Zack Wheeler snubbed as Max Scherzer will start All-Star Game for NL

Even with National League Cy Young Award favorite Jacob deGrom opting out of the All-Star Game, Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler won’t start the All-Star Game for the senior circuit Tuesday.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has tabbed three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to start the game, citing the fact that Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez didn’t get the chance to start him in the game last year because of it’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From here, it’s a bit of a strange decision by Roberts given that Scherzer has already started the All-Star Game for both the American League (2013) and National League (2017, 2018). If he was having the best season of any of the National League arms, that would be one thing. But while being deserving of being an All-Star, Scherzer pretty clearly isn’t the most deserving option.

Wheeler, 31, is an All-Star for the first time and tops Scherzer in innings pitched, strikeouts and fWAR, while having lower marks in terms of FIP and ERA. If not deGrom, Wheeler was seemingly the most deserving option to start for the National League.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will start for the National League, replacing an injured Buster Posey. Realmuto – playing in his third All-Star Game – will hit seventh in Roberts’ lineup. We’ll see if he’s still in the game when Wheeler gets a chance to enter.

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