​The 2026 MLB All-Star Weekend has landed in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, with the Philadelphia Phillies at the center of all the excitement surrounding the major events. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are slated to take part in the Home Run Derby, while Cristopher Sánchez is set to start for the National League on Tuesday. The question lingering over the week is whether anyone will manage to steal the spotlight from the host team as the festivities unfold.
In this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, recorded live at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman sit down with Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb of The Athletic to unpack the headlines surrounding the home squad. A key conversation point is Zack Wheeler, who declined a chance to be named an All-Star replacement after feeling snubbed, and the pair explores what that decision says about the current mood around the Phillies. They also examine why it took so long for the All-Star Game to return to Philadelphia and speculate on what might unfold if Bryce Harper were to square off against Kyle Schwarber in the Derby.
As the show progresses, Mintz and Shusterman widen their lens to cover all the other headlines surrounding the 96th edition of the Midsummer Classic. They break down the latest roster additions and the disappointment of Shohei Ohtani not participating in the game. Following that, they preview the Home Run Derby, recap the Futures Game, and dissect the surprising developments from the MLB Draft.
The episode features a structured segment timeline: starting with “The Opener” focusing on the Phillies’ presence in the All-Star Game at 1:27, moving to a discussion of Harper and Schwarber in the Home Run Derby at 12:17, and then a dedicated Home Run Derby preview at 23:31. The conversation expands to the broader landscape of the All-Star event with “Around the League” addressing Ohtani’s absence at 43:57 and “All-Star Game roster replacements” at 47:01. The show wraps with a deep dive into the MLB Draft at 59:50 and a recap of the Futures Game.
This episode is complemented by a photo credit to Mitchell Leff (Getty Images). For those who want to watch the full episode, it’s available on YouTube, and the entire Baseball Bar-B-Cast library, along with other Yahoo Sports podcasts, can be accessed at Apple Podcasts via the link provided or through Yahoo Sports’ video platform for enhanced SEO.