Another Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher has been named an All-Star. Left-hander Jesus Luzardo was one of three pitchers named as a replacement, as Paul Skenes, Max Meyer, and Jacob Misiorowski will not participate.
Luzardo becomes the sixth Phillies player to be named an All-Star this season. He’ll join Brandon Marsh, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Cristopher Sanchez, and Jhoan Duran. It is the first All-Star selection of his career.
With six All-Stars, the Phillies have the most among any of the 30 MLB teams. The club is hosting the 2026 MLB All-Star Game to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. That means Luzardo will get to enjoy his first career All-Star Game in front of his home fans.
Sanchez is the leading candidate to start the All-Star Game, with Misiorowski no longer available. Luzardo and Duran could also pitch at some point in the game.
Jesus Luzardo Named All-Star Replacement
The Phillies envisioned that Jesus Luzardo could be an All-Star someday, trading two prospects to the Miami Marlins ahead of the 2025 season. They doubled down on that trade, extending the left-hander to a $135 million extension that runs through the 2032 season.
“Ever since he’s gotten over here, the adjustments that he’s been able to make, he just pounds the strike zone,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly told NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Cole Weintraub. “It turns an uncomfortable at-bat into an intimidating at-bat because there’s no real easy out. You’ve got to beat him. He’s not going to beat himself.”
The first year has gone very well for both Luzardo and the Phillies. In 18 starts, he’s pitched a 3.75 ERA. However, more advanced run prevention estimators paint him more as a frontline starter. He carries a 3.06 xERA, 2.96 FIP, and 2.97 xFIP.
Most of his success this season has come in his last 14 starts. Over that stretch, Luzardo has a 2.57 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 28 walks across 80.2 innings. His ERA has dropped from 7.94 to 3.75, despite not much of a change in FIP and xFIP.
The trio of Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesus Luzardo has carried the rotation. The Phillies have a 36-14 record when those three start a game this season.
Phillies Ace Remains Biggest All-Star Snub
While Jesus Luzardo has been named an All-Star, another Phillies starter remains out. Zack Wheeler remains one of the biggest All-Star snubs.
Wheeler’s agent opined on that topic, calling the fact he wasn’t named despite the strong numbers and connection to the hosting franchise “ludicrous”.
The Phillies right-hander has been the best pitcher since signing with Philadelphia before the 2019 season. Even though he wouldn’t be available to pitch, as he’ll start the Sunday before the game, it still is a slight to the host city.
Wheeler has arguably been the Phillies’ best starter since returning from thoracic outlet surgery. In 13 starts, he’s 8-1 with a 2.36 ERA. His return has sparked the club’s impressive midseason turnaround. Depending on how strong he finishes the year, Wheeler could earn Cy Young votes this season.
It’s a pretty similar situation to Cristopher Sanchez last season. MLB put in Jacob Misiorowski with one of their two picks. Sanchez ended up finishing second in Cy Young Award voting behind Paul Skenes last season.
Phillies $135 Million Starter Named All-Star Replacement by MLB