It's that time of year again. Free agency is still in its infancy, with much of the winter still ahead. Fans are gearing up for the upcoming holiday season, which means that it's also award season for Major League Baseball.
Some major awards have been handed out to today's brightest stars in the sport. There were also some nominations that the Philadelphia Phillies received in multiple categories, including Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. Bryce Harper took home his fourth Silver Slugger Award and his first as a first baseman. Harper also became only the fourth player to win a Silver Slugger at three different positions (OF, DH and 1B).
The deeper into November, the more meaningful the awards become. Thursday night marked an important one in distinguishing the All-MLB First and Second Teams. These teams are the best players that MLB has to offer so it takes into account their 2024 season along with them as a player overall. The Phillies were well represented by two major stars of their own.
Phillies' top two players earn All MLB honors
Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler and first baseman Bryce Harper earned All-MLB honors for 2024, per MLB.com's Paul Casella. Wheeler was given his first All-MLB First Team in 2024 and, at 34 years old, he still dazzles and performs among the best in baseball. He will likely finish second in the NL Cy Young voting with a career-best 2.57 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He also had 224 strikeouts in 200 innings pitched in 32 starts, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
Bryce Harper was honored with All-MLB Second Team behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. Harper came out of the gate red hot, creating an early battle with Shohei Ohtani for the NL MVP. Harper was also the leading vote-getter for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game. Harper's production stalled a bit in the second half to drop out of the MVP race, but he still finished with a .285 batting average with 30 home runs, 87 RBI and a .898 OPS.
Congratulations to Zack and Bryce on receiving All-MLB honors! pic.twitter.com/vS7oQ7wts7
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) November 15, 2024
Wheeler and Harper were clearly the Phillies' top two players they had on any given day. Wheeler continued to be the dominating ace that earned him a three-year extension last year. Harper again led by example and put the team on his back at times. Harper showed what it truly means to be the face of the Phillies after another spectacular year.
There are no two better candidates to earn the All-MLB honors in Wheeler and Harper. Those two give the Phillies the best chance to bring a championship back to Philadelphia and deserve the recognition for being among the best in the sport. Phillies fans are lucky to call these players their own, at the top of their game and still within striking distance of a World Series.