The Atlanta Braves have a couple standout candidates to make an appearance in the upcoming Midsummer Classic.
Center fielder Michael Harris II and starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach have both been named candidates to be first-time All-Stars by Baseball America. With the All-Star Game coming to Atlanta this year, it would be timely for them to get in.
Baseball America’s Matt Eddy didn’t go into any depth. This was tacked on with the publication’s latest power rankings.
“Both Harris and Schwellenbach have all-star upside,” Eddy wrote.
That’s it. They are both seen as guys with enough upside to be all-stars. While he didn’t elaborate, the stats give a good idea behind his decision.
Harris is coming off a subpar season by his standards as a whole, but he’s still ranked among the top center fielders in the game. MLB Network’s The Shedder ranked the 24-year-old center fielder fourth overall. He was also named a dark horse candidate to win the MVP by MLB.com.
He also had a strong finish to last season after a long stint on the Injured List.
In 43 games after returning from the Injured List, Harris slashed .283/.318/.506 with 11 of those home runs and 28 RBIs. We already got a preview of what could be coming.
He picked up the pace even further in September. That month, Harris slashed .316/.344/.579 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. To put it into greater perspective, that’s a 162-game pace of 50 home runs and 112 RBIs.
If he comes out of the gate with similar numbers, being an all-star is a realistic scenario.
The 24-year-old righty has already shown he can pitch at an All-Star level. In 21 starts, Schwellenbach had a 3.35 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 123 2/3 innings. In his final 15 starts, he had a 2.54 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.
He was called up at the end of May. Had been called up any later, it would have been in June. Had he started the season with the Braves, he would’ve been close to 2o starts before the break.
He also didn’t find his footing in the big leagues until after the All-Star Break. The way he pitched last season, with a slightly quicker start, would have been enough for him to have a case.
This time around, he’ll be on the big league roster from the start, giving him that actual shot to represent his team when they host.
The 95th MLB All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park on Tuesday, July 15. The time of first pitch has yet to be announced, but the precedent calls for an 8 p.m. EDT first pitch.
