Biggest disappointment for the first-place Phillies at the All-Star break? No, it’s not Max Kepler or Jordan Romano.

First-place teams at All-Star breaks generally don’t have a lot of disappointing players on their roster, but this Phillies team feels different. It feels like it’s underachieving in the midst of inarguable success. But then, this is Philly.

And let’s be honest: The Phillies are in first place because the Mets have four healthy people in their dugout, counting the bat boy.

There is much to love about this team. Zack Wheeler is marching closer to the Hall of Fame with every start. Kyle Schwarber hits ever more home runs that travel farther and farther. Trea Turner has, at 32, evolved into a classic leadoff hitter. And the lefty duo of Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez are putting together consecutive seasons that recall Spahn and Sain.

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As anyone familiar with these pages (and webpages) can attest, this sort of teeth-gnashing is a clear departure for me, given my history of boundless optimism and perpetual positivity. But I’ll do my best.

As such, let’s define “disappointment” in this exercise as a player failing to meet expectations.

For example, that disqualifies Nick Castellanos. Why? Because in four seasons as a Phillie he has a .745 OPS and is compiling another campaign that bears no resemblance to the six previous seasons, when he had an .853 OPS, which earned him his $100 million contract. What Castellanos is doing no longer is disappointing. It’s his new norm.

Bryce Harper’s power outage isn’t as disappointing as his latest spate of injuries. He says he’s 100%, and he’s earned the benefit of every doubt.

So little was expected from the bats of outfielders Johan Rojas and Brandon Marsh that, this offseason, the Phillies tossed $10 million into a wood chipper.

Which brings us to Max Kepler, who is not the most disappointing Phillie.

He’s the free agent who was supposed to provide power from left field. He’s hitting .210 with a .678 OPS (Marsh is at .259 and .697).

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Disappointing? A bit. But not egregiously disappointing.

Not if you knew Kepler’s backstory.

He’s averaged 15 home runs the last four seasons, which, for a 6-foot-4, 225-pound specimen who made almost $32 million, is anemic. In his last eight seasons, this is the fifth time — the fifth — that Kepler has hit under .230. It’s the second time in five seasons he’s hit .211 or worse.

Kepler was no more than a $10 million gamble, and the Phillies, so far, have lost. It’s a disappointment, but only for anyone who expected him to improve at the age of 32.

Improving at the age of 28, however, is completely reasonable, and that’s the age of the Phillies’ biggest disappointment so far.

He’s 6-5, weighs 220 pounds, and is absolutely ripped. He was the third overall pick in a 2018 draft that included two-time All-Stars Shane McClanahan and Steven Kwan as well as new All-Star and Home Run Derby winner Cal Raleigh, who made the All-Star team a year after Bohm.

Bohm deserved every minute of that All-Star appearance last year in Texas, with a .313 average, an .873 OPS, 64 RBIs, and a much-improved defensive game at third base ... through June 24.

Since June 24, 2024, Bohm is hitting a toothless .264. He got benched for Game 2 of the NLDS. He hit .217 in his first 30 games this season. He’s at .281 now thanks to a two-month surge that looks a lot like his early 2024 season, so maybe this grade is a bit premature.

But when you have his pedigree, his size, and his improvement over his first five seasons, it’s fair to expect something better than a .723 OPS at the All-Star break in season six.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper and Jordan Romano were killing the Phillies until Harper broke out in San Francisco

After he hit .280 in 2023, the Phillies talked about Stott as a possible .300 hitter who might fill the leadoff spot for years. Then Stott slid to .245 in 2024, because, we were led to believe, he played through an elbow injury most of the season. His elbow is better, they say, but he’s still hitting .234 today and .204 since April.

Stott is a 27-year-old first-rounder from 2019.

He’s been a tease for a year and a half.

In Philly, Romano is Public Enemy No. 2, behind Kepler — unless he’s pitching that night. Then he’s John Dillinger.

With the departure of free agent Jeff Hoffman, the Phillies hoped Romano would provide veteran insurance for the back end of a bullpen populated by Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, and, especially, putative closer José Alvarado. Romano, 32, was coming off elbow surgery, but the Phils bet $8.5 million that he’d be a safety net in the eventuality of injury, ineptness, or idiocy.

As it turns out, Romano’s relevance rose due to eventuality No. 3: Alvarado was suspended 80 games and disqualified from postseason play for a positive PED test. This has amplified Romano’s importance and magnified his shortcomings.

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Romano has been less insurance than inflammable.

He has four losses and three blown saves. His 7.29 ERA is second worst among relievers with at least 30 appearances (he has 37).

Still, for the purposes of this exercise, you have to weigh expectations and circumstances. Romano needed a month to get his footing, and he’s blown only one save and logged seven successful saves since. He isn’t the same guy who had 97 saves and a 2.29 ERA from 2020-23 in Toronto, but if anyone thought he was going to be that guy, he’d have gotten five years and $85 million, not one year and $8.5 million.