What Makes an All-Star? - Brewers Rookie Added to Roster After 5 Starts
What makes an All-Star? In Major League Baseball, that question is being asked with increased frequency after MLB added Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski to the NL squad with just five appearances to his name (four good and one rough). There’s a lot that goes into this decision, though the optics brought backlash from players and fans on sites like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit.
The Miz was selected as a replacement for the Cubs’ Matthew Boyd, a first-time All-Star who started Saturday in New York against Max Fried and the Yankees. Boyd won’t pitch on Tuesday thanks to his weekend start. Even if he were eligible, the 34-year-old has already logged more innings and made more major league starts in a half season than he has in any full season since 2019. For a playoff contender like Chicago, the decision makes sense. In fact, Boyd’s opponent on the mound Saturday has also bowed out of playing on Tuesday, with Yankees manager Aaron Boone pointing to a high workload and concerns about Fried’s ability to rebound from his weekend start.
Misiorowski on the other hand is a fresh, popular, exciting rookie with solid results through 25.1 innings of work. The 23-year-old right-hander throws hard with a lot of strikeouts, boasting four wins and a 2.81 Earned Run Average (ERA) despite a challenging outing against the Mets (outside of that five run outing, he holds a 1.23 ERA). That’s all well and good, especially for a team that is neck and neck with the Cubs at the top of the NL Central. With that in mind, an All-Star selection after five games and 25.1 innings is still a tough pill to swallow for many around the game.
According to reporting by Adam McCalvy at MLB.com, Misiorowski is the least experienced All-Star in league history. His five appearances beat out 2024 NL starter (and fellow 2025 All-Star) Paul Skenes record-low of 11, with former phenoms Dontrelle Willis (FLA 2003), Hideo Nomo (1995) and Mark Fidrych (DET 1976) tied for the previous record with 13 career outings.
Each of those four pitchers had unique credentials to justify their participation. Skenes started 2024 in the minor leagues, debuting less than a year after Pittsburgh took him first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. His first half was historic, pitching to a 6-0 record and 1.90 ERA in 66.1 innings of work. The 22-year-old finished the year just as strong, winning the NL Rookie of the year on the back of a 1.96 ERA.
21-year-old Willis took the league by storm during the first half of 2003, pitching to a 2.08 ERA in 82.1 innings after a May 9th debut. While he’d struggle after the All-Star game, Willis still took home NL Rookie of the Year honors as the Marlins surged to a miraculous World Series title.
Nomo was even more dominant in 1995, posting a 6-1 record and 1.99 ERA in 90.1 first half innings as the first Japanese player to pitch in MLB since the late 1960’s. The 26-year-old won the strikeout title (236 batters) and the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year in a 144 game season, wrapping things up nicely with a September no-hitter in pre-humidor Coors Field. While 1995 ended up being his only All-Star selection, Nomo would go on to pitch into his late thirties, even tossing a second no-hitter for Boston in 2001.
Finally, 1976 proved to be the only full season of Mark Fidrych’s career. The 21-year-old finished his first half with 9 wins and a 1.78 ERA, going on to win the AL Rookie of the Year and ERA title with 24 complete games and 250.1 total innings pitched. “The Bird” was again named to the All-Star game in 1977, but an undiagnosed rotator cuff tear on the 4th of July ended up destroying his promising career.
While all four starters were young, each was extremely effective in limited action. Fidrych, Nomo and Skenes each earned a starting nod at the All-Star game, and Willis would help lead Florida to a championship over the Yankees. All four ended up being deserving selections in hindsight, with significantly stronger arguments in two or more months of baseball. Other rookie All-Stars include Fernando Valenzuela with 14 starts in 1981 (though he made 10 appearances out of the bullpen in 1980), Dave Stenhouse, who started the 2nd All-Star game of 1962 after 18 first-half appearances (11 starts), and WWII era short-stop Freddie Zak, who made the All-Star game in 1944 with just 82 first-half at-bats. Misiorowski debuted exactly a month ago on June 12th. His case is closer to Zak’s under significantly different circumstances. More recently, it’s comparable to 2013 Yasiel Puig. The Dodgers outfielder debuted on June 3rd, hitting .391 with 8 home runs and 19 RBI over 38 first half games. At the time, that wasn’t considered enough experience to make the All-Star roster.
Four names that have been brought up by fans as more deserving for this year’s replacement nod are Kodai Senga (NYM), Sonny Gray (STL), Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez (PHI). Each has pitched well, with Sanchez, Senga and Suarez each carrying more than 3 wins above replacement (WAR) with ERA’s under 3. Several stars on the Phillies roster came out in defense of their twin aces, slamming the Misiorowski selection. Nick Castellanos was even quoted as saying the All-Star game is “turning into the Savannah Bananas.” As it turns out, reporting by the Athletic says Suarez was invited to the All-Star game on the condition that he commit to pitching in it. He declined to pitch, so they didn’t name him to the roster. Sanchez may have been asked the same question, but is ineligible to pitch as he’s scheduled to start this Sunday. MLB reportedly required replacement All-Stars to commit to actually pitch in the game, with availability overruling performance as a rule. If that’s the case, Sonny Gray won’t head to Atlanta because he’s also starting on Sunday. Pitchers like Merrill Kelly and Nick Pivetta fall into the same category, as do Shoto Imanaga and Clay Holmes in the NL, and Framber Valdez in the American League. Finally, Senga just returned from a month on the injured list, making pitching on short rest unrealistic after a Friday start. Misiorowski pitched on the 8th and won’t start on Sunday, making him eligible to pitch Tuesday night. Arguments could have been made for starters like the Cubs’ Colin Rea or another Phillies righty in Jesus Luzardo, but Misiorowski has made headlines nationally, with his popularity likely leading to his selection.
Regardless of deservedness, the only decision Milwaukee and Misiorowski had any control over in this process was whether or not they would accept the invitation. For a 23-year-old hard-throwing rookie, there’s no guarantee Miz will get another All-Star opportunity. Hopefully he does, but anything could happen. Is 25.1 innings enough to earn what has historically been a cherished honor? Maybe not. But considering the requirements put in place by MLB in 2025, vilifying Misiorowski is not the way to respond to his selection.
