By: Tim Kelly, Managing Editor 
By default, the Philadelphia Phillies will have a representative at July 12's MLB All-Star Game in San Diego, though it's fair to wonder if they deserve one. Beyond being the third worst team in the National League, the Phillies lack a player that deserves to represent the National League in their attempt to secure home-field advantage in the World Series.
Odubel Herrera, who was hitting .319 after the first two months of the season, has struggled in June. Herrera's hitting .247 in June and his fielding has regressed (more on that later) in 2016. Herrera's still hitting .298 with eight home runs and may be an All-Star in the future, though it's hard to make a case for him being one of the National League's best outfielders right now. The latest voting update also showed that fans don't even have Herrera in the top 15 of National League outfield All-Star voting.
Another piece that could compete for future All-Star consideration, Aaron Nola, has allowed the month of June to ruin any chances of being selected to the mid-summer classic. Nola had an ERA under three after May, but has gone 1-3 with a 9.77 ERA in five starts in June, only making it four or more innings once this month. Nola's ERA is now 4.45, and looks as though he would benefit more from perhaps a short stint at Triple A than a chance to compete on one of the league's biggest stages.
Vince Velasquez had an electric start to his Phillies career, but is coming off of a disabled list stint and his April 14 complete game is the only time this season that he's gone more than six innings in 2016. Like Herrera and Nola, Velasquez has a chance to be a core member of the next great Phillies team, but also like the other two, he doesn't deserve to be an All-Star this year.
So who's left? Jeanmar Gomez is sixth in the National League and saves and could conceivably climb to third before the rosters are announced. Gomez has a few things working in his favor. First of all, coaches and players combine to determine the All-Star game pitching staff, so him being an unknown to a majority of casual fans won't hurt his case. Secondly, because he's a 28-year-old journeyman that's unlikely to ever have a chance to be an All-Star again, he has a sentimental case, which in a season like this may be enough for him to be the team's lone All-Star. But even his case is kind of a stretch when you consider that he's not a lock-down closer and isn't leading the league in saves.
The truth is, the Phillies will, by default, have one less than worthy representative in a game that determines home-field advantage in the World Series. And the problem isn't that the game determines home-field advantage, it's that each team needs to have an All-Star representative in a game that determines home-field advantage in the World Series.
The nuggets
- AT&T Park is just gorgeous. It has McCovey Cove, a uniquely shaped outfield, the coke bottle, the giant glove and houses a consistent World Series contender. Even if you include Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, I think AT&T is easily the nicest stadium in the league.
- Vince Velasquez will start this evening as the Phillies open up a three game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Velasquez has flashed front-line potential this year, but is coming off of a disabled list stint, after numerous reports indicated that the Phillies were rather scared by his physical upon trading for him. It would be best for the Phillies if Velasquez is able to stay healthy and ultimately become an ace, but my money, like it was before the season, is still on him eventually being a closer.
- If the Phillies plan to limit the innings of Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff and Aaron Nola this season, it may make some sense to have Nola skip a start or two now. He's in the midst of a career-worst stretch and Adam Morgan could slide into his rotation spot for a turn or two. Later in the season, the Phillies may not have as many options of pitchers to fill his spot, due to trades and other pitcher's respective innings limits, so now may be a good time to let Nola get his head straight.
- In his last two starts, Jeremy Hellickson has allowed just four earned runs, while scattering 11 hits over 13 innings. If he continues to pitch like that into July, he will have a few trade suitors.
- Jim Salisbury of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia noted over the weekend that Odubel Herrera took some fly balls in right field prior to Saturday evening's game. Salisbury noted that Herrera hasn't been as effective in center field as he was a year ago, though his spike in errors seems fixable to me. He still takes good routes to the ball and has an ability to cover a ton of space in center field, so moving him to right for someone like Peter Bourjos, who won't be on the team in a year, seems like it would be a short-sighted move. If Roman Quinn is able to stay healthy and eventually forces Herrera to move to right field, then so be it. Moving him now, rather than allowing him to correct his mistakes, wouldn't make much sense.
- My eyes, which take sports jerseys very seriously, are happy that the Phillies will be wearing the grey road jerseys tonight and not the Diamondbacks, whose rebrand has been an unmitigated disaster. The Diamondbacks would be best served bringing their purple and teal look back, especially if it means that their black hats with a rattlesnake serving as the "D" for "Diamondbacks" on their away hats comes back.
