Did Philly just leak some of MLB’s All-Stars? Not necessarily.
Banners depicting some of baseball's biggest stars went up around town on Friday. But history tells us that not everyone depicted may make the cut.
Did Philadelphia just get a spoiler on the MLB All-Star selections?
On Friday, banners boasting some of baseball’s biggest stars were spotted by The Inquirer around town. The banners, first noted by user @gerawaycar on X, appear to be in place for the MLB All-Star Game, which is July 14 at Citizens Bank Park. Many banners are clustered near Market Street, leading up to City Hall.
The only issue? The MLB has not yet announced the game’s rosters.
The league is scheduled to name starters and reserves on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Fox29). If the banners do correspond with the league’s selections, Philadelphians got a sneak peak. The Inquirer has reached out to the city of Philadelphia for comment.
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The banners also could just be promotional material. In 2019, Phillies star Bryce Harper was featured prominently on multiple banners Cleveland, which was hosting that year, despite not being selected to participate.
In 2021, when the game was in Colorado, a sign was spotted featuring Harper alongside Chicago White Sox catcher Yermin Mercedes and Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon.
Players that are featured on Philadelphia’s banners include the Washington Nationals’ James Wood, New York Yankees’ Cam Schlittler, Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale, the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes, and Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton.
Other banners also have been spotted on social media. Players that were spotted include the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez and Kyle Schwarber, Milwaukee Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski, Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson, Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, Mets’ Juan Soto, Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, St. Louis Cardinals’ Jordan Walker, Cleveland Guardians’ Cade Smith, Toronto Blue Jays’ Louis Varland, Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez, San Diego Padres’ Mason Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll, Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., and Athletics’ Nick Kurtz.