Nats’ Scherzer snubbed, Turner, Schwarber, Soto named All-Stars originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
For the first time since 2018, the Washington Nationals will have three members of their clubhouse representing the franchise at the All-Star game.
None of those three are Max Scherzer, however, despite holding a dominant 2.10 ERA through 16 starts and a career-low WHIP (0.85). The club expressed discontent with the 7-time All-Star’s snub following the announcement on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Juan Soto, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, each made it for the first time and will represent the Nationals at the MLB All-Star game in Denver on July 13 after being named NL All-Star reserves.
Schwarber and Turner were both selected by MLB players and Soto was chosen by the league after fan and player selections.
Soto is currently on a 21-game on-base streak, matching his career high while also ranking second in walks in the National League (50).
“It’s like a dream for every player, just to come to the All-Star Game to be around all those stars and famous people,” Soto said on Sunday to reporters. “It is gonna be a great experience to be out there and have fun with all those guys. … [My family] has been pushing for me the whole way — they’ve been voting. It’s crazy how much they tried to make me an All-Star. So I just told them, let them know, ‘We made it.'”
Schwarber earns his first career All Star selection, but was snubbed from the starters list after a career-month at the plate in June. Schwarber slugged .760, hitting 16 home-runs in one of the great hot streaks in MLB history. He joined a list that includes only Barry Bonds (2001) and Sammy Sosa (1998) who have 15 HR in a 17-game stretch. Schwarber caught fire after manager Davey Martinez made his Washington’s leadoff hitter.
Turner leads NL shortstops in batting average (.318) and stolen bases (18) and has also recorded at least one run in 12 straight games, a career best for the 28-year-old. His status, too, is in question with a jammed left middle finger sustained last week.
“My mom and my wife were really excited about it, and probably wanted it more than I did,” Turner said about All-Star selection. “It’s cool getting to tell those people around you that you made it, because they have a part in it. Putting that smile on their face just as much as your own face is nice. … Just to be a part of it is special and something that we won’t forget. We’ll try to cherish it for the rest of our lives and try to soak it all in when we go.”
Neither Turner or Schwarber have a set return date. Schwarber was placed on the 10-day IL on Saturday with a “significant” hamstring strain, dealing another blow to the Nationals (40-42) midway through the season and likely keeping him out of his first All-Star game on July 13.
