Utley, Howard, Gordon Chosen for All Star Game
The Phillies will have 3 representatives for next week’s MLB All Star Game since Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Tom Gordon were selected. Utley will start at 2nd base for the National League team while Gordon and Howard will come in as reserves. For Howard and Utley this will be their first All Star game while Gordon will be going for a 3rd time. All three men were well deserving of a spot on the All Star team. Utley has been stellar at bat all year and has the most RBI’s in league as a second baseman. Howard leads the majors with 28 home runs and has consistently provided a spark for this team. Back in the bullpen, Gordon has been great as a closer and has done a fine job replacing Billy Wagner.
The Phils could have a 4th representative if Bobby Abreu is voted in by an Internet fan selection. He won this selection 2 years ago but my guess is that he will fall short this year and will be spending his All Star break at home. The 4 other players that have a chance to be selected are Billy Wagner, Nomar Garciaparra, Chris Capuano, and Chris Young. My vote would have to go to Nomar since he is leading the National League in batting average over .380.
This year the Phillies will have a new participant in the Home Run Derby since Ryan Howard was selected. Howard should be a favorite to bring home the trophy this year in Pittsburgh. The other main contender is Boston’s David Ortiz who can get hot very quickly. Phillies’ fans are hoping for a Bobby Abreu like performance from Howard and hopefully he can pull it off on July 10th.
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Posted on July 4, 2006 by Kyle Garis | Filed Under Phillies, Philadelphia
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