We’re a little over two weeks out from the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. Final rosters and starting pitchers will be announced in a few days. It’s a banner year for pitching, and there are many strong options to toe the rubber for the National League on July 15th in Atlanta. As a reminder, the coaching staff will make that decision, not the fans. Who will get the nod to start the All-Star Game is a mystery for now, but one perhaps overlooked option in a crowded field is hometown ace right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach.
Spencer Schwellenbach Deserves a Shot to Start Hometown All-Star Game
Five “Finalists”
The group of realistic candidates to start for the NL is highly competitive, but can probably be narrowed down to five: Paul Skenes, Zack Wheeler, Logan Webb, Mackenzie Gore, and Schwellenbach. Fellow Brave Chris Sale would be a strong contender as well, but will miss the game with a fractured rib cage. Just missing the cut are Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Robbie Ray, whose surface stats are comparable to the others, but have thrown far fewer innings and have much worse underlying metrics, respectively.
Each hurler has a strong case, depending on which stat you prefer. Last year’s starter Skenes leads all qualified NL pitchers in ERA (2.12), WHIP (0.906), and batting average against (.177). He’s also near the top of the leaderboard in every other meaningful stat besides wins, and is probably the most popular choice to earn the nod again. Wheeler is having another magnificent year as well, leading in SIERA (2.72) and K% (32.9). The ever-reliable Webb paces the field in FIP (2.25) and xFIP (2.42) by wide margins. Gore has the most strikeouts (129) to go with the highest K/9 (11.73).
Schwellenbach’s 3.09 ERA, 0.967 WHIP, 3.21 FIP, 2.90 xFIP, and 3.16 SIERA through 17 starts are all undoubtedly elite, but generally lag behind the other finalists. This begs the question- why should he, of all people, get the honor?
A Legitimate Case
Schwellenbach leads qualified NL pitchers in two key stats: innings pitched and K/BB ratio. He actually leads all of baseball with 110 2/3 innings pitched halfway through his second big league season. That makes him the league’s premier workhorse to this point, with apologies to Webb. Schwellenbach has shown a penchant for pitching late into games, completing fewer than six innings in just two of his 17 starts to this point.
Spencer Schwellenbach’s last 10 starts:
-6-1, 2.60 ERA
-6+ IP, 2 BB or fewer in all 10
–@Braves are 8-2! pic.twitter.com/ym4pZsEnQ1— MLB (@MLB) June 29, 2025
Schwellenbach’s ability to limit walks is just as impressive, and his K/BB ratio of 6.0 also easily leads the league. Despite having fewer total strikeouts (108) than all four of the other finalists, his K/BB blows them out of the water because he’s allowed a mere 18 walks all year (4.1 BB%, 1.46 BB/9). The Michigan native gives up more homers than the others, hence the higher ERA, but keeps runners off the bases with the best of them. His superb command typically leads to exceptional efficiency, which is why he’s able to pitch so long in games. Durability and efficiency have never been less in vogue, but Schwellenbach has been tops in the NL so far in both.
The Entertainment Factor
Statistical qualifications aside, the All-Star Game starter must be able to put on a show in the most-watched game of the year. Because of this, some might scoff at the idea of a control artist getting the nod over the litany of other fireballers residing in the NL. However, it might surprise some to learn that Schwellenbach possesses a big fastball in his own right, with an 86th percentile average velocity of 96.8. The righty is more than capable of gassing it up over 100 mph in an abbreviated outing.
The other case for Schwellenbach is, of course, the chance for him to throw in front of his home crowd. It’s happened just once since 2004, when Clayton Kershaw took the ball in front of his home Dodgers crowd for the 2022 Midsummer Classic. To have his own fans cheer him on through the first inning is a fun narrative and would add another layer to an event already rich with compelling storylines.
The Last Word
Schwellenbach will need one or two more solid outings to garner real consideration to start the All-Star Game, and even still would face an uphill battle. Skenes and others are more popular on a national scale and have the edge in the more conventional stats. But maybe the coaching staff will decide to give someone besides Skenes a turn, and with Braves skipper Brian Snitker among that group, they could favor the hometown ace over other deserving options. Regardless, Braves fans should get to see their young ace out of the bullpen at some point in the game, even if he’s not the first out of the gate.
Main Photo Credit: © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
