Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski was named to the NL All-Star team despite only making five starts in his brief MLB career. That rubbed some players the wrong way, specifically those on the Philadelphia Phillies who felt the likes of Christopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez should've received the opportunity over the Brewers rookie.
Nick Catellanos claimed the midsummer classic was turning into a Savannah Bananas game, while Trea Turner called it 'a joke' and followed that up with 'f***ing terrible'. Yet, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic, both Suarez and Sanchez were offered a spot on the team. Both pitchers reportedly passed on the opportunity for rest reasons. It's an excuse we're all too familiar with this season in particular, as players don't want to play in what should be a showcase event for them. It seems players want to be named All-Stars for financial reasons (see: All-Star bonus), but would prefer not to play in the game itself.
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Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski vindicated by latest report
A report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale all but confirms this and vindicates the rookie Misiorowski, who is an electric starting pitcher who deserves the national stage, even at this point in his career.
"If Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski can make the All-Star Game after only five starts, will there be a day where a player who has yet to play his first game in the major leagues be far behind, based on his minor league stats?" Nightengale wrote. "MLB officials actually reached out to about a dozen pitchers looking for a replacement for the All-Star Game until Misiorowski agreed on Friday."
So, despite what the Phillies stars claimed after Misiorowski was named an All-Star, MLB tried incredibly hard to find another replacement before reaching out to the Brewers rookie. However, close to a dozen pitchers turned them down.
Why don't starting pitchers want to throw in the All-Star Game?
For the record, we don't blame pitchers for turning down the opportunity. An MLB season includes 162 games. If they believe missing the midsummer classic could provide them the chance to make another start down the stretch, then isn't that what fans would prefer anyway?
MLB is a business above all else. After reaching out to THAT many players and receiving a hard pass, asking a rookie who sounds genuinely enthused about the chance to pitch in Atlanta was the right call. It also gives the young Brewers starter a national audience. He is a player who ought to be a household name, such as Paul Skenes or Tarik Skubal, if he continues to pitch this well.
Now, he has the chance to do so, even if it comes at the expense of a couple veteran starting pitchers who didn't want to be there in the first place.