Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer named National League All-Stars

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon and right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer have been selected to represent the Washington Nationals in the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The 2019 All-Star teams were unveiled on Sunday on during the "Google MLB All-Star Selection Show" on ESPN. Both players were named to the All-Star Game rosters by the Player Ballot - a vote of the players, managers and coaches - and by Major League Baseball.

Rendon earned his first career All-Star selection after leading all National League third basemen in on-base percentage (1st, 398), slugging percentage (.619) and OPS (1st, 1.017). Among all National League players, Rendon ranks in OPS (4th, 1.017), on-base percentage (5th, .398), slugging percentage (6th, .619), runs scored (T7th, 61), batting average (10th, .310), doubles (T10th, 20) and RBI (T10th, 57).

Although this will be his first appearance in the Midsummer Classic, Rendon has been one of the premier players at third base and in all of the National League the past several years. Since the start of the 2017 season, Rendon ranks second among all National League players in Wins Above Replacement (16.1) behind only Milwaukee's Christian Yelich (16.7).

This is the seventh consecutive All-Star selection for Scherzer, five of which have been with the Nationals. Scherzer's seven consecutive All-Star selections trail only Mike Trout (8 straight) for the longest active streak of being selected to the All-Star Game.

Scherzer is 8-5 with a 2.43 ERA following today's outing. He leads the National League in strikeouts (170), strikeouts per 9.0 innings (12.51), innings pitched (122.1) and ranks third in ERA (2.43). Scherzer also ranks among National League pitchers in home runs per 9.0 IP (2nd, 0.66), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd, 7.73), opp. SLG (3rd, .344), opp. AVG (3rd, .218), opp. OBP (4th, .264), WHIP (5th, 1.00), and opp. OPS (4th, .609).

Scherzer has been nothing short of dominant over his last eight starts dating to May 22nd. He entered his start on May 22nd ranked 25th in the National League in ERA at 3.72 and has vaulted to third in the National League at 2.43 thanks to this run. Scherzer is 6-0 with a 0.95 ERA (6 ER/57.0 IP) and 83 strikeouts, eight walks, three homers and a .174 opponents' batting average across these eight starts.