It’s going to be awkward the next time Bernie Brewer and the Phillie Phantic cross paths.
Milwaukee Brewers rookie starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski was given a spot on the National League roster for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game (Tuesday, July 15 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) on Friday with Chicago Cubs starter Matthew Boyd unable to pitch on Tuesday. Consider multiple members of the Philadelphia Phillies, specifically Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos, appalled by the decision to give Misiorowski, who has made just five career MLB starts, an All-Star roster spot.
“What a joke,” Turner said on Friday about Misiorowski getting an NL roster spot, according to The Athletic. “That’s f—— terrible. I mean, that’s terrible, dude. … It’s not the All-Star Game in the sense that the best players go there, or people who have had the best season. It’s whoever sells the most tickets or has been put on social media the most. That’s essentially what it’s turned into.”
Many members of the Phillies opine that one, if not two, of their team’s starters, Cristopher Sanchez (2.59 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 18 starts) and Ranger Suarez (1.94 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 13 starts), deserve a spot on the NL roster.
“That’s just how MLB does it now,” Realmuto said. “Nothing against the Misiorowski kid. But those two [Sánchez and Suárez] are deserving of being on the team in the first place. There’s no doubt.”
Castellanos, who stated that the voting process is “turning into the Savannah Bananas,” took the criticism a step further.
“Major League Baseball is really just focusing on the most marketable players,” Castellanos said. “So the fact that they can have somebody in the game that is going to basically blow out one inning and throw 103, 104 [mph], they’re going to get more eyeballs on baseball. They’re going to think it’s getting more popular.”
Suarez, who started for the Phillies on Friday, missed the first month of the season due to a back injury. Both Suarez and Sanchez were All-Stars in 2024. Turner feels it’s “unacceptable” that MLB can’t at least name Sanchez, who’s slated to start for the Phillies on Sunday, an All-Star.
Ace right-hander Zack Wheeler and designated hitter/outfielder Kyle Schwarber are Philadelphia’s representatives for the All-Star Game. Meanwhile, Milwaukee has three players going to Atlanta for the All-Star Game: Misiorowski, fellow starter Freddy Peralta and reliever Trevor Megill.
Jacob Misiorowski made his MLB debut on June 12. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
As for the Brewers rookie, Misiorowski has been stellar over his first five starts, posting a 2.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, a 145 ERA+ and 33 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. In Misiorowski’s last start (July 8), he recorded 12 strikeouts and surrendered just one run across six innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander’s fastball has consistently registered in triple digits.
Philadelphia and Milwaukee are each 54-40 this season, with the Phillies atop the NL East and the Brewers one game behind the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. The Phillies and Brewers meet up in Milwaukee on Sept. 1 for a three-game series.
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