks first in fWAR while deGrom ranks first in bWAR. Both obviously are more recognizable names than Nola and Scherzer may get the advantage because the game is being held in Washington.

What could also keep Nola from starting is that he is slated to start the last game of the first half if the team uses a Triple-A starter in the May 9 doubleheader against the Mets. Nola could still be allowed to pitch in the All-Star Game even if he starts that Sunday, but it’s not a guarantee.

Next: Pat Neshek injury update: Rehab assignment began

Who ultimately starts the game will boil down to who performs the best over the next few weeks. Even if Nola doesn’t get to start, he should still be a lock for the roster.

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