Zack Wheeler is having the best record in his 14-season MLB career. The starter has a 2.28 ERA with a 9-1 record. And he managed to strike out 98 batters in just 14 games. He is well above his average seasonal numbers, and his performance has been one of the strongest statements for the Philadelphia Phillies. Yet, a debatable rule made him fail the eligibility criteria for the All-Star selection.

“I’m not very happy with that. I think it’s a disgrace, especially with the game being here in Philadelphia,” Phillies Alum Milt Thompson responded strongly after MLB snubbed Zack Wheeler for the All-Star Game this year. 

The selection of the position players for the All-Star Game often draws a lot of debate since the process involves fan voting. But popularity isn’t as influential for the pitchers’ selection. They are much less controversial, as they are chosen by other players and the commissioner’s office.  

However, according to the league, a pitcher who starts on Sunday before the All-Star Game cannot enter the mound on Tuesday’s exhibition game. That’s why Wheeler was left out of the initial 2026 National League All-Star roster. 

And that’s exactly what Rubén Amaro Jr. argues.

He admitted that players get snubbed all the time. And it’s part of that game that not every individual can get a spot. But he still felt disappointed for Wheeler. 

“He’s been probably the most consistent pitcher in the game,” the Phillies veteran added.

“With everything that he went through to come back after the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and to come back and pitch the way he has…It’s just unfortunate he’s not getting an opportunity.”

Both Thompson and Amaro are prominent figures in the major leagues. Milt has spent 5 seasons as a player, and was a member of the team’s coaching staff from 2004 to 2010, including the 2008 World Series-winning season. He is also one of the club ambassadors. Rubén, too, was an outfielder and pinch hitter in Philadelphia for 5 seasons and became their GM from 2009 to 2015. He is still involved with the club as an analyst for NBC Sports Philadelphia. 

And while the legends felt Zack Wheeler’s omission was unacceptable, the player himself couldn’t remain silent. 

Wheeler’s snub sparks a wider debate over MLB’s All-Star process

The 36-year-old was sure that the season would earn him his fourth All-Star selection. But MLB didn’t consider him eligible. And he didn’t even try to suppress his displeasure. 

“It pisses me off and, you know, it’s kind of (expletive),” Wheeler said. 

He argued that the league could have at least put him on the list. This would have earned him the recognition. And the fact that MLB has been conducting the Midsummer Classic for years now, he expected the league to find a solution for the Sunday pitching rule. 

And he isn’t the only one snubbed this year. 

Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers suffers the same fate.

The 24-year-old is leading MLB with a 1.62 ERA and 167 Ks over 18 games this season. But the Brewers are facing the Pittsburgh Pirates this Sunday, making Misiorowski ineligible for the Tuesday game. 

Before the Phillies’ legends, Wheeler’s agent, B.B. Abbott, and his teammate, Bryce Harper, had also expressed similar disappointment. And as the game will be at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, that makes it even more frustrating for Zack Wheeler. 

The player will try to replicate his dominant outing against the Reds from his last start. Meanwhile, the baseball community will hope for a solution to avoid future snubs.