Philadelphia Phillies: Unfortunate All-Star timing for starter Bryce Harper

If a National League DH is voted into the All-Star Game as a starter but he’s too injured to play in it, does it even really count? This is the situation with Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper. The team’s DH for a good chunk of 2022 is officially an All-Star in the most unofficial way.

Harper won’t be available to play in the game later this month which means his first All-Star selection since joining the Phillies comes at the most unfortunate time.

Harper, who made it to the Midsummer Classic in all but one of his seasons while with the Washington Nationals, will have to sit this one out. At least people mocking the Phillies for signing a non-All-Star to all of that money can finally find a new angle. They already lost mockery when he won the 2021 MVP.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper is finally an All-Star and it feels hollow.

The Phillies haven’t had a whole lot of All-Star excitement over the last decade. After Roy Halladay started the game in 2011, only two more players have actually started. There was Chase Utley in 2014 as the lone representative of the team. Last year, J.T. Realmuto ended the drought behind the plate with a start of his own.

Since joining the Phillies, Harper has been held under a microscope. Everything he does wrong is questioned. What he does right is held in high-regard but then comes in the team’s success. There hasn’t been much to speak of. They have been the definition of a .500 baseball team over the last three years. In 2022, things might change.

With Harper out of action, the National League roster will need a replacement. Does the start go to William Contreras, the Atlanta Braves player Harper beat out in the final vote? Or do they pivot to Harper’s teammate, Kyle Schwarber? One has to believe that with performance Schwarber has had in recent weeks that he should be a consideration. In fact, he received a biased vote from me in FanSided’s All-Star balloting. He didn’t make the cut.

The Phillies are certain to have a few others headed to Los Angeles. Pitchers Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler would be the best guesses. They might have to settle with only one of them because of the roster limits.

It’s like throwing a party for a friend who got divorced. Sure, it’s great to celebrate Harper being named an All-Star starter. At the same time, does it count beyond his Baseball-Reference page and possibly paycheck?