Phillies' Players Call on MLB to Give Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Saurez All-Star Honors

Phillies' Players Call on MLB to Give Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Saurez All-Star Honors originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Philadelphia Phillies have two All-Stars this season, Zack Wheeler and Kyle Schwarber. But, that isn't to say there aren't more players deserving of an All-Star accolade.

But what has sparked the Phillies players to call on MLB to change some rules has been the snubbing of Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez amid Jacob Misiorowski's All-Star placement.

Both were more deserving of a spot than Misiorowski, and yet, neither will earn the accolade. That lack of honor has frustrated Phillies players, and in a piece from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, they called on MLB to make changes to the rules.

"In (Trea) Turner's mind," Gelb writes, "The league could easily name Sanchez as an All-Star, giving him the appropriate accolade, then replace him."

This situation doesn't apply only to Sanchez, as Suarez is also in a similar boat. While slightly different reasons, both pitchers were snubbed from the All-Star team despite earning such an honor.

Turner wasn't alone in this sentiment. With Sanchez missing the All-Star game, in large part because he's pitching on Sunday, other Phillies players expressed their frustration. "That shouldn't be the case," said J.T. Realmuto.

"He should be an All-Star still," said Kyle Schwarber. The Phillies slugger also brought up a great point regarding Suarez not being an All-Star.

"Even if you're going to ask him that (if Suarez will pitch in the All-Star game), then he should be labeled an All-Star at that point," Schwarber said. "Not just if you can pitch."

This situation only occurs because MLB won't add a replacement pitcher to the All-Star roster if they aren't prepared to pitch during the game. With plenty of pitchers backing out for many reasons, the All-Star rosters need pitchers who can pitch during the game.

Since Suarez and Sanchez stated they wouldn't pitch in the game, MLB isn't giving them the All-Star honor, despite both deserving it, and both being asked if they would be willing to pitch in the game.

Both Sanchez (2.59 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 107.2 innings) and Suarez (1.94 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 83.2 innings) are deserving of a spot over Misiorowski (2.81 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 25.2 innings) on the All-Star team.

New York Mets David Peterson (3.06 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 109 innings) also made it over both Phillies starters. Neither Peterson nor Misiorowski has a compelling case over Sanchez or Suarez.

An easy fix would be to honor both as All-Stars, then replace them afterwards. MLB would still end up with the same final rosters, but both would still earn the honor they deserve.

Related: Phillies Expected to Make Andrew Painter Decision at MLB Trade Deadline

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.