SAN FRANCISCO - Six weeks before the All-Star Game, Phillies manager Gabe Kapler believes his team has a chance to be well represented.
"I don't want to be too much of a homer here," Kapler said. "There's still time so a 10-game stretch of brilliance, a 10-game stretch of really good performance, could put a lot of guys in the mix.
"I don't think Jorge (Alfaro) is crazy by any stretch. Cesar (Hernandez), Nick Pivetta, (Jake) Arrieta, (Aaron) Nola. I think all those guys are in the conversation."
Kapler added that he believes Rhys Hoskins would ultimately have been in the conversation if he hadn't suffered a broken jaw.
And how about the rookie phenom Seranthony Dominguez? All he'd done since coming to the majors in early May was retire 40 of the first 43 hitters he'd face, 15 by strikeout. He'd walked none in racking up 13 2/3 scoreless innings.
It sounds far-fetched, but if Dominguez keeps it up for another month …
"That's kind of what I mean, let's say there's 10 games where he pitches four of them and a couple are two innings and he's still this guy," Kapler said.
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Kapler hopes his leadoff man and second baseman, Hernandez, gets some love on the ballot.
"He's leading National League second basemen in on-base percentage (.381), in stolen bases (10) and in walk percentage (15.4)," Kapler said. "For me, I think, from a profile perspective and what he does for our club, those are some pretty important characteristics. It's an important profile and it's at least worth considering."
Hernandez talked about his season in this recent profile.
