The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in baseball, sporting a .659 winning percentage and a comfortable nine game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. So it’s no surprise that the team has its share of All-Star caliber players. But the Phillies have done something truly special for the 2024 MLB All-Star game as the team will contribute three offensive starters.
Fans have selected Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm to be starters in this year’s All-Star game. It’s the first time in 42 years that the Phillies have fielded three All-Star starters, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
The last time the Phillies had three starters in an All-Star game was in 1982 when Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose and Manny Trillo represented the team in the prestigious exhibition, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
As they did in 1982, the Phillies have the infield covered this year with a first baseman, shortstop and third baseman.
Alec Bohm is putting together the best season of his young career. The 27-year-old third baseman leads the league with 68 RBI and he’s tops in all of baseball with 28 doubles to date. Bohm’s batting just below .300 with an .834 OPS and an OPS+ of 135. He’s also accumulated 2.4 WAR, which dwarfs his career WAR total of just 0.8 in the four seasons prior to 2024 combined. The excellent effort this year has not gone unnoticed as Bohm has made his first All-Star game – and will be a starter to boot.
Phillies shortstop Trea Turner will make his third All-Star appearance and his second start in the mid-summer classic. Turner, 31, has been excellent for the Phillies despite missing 38 games with a hamstring strain. The former batting champ is hitting .338 on the season with a .873 OPS and an OPS+ of 147. Turner has racked up 2.0 WAR in just 46 games. He last made the All-Star game in 2022 when he scored 101 runs and knocked in 100 RBI on the season, taking home the Silver Slugger award.
The Phillies will send three starters to the 2024 All-Star game
And then there’s Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper, who’s making his eighth All-Star game and his seventh start. He received the most fan votes for the game in the National League. However, Harper hit the injured list with a hamstring strain at the end of June. He’s first eligible to return to action on July 9, a week before the All-Star game. It remains to be seen if Harper will be back and healthy enough to play in the exhibition but the injury isn’t considered serious and is unlikely to keep him sidelined too long.
Prior to getting hurt, the two-time MVP was having another remarkable season at the plate. He’s slashing .303/.399/.582 with 20 homers and 20 doubles, good for an OPS of .981, an OPS+ of 176 and 3.7 WAR. Harper is on pace for an offensive output similar to his 2021 season when he won his second MVP award. A quick return from injury could lead to spectacular overall season stats.
Getting Harper, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto back from the injured list could spark a second half surge that keeps the Phillies in the top spot entering the postseason.
Schwarber hit the 10-day injured list right alongside Harper. And, like Harper, his injury is not considered serious. Speaking of the pair, Phillies manager Rob Thompson said, “They're coming along … I don't think they're too far away,” per NBC Sports’ Corey Seidman.
In Realmuto's case Thompson said, “It's probably post-All-Star but we'll see … He's a quick healer.”
As for the All-Star game, the Phillies are likely to add even more players as starting pitchers Ranger Suárez and Zack Wheeler are both having outstanding seasons. Suárez in particular has been spectacular, leading the league in wins (10), ERA (2.27) and ERA+ (178) to go along with 3 WAR.
We’ll have to wait a bit to find out for sure if any other Phillies make the cut as pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday, July 7.
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