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MLB Notebook: Whit Merrifield released by Phillies, Paul Skenes continues to make history, and more
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Photo credit: © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Brett Holden
Jul 12, 2024, 18:30 EDTUpdated: Jul 12, 2024, 18:49 EDT
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Whit Merrifield released by Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have released utility-guy, Whit Merrifield, on Friday after a sub-.200 average halfway through the season.
Merrifield signed with the Phillies during the offseason after an impressive year with the Blue Jays in 2023. Fresh off an All-Star appearance last year, the third of his career, Merrifield entered the season with the Phillies with high expectations. However, those expectations have not been met.
Swinging for a batting average of .199 with three homers and 11 RBIs, Whit’s bat was just not there for Philadelphia. Merrifield sat in the bottom half of Phillies hitters in basically every hitting statistic there is: OBP, slugging, OPS, BABIP, everything. It has not been a good year at the plate for Whit Merrifield.
In a corresponding move, the Phillies recalled third baseman Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Wilson was recalled last month as well after Brandon Marsh and Kody Clemens were placed on the IL, where he would go 0-4 in two games against the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox. Despite the struggles this season at the Major League level, Wilson has been mashing in the minors; Wilson hit 10 homers in the month of June, coupling that with his 20 RBIs, four stolen bases, and .377 average, the call-up is more than warranted.
The Phillies will be set for now with Wilson in the bench role that Merrifield was currently occupying, but with the MLB Trade Deadline only a few weeks away, dropping Whit allows a bit more of a runway for the Phils.
As for Whit, he is a seasoned veteran with what seems to be more left in the tank. The 35-year-old still sits in the 92nd percentile in sprint speed in all of baseball, plus he doesn’t really strike out that often. In fact, of all those offensive stats he sat so low in, he had the least amount of punchouts than any other Phillies batter with 100 at-bats and the second lowest K% amongst Phillies batters, behind only Wilson, who has four at-bats. Whit is also a universally well-liked dude. I would not be shocked to see his name pop up with a team like the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, or New York Yankees sometime soon.

Red-hot Skenes announced as NL starter at All-Star Game

Paul Skenes is having the week of a lifetime and possibly the greatest week by a rookie in MLB history.
First, on Sunday afternoon, he was announced as an MLB All-Star, the first ever first-overall pick to be an All-Star the season after being drafted, not bad.
Then in his first start since the All-Star nod, Skenes would throw seven innings of no-hit baseball, while striking out 11 Milwaukee Brewers and only allowing two baserunners all game. Despite throwing only 13 pitches between the sixth and seventh innings, Skenes would get the yank, to plenty of dismay from fans, but would still walk away with his sixth win on the year as the Pirates downed the Brew Crew 1-0.
Now, this is the second time Skenes has been pulled without allowing a hit; in his second-ever start in the MLB, Skenes threw 6.0 innings of no-hit ball, also striking out 11 and walking only one Chicago Cub the whole game.
BUT HE STILL WASN’T DONE THERE.
On Friday morning, the MLB announced that Paul Skenes would be the All-Star Game starter for the National League on Tuesday evening. Skenes becomes the fifth rookie pitcher to start in the All-Star game, joining a pretty impressive list. Rookie pitchers who also started the All-Star Game include Hideo Nomo in 1995, Fernando Valenzuela in 1981, Mark Fidrych in 1976, and Dave Stenhouse in 1962.
Skenes becomes the first rookie pitcher in the 21st Century and the first in almost 30 years to make the start.
While there are all of these storylines surrounding the start, this isn’t a novelty move to make the prized rookie the starter at the All-Star Game. Paul Skenes has genuinely been one of, if not the best pitcher in all of baseball since his MLB debut on May 11th. Skenes has started 11 games in his career all without losing a single one, he is 6-0 in those 11 starts and sits first in the MLB in strikeouts with 89, third best ERA with a 1.90, and fifth in K/9 with 12.08. He has been unbelievable.
While I, along with many others, wished Skenes finished the no-hit bid on Friday, I too want to see this man pitch in the MLB for a very long time because he is just that good. And the funny part is, I say “man,” he is still only 22 years old. If he can stay healthy and this dominant, we could be watching one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history.
But, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves yet, for now, enjoy the greatness and the elite level of baseball we are about to witness over the All-Star break.

Quick Notes:

  • Jose Altuve to sit out the All-Star Game. Altuve will skip out on All-Star festivities this year to rest a sore left hand. Altuve was hit on his hand last week and had to exit the game at the time, but has stayed active since. Marcus Semien will now start for the American League while Minnesota Twins second baseman, Willi Castro will take his roster spot.
  • Teoscar Hernandez rounds out Home Run Derby contestants. Hernandez will join an already crushing group in this year’s Home Run Derby including: Texas’ Adolis Garcia, Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez, New York’s Pete Alonso, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, Philadelhia’s Alec Bohm, Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., and Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna.

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