The All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park is going to feature a National League team littered with Philadelphia Phillies. However, there is a massive omission there, as ace Zack Wheeler was snubbed.
This comes in a season where Wheeler battled to get back on the field after he needed a thrombolysis procedure on a blood clot in his throwing shoulder. Because of that, he wouldn’t make his debut until April 25th, likely contributing to the All-Star snub. Still, his agent, B.B. Abbott, was adamant that Wheeler was deserving, and he ripped MLB over the snub.
“You know what he wanted to talk about?” B.B. Abbott said, being quoted in The Athletic. “‘I’ll have enough starts, I’ll get my innings, I want to get back and win the World Series and win a Cy Young.’ There was no doubt in his mind that he was getting back to this level. None. Zero. He thought this was just like, you know, he broke his arm. It never dawned on him that he wasn’t going to continue doing what he had done the last 10 years. At all.”
In 13 games and 80 innings pitched, Wheeler has a 2.36 ERA and a 0.938 WHIP. Because of the injury, Wheeler still doesn’t qualify for leaderboards. He’d need to be at the same number of innings pitched as games played by the Phillies to do so. He’s 10 innings short of that. However, if he did qualify, he’d be fifth in the NL in ERA and third in WHIP.
“It’s just tone deaf,” Abbott said. “I think the whole thing is tone deaf.”
It’s a difficult year to make the All-Star team in the NL. Starting pitching is elite almost across the board, and the Phillies are already sending Cristopher Sanchez to the game. Still, Abbott believes the injury and Wheeler’s story are worth recognition.
“Major League Baseball knows,” Abbott said. “Everybody knows what he’s been through. And to not do what you needed to do to let this guy be honored in his home ballpark, it’s ludicrous.”
Zack Wheeler’s Agent on Why the Philadelphia Phillies Ace was Snubbed
GettyPhiladelphia Phillies SP Zack Wheeler
It’s hard to say why snubs happen at the All-Star Game. Outside factors like a crowded field, come into play at times. The market a player is in can have its impact, too. However, in the case of Zack Wheeler, his agent believes it’s because the Philadelphia Phillies ace isn’t marketable. That made his excellence easier to overlook.
“He’s boring,” Abbott said. “You know? He’s boring. He just goes out and does his job. And he’s the best pitcher in baseball, the last six, seven, eight, nine and 10 years, honestly. He goes out and does his job. And for whatever reason, he’s just seen as this not marketable player by the game. I just don’t understand it. Some of these guys we just take for granted until they’re done. But he’s 36 years old, coming back from a surgery that you just do not come back from as an elite pitcher. You just don’t.”
The fan vote determines the starting lineups of position players, and has often been criticized for the results it produces. That had no effect on Wheeler, though. Wheeler and other pitchers are chosen based on a mix of player voting and the Commissioner’s Office.
“They love the story of the new guy. And the guy that has been consistently great, for whatever reason, he just gets overlooked. And, quite frankly, disrespected.”
Wheeler has been selected to the All-Star team three different times. That includes in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Wheeler has Lacked Accolades in His Career
GettyPhiladelphia Phillies SP Zack Wheeler
At this point in his career, Zack Wheeler is widely regarded as one of the best veteran pitchers in all of MLB. He’s done that without much recognition in terms of accolades, though.
Wheeler has three All-Star Games and one Gold Glove. He has also received Cy Young votes five times, including a second-place finish in 2024, but he’s never won that award. That year, he lost out to Chris Sale, who had a slightly better ERA in three fewer starts than Wheeler.
“They’re going to think that I’m grandstanding and on a soapbox,” Abbott said. “Quite frankly, I don’t care because it’s the right thing to do on this particular player. To be able to come back from something that not a lot of players can come back from — and certainly can’t return the level of excellence that he has — it shows a real lack of acknowledgement by Major League Baseball to what he’s done up to this point.”
Wheeler previously said that he’s going to retire following the 2027 season. That’s when his contract with the Phillies is up. That will be after his age 37 season and could come in a shortened season after a labor dispute is looming.
After that time, there is going to be a very interesting conversation as it relates to Wheeler and the Hall of Fame. Injuries early in his career, before he got to the Phillies, took their toll on his overall counting stats. Still, as it stands now, he has a 44.4 career WAR, according to Baseball Reference. That’s fourth among after starting pitchers. It’s also higher than Hall of Fame pitchers like Jack Morris and Dizzy Dean.
So, there is an interesting conversation to be had about Wheeler. However, a lack of accolades could end up hurting him when that conversation comes to pass.
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