Phillies Set a New Record With Seven All-Stars

The 2024 season so far has been a good one for the Phillies. The Phillies currently sit with baseball's best record at 58-32. Three Phillies players were voted to the All-Star game by the fans: first baseman Bryce Harper, third baseman Alec Bohm, and shortstop Trea Turner. Word came Sunday afternoon that four more Phillies would be joining them.

Joining Harper, Bohm and Turner will be:

Right-handed starter Zack Wheeler
Left-handed starter Ranger Suárez
Right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman
Left-handed reliever Matt Strahm

Wheeler has become one of the game's top starters. Having been a snub in the past, particularly 2022, Wheeler has been too good to keep out. In 18 starts in 2024, Wheeler is 9-4 with a 2.74 earned run average. He has struck out 119 and walked just 10 in 111 1/3 innings pitched.

This is Wheeler's second All-Star appearance. Wheeler represented the Phillies in 2021.

Suárez heads to the big game for the first time in his career. And this has been the season of his career. Also 18 starts in, Suárez is 10-4 with a 2.58 earned run average. In 108 innings, Suárez has struck out 106 while walking 23.

The relievers come as somewhat of a surprise. With three elected position players and two starting pitchers, somehow there was room for two relievers.

The Phillies have used Hoffman as their closer of late. While he has just 8 saves on the season, the Phillies have used Hoffman for some of the biggest outs of the season, particularly facing tough right-handed batters at the end of the game. In 38 games, he is 3-1 with a 1.21 earned run average. In 37 1/3 innings, he has struck out 47 batters while walking eight.

This is Hoffman's first appearance as an All-Star. After working mostly as a starting pitcher with poor results from 2016 to 2021, Hoffman became a reliever for the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 and pitched pretty well, with a 3.83 earned run average in 35 games.

The following Spring he signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins. After not making team, he was released by the Twins. The Phillies signed Hoffman and the rest is history.

The nod is also the first for Straham. Signed by the Phillies as a free agent prior to the 2023 season, Strahm has become one of the most reliable lefty relievers in the game. The Phillies are the fourth team Strahm has played for in his major league career, which began in 2016.

After working as a starter earlier in his career for the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres, Strahm had a successful year in the Boston Red Sox bullpen in 2022 before signing with the Phillies. In 2024, he is 4-1 with a 1.64 earned run average in 35 games. He has struck out 44 and walked just 4 batters in 33 innings.

The Phillies set a new club record with seven All-Stars. The Phillies have have never had more than five All-Stars at a time. That was accomplished seven times, most recently in 2011, when the Phillies were represented by Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino, and Placido Polanco.

With a roster of just 32 players, the Phillies represent 21.8% of the team and more than 30% of the pitching staff.

The 2024 All-Star Game will be held in Arlington, Texas, on July 16.