July 08, 2026
Aaron Doster/Imagn Images
Zack Wheeler has been as good as any pitcher in MLB but has been a major All-Star snub.
It's been nearly an entire generation's worth of sports since Philadelphia last hosted the All-Star Game in any of the four major sports. In 2002, Allen Iverson won All-Star MVP at the then First Union Center. In 1996, Mike Piazza won MVP in the MLB's last event in the city, at Veteran's Stadium. And in 1992 the old Spectrum hosted the second of its two NHL All-Star games.
It's a been a special sports year for the city of Philadelphia, and the Phillies will be extremely well represented with six All-Stars next week (Brandon Marsh, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Jhoan Duran, Cris Sánchez and late addition Jesús Luzardo).
Baseball's All-Star Game remains the most pure and the most worth watching every year. This in contrast to the other sports which have all had some pretty recent struggles to field any kind of entertaining product:
• The NFL simply gave up, turning their once destination event in Hawaii into a flag football game in central Florida and variety of tacky skill contests. Additionally, Pro Bowl nods have become a total joke, with quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Sheduer Sanders earning trips to the event as replacements last year.
• The NBA has struggled too, trying many different iterations on All-Star Weekend, most recently their USA vs. World event with three different teams of stars playing a round robin. Before that, they tried having players draft eachother to make teams. The Slam Dunk Contest has also not been worth watching for decades now, due to stars and even role players chickening out from participating.
• The NHL does have fun with its skill competitions, but they've also tinkered endlessly with the All-Star Game's format, most recently going to three-on-three games (which aren't bad by the way). The league didn't even have a game in 2026 due to the Olympics and they don't consistently hold the event anymore.
Major League Baseball sort of has an edge with its All-Star Game. There is little to no injury risk. There isn't really a risk of embarrassment either. The players named to the respective NL and AL rosters are able to do exactly what they do the other 162 days of the season, and the games have always resembled regular games.
The Home Run Derby is also consistently a draw for the best sluggers in the game, and despite tinkering with the format, promises to be electric in 2026 (with Schwarber and Harper likely to participate in their home ballpark).
However, letting the fans pick the starters hasn't always put the best product on the field. And somehow, the league makes even bigger mistakes picking reserves and replacements.
On Tuesday night, Zack Wheeler, arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the last six years, struck out a career high 14 in a win over the Reds, lowering his season ERA to 2.28 (almost half a run lower than Sánchez) and putting him at 4.3 WAR for the season so far (not far from Sánchez' league-best 5.0).
Wheeler isn't on the team. His teammate, Luzardo, was added a few days ago instead.
No disrespect for Luzardo, who too is deserving — but it's a pretty wild mistake.
Luzardo has a 3.75 ERA and 2.4 WAR. Is there any logic to it at all?
"That was a reminder for whoever needs to be reminded," Wheeler told reporters Tuesday evening after fanning 14. "So, it pisses me off, and it's kind of B.S. So, maybe if I wasn't necessarily right in there, I wouldn't be saying this. But I feel like I've earned it."
For whatever reason, the powers that be can't get it right. It's supposed to be merit based, fun, and representative of the season. These All-Star rosters matter. In years to come, players are often judged or even introduced as being an X-time All-Star. Someone should be responsible for getting these teams right.
"Maybe put me in, but not necessarily be chosen right away, " Wheeler continued. "But, I feel like I was right there. ... You figure they would have a clue about it by now, with how many All-Star Games they've had."
The Mid-Summer Classic is this coming Tuesday at 8 p.m.
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