Even with the Phillies idle this week for the All-Star break, there’s still no shortage of storylines surrounding the club. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the latest Phillies developments making headlines during the break.
Though the Phillies enjoyed a break this week, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber stayed busy. As the team’s lone All-Star, Schwarber — who ranks fifth in the majors with 30 home runs — represented Philadelphia in Tuesday night’s Midsummer Classic.
Though Schwarber was the Phillies’ lone All-Star player, he wasn’t the only member of the organization to step onto the field.
Phillies bat boy Adam Crognale, now in his fifth season with the team, also proudly represented the club after winning a fan vote to serve as the National League’s bat boy. “I know I’m living the dream of some 8 or 10-year-old, or somewhere in that range, kid in the stands,” reflected Crognale. “And even older than that, really. It’s a dream come true. I don’t take it for granted. I want to make it as easy as possible on the guys because deep down we want them to win and play well and hopefully bring home another championship.”
According to CBS News Philadelphia, Crognale was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma in his knee more than a decade ago.
It wasn’t just current Phillies making headlines this week—former players grabbed the spotlight too. Jimmy Rollins, the 2007 MVP who spent 15 seasons in Philadelphia, made a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole at the American Century Championship over the weekend. His ace won him a MasterCraft X24 speedboat, valued at more than $380,000.
“I got my first hole-in-one and won a boat,” said the 2008 World Series champion
Meanwhile, as Rollins celebrated his triumph on the golf course, the Phillies were busy shaping their future through the 2025 MLB Draft, which kicked off this past Sunday. Under President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies made pitching their clear priority by selecting pitchers in each of the first eight rounds, including seven college arms.
The Phillies used their first-round pick on Arkansas right-hander Gage Wood, whose fastball is among the best in this year’s draft class, sitting consistently at 94–96 mph and touching 98. Baseball fans may recall Wood’s remarkable performance this past June, when he threw a no-hitter in the College World Series—the first at the event since 1960. His 19 strikeouts that day also set a new College World Series record for the most strikeouts in a nine-inning game. Selecting Wood marked the first time since 2014, when they drafted Aaron Nola, that the Phillies have chosen a college pitcher in the first round.
In the second round, the Phillies selected Cade Obermueller, a left-hander out of the University of Iowa. As for the verdict on Obermueller, MLB Pipeline describes him this way: “Obermueller works from a low arm slot that produces outstanding metrics on his fastball and slider. He sits at 91-94 mph and can reach 98 with his heater, showing the ability to create carry, run or sink from an unusually flat approach angle. He imparts huge horizontal break, as well as good depth, on a low-80s slider that eats up lefties and righties.”
In the third round, the Phillies picked Cody Bowker, a right-handed pitcher from Vanderbilt who served as the team’s No. 2 starter. While Bowker’s fastball typically sits between 90–95 mph, it’s his distinctive delivery that sets him apart, as highlighted by MLB Pipeline. “He uses a drop-and-drive delivery and a low arm slot, producing unusually high spin from an unusually low release height, which makes his heater appear to be rising more than most.”
In the fourth round, the Phillies selected Sean Youngerman, a right-hander from Oklahoma State. They followed with right-hander Gabe Craig from Baylor in the fifth, left-hander James Tallon out of Duke in the sixth, right-hander Matthew Fisher from Memorial High School in Indiana in the seventh, and rounded out the eighth round with right-hander Brian Walters from the University of Miami (FL).
With the draft in the books, the Phillies now shift their attention back to the big-league schedule. Once the All-Star break wraps up, the Phillies will return home for their next two series. They’ll open with a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels starting Friday, with the rotation expected to feature Jesús Luzardo, Taijuan Walker, and Ranger Suárez. After that, they’ll host the Boston Red Sox from July 21 to 23, a matchup that could be especially intriguing given the Sox’s recent surge. Boston, now 53-45, has won 10 straight heading into the break.
From All-Star moments and heartwarming personal victories to draft picks with future Major League promise, the Phillies have filled the break with plenty of headlines. As play resumes Friday, they’ll look to keep the excitement rolling into the second half of the season.
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