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The finishing touches are being put on the American and National League All-Star Game rosters in advance of Tuesday's big event at Truist Park. While the standard rosters have already been voted on and hand-picked, changes are still happening as players opt-out and pitchers don't line up to be available. As it turns out, one of the most surprising All-Star selections turned out to be one of the last All-Star selections.  

The choice of Milwaukee Brewers 23-year-old rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, who replaces Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd on the list of available pitchers, isn't surprising on the statistical merits. After all, he's pitched to a 2.81 ERA/145 ERA+, and he's struck out 33.6% of opposing batters. Rather, it's surprising because Misiorowski earned the nod after pitching in just five games in the majors this season and working just 25 ⅔ innings. Stated another way, his All-Star selection comes not even a full month after his big-league debut. 

That's a record, as it turns out. According to Elias, the MLB record for fewest career games before an All-Star selection was 11 by Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates just last season. Misirowski didn't just break that record, he reduced it to smoking embers. 

Misiorowski is also the 30th first-time All-Star on this year's rosters and the 16th replacement. His addition means there are now 80 total All-Stars for 2025.

"I'm speechless," Misiorowski told reporters (via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) after the Brewers' 8-3 victory Friday. "It's awesome. It's very unexpected, and it's an honor."

To be sure, Misiorowski is a compelling presence already. In his very brief career to date, he's regularly topped 100 mph with his fastball, he's outdueled Skenes head-to-head, he's taken a perfect game bid into the seventh inning, and he's struck out 12 against the reigning-champion Dodgers. 

He'll be quite a weapon in Dave Roberts' bullpen in the upcoming Midsummer Classic, but Misiorowski's selection after, again, a mere five games immediately raised ire, including from the Phillies clubhouse where multiple players were upset that Misiorowski was chosen over Cristopher Sánchez, who is lined up to pitch Sunday and thus would not pitch in the All-Star Game anyway.

"What a joke," Phillies shortstop Trea Turner told The Athletic. "That's f---ing terrible. I mean, that's terrible, dude."

The All-Star Game, Turner said, has turned into "whoever sells the most tickets or has been put on social media the most" rather than the players having the best seasons.

"At first I thought, 'This is not going to be fair.' This kid, it's not the same way the other guys have to go out and pitch – whoever it may be," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Friday. "You look at a guy (Abner) Uribe, you look at a guy like Brice Turang or Sal (Frelick) or so many other deserving people you could make an argument for.

"But this is the entertainment business, this is what MLB wants, this is what people want to see. And the kid can't say no to that, right? It's just a great honor to have another Milwaukee Brewer there. The way he accepted it and the way he handled it just shows you how humble he is.