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MLB All-Stars aren't all superstars. Here are 5 forgotten Phillies All-Stars since 2000
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- MLB All-Stars aren't all superstars. Here are 5 forgotten Phillies All-Stars since 2000
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is unique in one area compared with other major sports leagues.
Major League Baseball is inclusive, ensuring that each team is represented by at least one player.
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While the single representative can be a superstar like first baseman Ryan Howard , outfielder Bryce Harper or pitcher Cliff Lee , it can also be a half-year wonder or the best of a locker room filled with solid, but not superstar players.
Here's a look at some of the Phillies ' forgotten All-Stars of this century.
2002: Vicente Padilla, starting pitcher
National League All Star pitcher Vicente Padilla of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during the MLB All Star Game July 9, 2002, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The game ended in a 7-7 tie.
Padilla, though, played a unique role in All-Star Game history – the last National League pitcher in a tied game.
Padilla, who pitched six seasons for the Phillies , going 49-49 with a 3.98 ERA, started the 2002 season 10-5 with a 3.05 ERA and 85 strikeouts. He earned an All-Star Game nod for the NL.
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After the National League took a 5-2 lead, the bullpen, which featured Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman and John Smoltz as well as multiple-time All-Stars Robb Nen and Eric Gagne, couldn't hold the lead. The game was tied as Padilla took the mound in the 10th inning. He got six of the seven batters he faced out, only walking Omar Vizquel in the 11th.
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But, as the NL failed to score in the bottom of the 11th, the game was stopped by Commissioner Bud Selig. Both teams had run out of pitchers, and the managers didn't want to push Padilla or AL pitcher Freddy Garcia for a third inning. Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee roared with boos as Selig was left shrugging his shoulders.
Padilla had a long career as a back-end starting pitcher, but never returned to an All-Star game.
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2007: Aaron Rowand, outfielder
Aaron Rowand of the Philadelphia Phillies poses during Photo Day on Feb. 24, 2007, at Brighthouse Networks Field in Clearwater, Florida.
Ask a Phillies fan what they remember most about Roward, and you won't hear about an All-Star game or being traded for Hall of Famer Jim Thome, but rather breaking his nose and several other bones after going face-first into the outfield wall.
Still, the popular Rowand was an All-Star during the 2007 season. Roward finished the season hitting .309 with 27 homers, 105 runs scored and 89 RBIs. It was the best season of his career. At the All-Star break, he was hitting .310 with 11 homers, 52 runs scored and 43 RBIs.
Rowand entered the game in the seventh inning, replacing Ken Griffey Jr. in centerfield. He struck out with a runner on third to end the eighth inning. In the ninth, he came up with two outs, the bases loaded and the NL trailing 5-4. Francisco Rodriguez got Roward to fly out to end the game.
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Rowand, who won a World Series title with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, had a solid 11-year career with a 20.9 career WAR, but he never matched the success he had early in his career with the White Sox and Phillies.
2013 Domonic Brown , outfield
National League All-Star Domonic Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies hits against the American League All-Stars during the 84th MLB All-Star Game on July 16, 2013, at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
When you think of the Phillies from the early 2010s, you remember names like Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley . Domonic Brown wouldn't be on the tip of your tongue. But, for half a season, he was among the Phillies' top hitters and earned a 2013 All-Star nod along with pitcher Cliff Lee.
Brown, who played six seasons with Philadelphia , had a breakout start to 2013. At the All-Star break, Brown was hitting .273 with 23 homers and 67 RBIs. He was the NL Player of the Month in May, hitting .303 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs.
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After replacing Colorado 's Carlos Gonzalez in the outfield in the sixth inning, Brown struck out swinging in his only plate appearance of the National League's 3-0 loss.
Injuries plagued brown's second half of the season. He had concussion-like symptoms after falling hard while making a diving catch in late July. He also battled an Achilles injury. After only playing 44 games in the second half of the season, he finished hitting .272 with 27 homers and 83 RBIs.
Over his final two seasons in the majors, he couldn't replicate the success he had in the first half of 2013.
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2016 Odubel Herrera , outfield
Vince Velasquez, right, of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with Odubel Herrera in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on July 5, 2016, in Philadelphia. The Phillies defeated the Braves 5-1.
During the Phillies' rebuilding years in the 2010s, the team lacked star talent. First baseman Ryan Howard was at the end of his career, and pitcher Aaron Nola was at the start of his. Such a situation leads to token All-Stars. Was Herrera one of the best outfielders in the National League? Top 10, sure. Was he the best Phillie, and having a solid season? Yep.
Herrera, who spent seven years in the majors and had a career WAR of 13.3, had his best season in 2016. In the first half of the season, he hit .294 with 10 homers, 33 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He replaced Miami 's Marcell Ozuna in the fifth inning and flew out to center in his only plate appearance. Pittsburgh 's Starling Marte pinch hit for him in the eighth inning of the National League's 4-2 loss.
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Herrera finished the season hitting .286 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs. Herrera looked like he could be a key contributor for the Phillies, but he had off-the-field issues. He was suspended for 85 games in 2019 for violating MLB's domestic violence policy and didn't play for the team in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He was part of the team in 2021 and 2022, but never reached the heights he achieved in 2016.
2017 Pat Nesheck, relief pitcher
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Pat Nesheck throws a pitch during the fourth inning of a spring training game March 7, 2019, at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida.
If you ask a baseball fan about Pat Nesheck, one thing will stand out in their minds – his delivery. Nesheck's odd, sidearm delivery perplexed hitters and helped the reliever carve out a 13-year career with two All-Star Game appearances.
Nesheck opened the 2017 season with a 2-2 record and a 1.27 ERA and 36 strikeouts for a 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings average.
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Nesheck entered the game in the second inning, replacing Washington's Max Scherzer . He got Houston 's Carlos Correa to fly out and Toronto 's Justin Smoak to strike out. He allowed a two-out hit to Tampa Bay's Corey Dickerson before getting Kansas City's Salvador Perez to line out.
Despite the strong first half, or because of it, Nesheck didn't remain on the rebuilding Phillies. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies on July 26.
How to watch
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What:95th MLB All-Star Game
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When:July 15, 7 p.m. ET (game starts at 8 p.m. ET)
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Where: Truist Park ( Atlanta )
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TV: FOX
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Streaming: Fubo
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Forgotten Philadelphia Phillies All-Stars since 2000
