Kyle Schwarber joins Bryce Harper on National League All-Star team

Now that the calendars have turned to July, baseball fans around the country are gearing up for the MLB midsummer classic. The 2022 All-Star game will be on Tuesday, July 19, and will feature the best of the best throughout the league.

This year, we are getting a little taste of old and new—Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols will get All-Star nods as legends selected by Rob Manfred.

Bryce Harper got voted as the first-ever NL designated hitter by the fans, but he will not be able to play because of his finger injury. William Contreras will replace him as the DH for the National League.

You shouldn’t be surprised, but Kyle Schwarber is an all-star.

He was selected to the National League All-Star team for the first time in 2021, but he did not play because of a nagging hamstring injury. His average and on-base percentage were much better in 2021, but it was the home runs that got him in this year. Schwarber leads the National League in home runs with 28, and he is just two home runs behind Aaron Judge for the most in baseball.

Schwarber is one of only five players to be selected as an all-star with a batting average under .250. Yet again, his power numbers—which have become amusing—got him the selection.

Many Phillies fans anticipated Schwarber to be in Los Angeles along with his teammate, Zack Wheeler. Despite his high strikeout numbers and his minuscule 2.46 ERA, he was snubbed from the NL roster.

It would have been a privilege, but it is what it is. I’ll spend time with my family,” Wheeler said.

There is still a chance that Wheeler could get added to the team because of an injury, but it is unlikely as none of the rostered pitchers on the NL team have had injury scares recently.

Aaron Nola, another snub, doesn’t have an ERA that will jump out at you, but he is third in the league with 120 strikeouts and fourth in the league with a .93 WHIP.

As to the Home Run Derby, Schwarber said that he was still “…up in the air.” He said he wanted a few more days before making his final decision.

Whether or not he chooses to participate in the Derby, Schwarber expressed how excited he was to play in the All-Star game after being injured for it in 2021.

Congratulations, Kyle!

Here are the rest of the reserves and pitchers, which are subject to change, for the National and American leagues: