July 12, 2023
The Phillies' All-Stars shined bright on Tuesday night.
Nick Castellanos drew the walk that set up for the go-ahead homer in the eighth, Craig Kimbrel shut it down for the save in the ninth, and Rob Thomson managed the National League's first All-Star Game victory since 2012.
But now that the midsummer classic in Seattle has come and gone, the page turns to the second half of the season and the Phillies' aim of making it back to October.
This weekend's four-game set against the Padres will see the marathon start shifting into a sprint, but until then, there's one more day of quiet from the All-Star break, which lends a bit of time to wonder about next year's game down in Arlington and who the Phillies' representatives could be for it.
So long as big names like Castellanos, Bryce Harper, and J.T. Realmuto are around and performing, they'll always lead the All-Star conversation. But there might be some other Phils whose current trajectory could see them make a case for themselves in 2024.
Here's a look at five, including, yes, the daycare:
Stott got established last year as a full-time major leaguer, and this year – after a switch from short to second to make way for Trea Turner – has been really finding his swing at the plate, breaking out into a .300 hitter and a constant threat along the basepaths.
He's an athletic glove and if he can just tap into a bit more power, he'll easily have the baseball world's attention.
It may not be enough to beat Miami's Luis Arráez, who somehow hits everything, in a fan vote, but should be more than enough to earn a reserve call next summer if he keeps trending upward.
Nolan Arenado was the NL's starter at third base Tuesday night and Austin Riley was the reserve off the bench. Here are how Bohm's stats so far this season compare to the two:
| Third Baseman | AVG/OBP/SLG | HR | 2B | RBI | BB |
| Alec Bohm, PHI | .280/.328/.426 | 9 | 15 | 57 | 19 |
| Nolan Arenado, STL | .283/.332/.518 | 19 | 17 | 62 | 26 |
| Austin Riley, ATL | .266/.327/.448 | 16 | 16 | 44 | 31 |
There's an obvious gap to make up in power and plate discipline, but otherwise, Bohm is right there with them.
Look, is he Mike Schmidt? No.
But Bohm's been quietly solid, solid enough to have numbers comparable to the NL's best at the hot corner in 2023.
If he can tap into just a bit more over the course of the next year, he'll hopefully have a strong enough argument to be a first-time All-Star.
Marsh has always had the anticipation and athleticism to make him a great outfielder defensively, but he didn't start putting the pieces together at the plate until he got to Philadelphia through one of the trade deadline deals with the Angels last season.
He's been putting up his best numbers by far this year, and if he can continue to build on that with hitting coach Kevin Long, then his glove, his bat, and his personality will make it tough to keep him away from Arlington next summer.
the wholeeeee bucket pic.twitter.com/wiBmLNktw6
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 6, 2023
Suárez has improved with every passing season, and even though injury and a resulting slow start have had him shaky through the first two months of 2023, he's been chaining quality start after quality start together since June.
If he can stay healthy and storm out of the gate next year, he'll have plenty of reason for whoever the NL manager is by then – hopefully Thomson again – to give him a spot on the All-Star roster.
Ditto for Alvarado if he can stay steady as a highly consistent late-inning shutdown man out of the bullpen.
That he's going on the injured list for the second time with elbow inflammation might be a concern going forward, but assuming that he's healthy and dominant well into next season...
Strike one, strike two, and good luck.
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