Lincoln Zdunich
The All-Star Game invites controversy every year. The Midsummer Classic is a stomping grounds for the best of the best, showcasing the most elite talent available in the big leagues. That said, fan voting has struggled to accurately reflect who the best players truly are. This has never been more true than this year, with certain players’ and organizations’ popularity playing a major role in their selections. In some cases, those problems have worked themselves out. In others, not so much.
Despite having a very poor season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was voted as the starting first baseman for the American League. Guerrero opted out of the Classic, allowing Nick Kurtz the honor of the starting spot. It’s good when undeserving players have enough respect to bow out. However, there are plenty of deserving players who have gotten a shot even though there are some who might deserve it more. The Kyle Schwarber case has more to do with that second possibility.
A Historic Year For Philly’s Slugger
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Entering play on Saturday, Schwarber leads all of Major League Baseball in home runs with 32 bombs. He’s on pace for 50 homers this year. If he were to reach that, he would become just the third Philadelphia Phillies player in history to accomplish the feat. The other two? Ryan Howard in 2006, the year he won the NL MVP award. And, that’s right, Kyle Schwarber last year. In an era where age is associated with a sharp decline in slug, Schwarber’s power hitting has reached historic heights in his age-33 season.
More than that, the All-Star Game is in Philly this year. That doesn’t mean a whole lot for voters, but it’s a cool storyline to go along with Schwarber’s incredible year. The slugger deserves to be on the All-Star squad no matter where it’s held, but the fact that it’s in his home ballpark certainly adds to the conversation. Schwarber announced today that he’ll be participating in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. That alone should be tantalizing for fans. It’s hard to forget the slugger’s incredible antics that won the National League the Classic trophy last year. In the All-Star Game’s first-ever swing-off, Schwarber went deep three times to win the game for the NL.
The National League DH Voting Problem
To be fair to Schwarber, he probably could have hit 50 home runs before the All-Star Game and he still wouldn’t have gotten enough votes to earn the selection. Shohei Ohtani is simply that popular. Apart from being on one of the most popular teams in the Los Angeles Dodgers, he is internationally beloved and has an entire country voting for him. Similar to Guerrero (who had all of Canada on his side), Ohtani has the majority of Japanese fans voting for him due to his Japanese heritage. That worldwide popularity is a problem immediately. It’s unlikely that anybody would have gotten the nod unless Ohtani bowed out.
That being said, Schwarber was still second-place for the position with 1.5 million votes. The only reason voting didn’t continue is because Ohtani was the leading vote-getter in the National League. By the All-Star voting rules, the leading vote-getter in each league is automatically selected as the starter at their position. When Phase 1 of voting came to an end, Ohtani had a ridiculous 2.3 million votes. It’s impossible to expect Schwarber, despite his fantastic season, to beat that number.
Ohtani’s Injury-Marred 2026
The Dodgers’ two-way superstar has been terrific this year. In fact, Ohtani is pitching so well he’s in contention for his first NL Cy Young award. That’s just about the only award that the star hasn’t earned. His only problem has been injuries. Ohtani has struggled to pitch through multiple injuries this season. None of them have been major, but it’s been trying for the right-hander. His latest setback came in the form of his continuing left knee irritation. It was announced that, out of an abundance of caution, Ohtani will miss his final start before the All-Star break and will opt out of the Classic.
That is good news for Schwarber, who will now get the starting nod from National League manager Dave Roberts. Ivan Herrera of the St. Louis Cardinals was selected to replace Ohtani’s vacancy on the roster. He’s had a good-but-not-great season, hitting .249 with 11 homers. In the end, it all worked out. The seemingly more deserving candidate will start for the NL squad this upcoming Tuesday, and will hopefully play a major role in the National League’s effort to win for the second year in a row.
