This story was excerpted from Will Leitch’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. Subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters.
The Cardinals have not had a player selected by the fans to start the All-Star Game since Nolan Arenado at third base in 2023. Before that, it was Paul Goldschmidt at first base in 2022 and Arenado at third in ’21. And, if you can believe this, before that, the Cardinals hadn’t had an All-Star starter voted in since … 2015? It’s true: That year, Matt Holliday was selected in the outfield and Jhonny Peralta at shortstop.
Even without counting 2020, when there was no All-Star Game, that’s just three total starting selections for Cardinals players over a nine-season span, and none over the past two. Will that drought end this year?
It might be asking too much to expect any player to accomplish that. Still, the Cardinals are off to a terrific start. And if you are filling out your ballot and looking to make a case for some St. Louis players, we’re here to help. Here is a ranking of the top five Cardinals on the ballot by how strong a case they have made this year for your vote.
1. Jordan Walker, OF
Walker is unlikely to end up getting voted in as a starter, just because of the high level of competition, but he probably has the best shot of any St. Louis player. Entering Tuesday, he was tied for 13th in the Majors with 2.5 fWAR, tied for 11th in homers (16), tied for third in RBIs (47), sixth in OPS (.922) and tied for seventh in wRC+ (158). He’s also an extremely charismatic player who has a built-in comeback story after coming into the league as a highly touted prospect, struggling mightily for three years (with the worst season coming in 2025) and then, at last, being rewarded in 2026 for all his hard work.
The only problem Walker has this year is how many terrific outfielders there are in the NL. He’s only fifth among NL outfielders in fWAR, behind the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll, the Nationals’ James Wood and the Dodgers’ Andy Pages. And that group doesn’t even include established superstars such as the Mets’ Juan Soto and the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. Breaking into the top three at this position will be tough. But I bet we see Walker in Philadelphia nevertheless, even if it’s as a reserve.
2. JJ Wetherholt, 2B
Wetherholt, remarkably, has caught Walker in fWAR; both entered Tuesday at 2.5. He’s also your current clubhouse leader in the NL Rookie of the Year Award race, and despite missing a few games with injury over the weekend, he’s back in the lineup and continuing to get on base and hit the ball with authority. His defense has always been outstanding, even a pleasant surprise; he and Masyn Winn are a fantastic double-play duo.
Wetherholt would probably top this list were he not stuck behind the Brewers’ Brice Turang, who is playing like an MVP candidate, but it wouldn’t be much of a shock to see the rookie show up in Philadelphia as well.
3. Alec Burleson, 1B
Burly went through a brief slump for a week or so, but he’s back out of it and hitting the ball all over the place like Cardinals fans have gotten used to seeing. His .816 OPS (entering Tuesday) was sixth among NL first basemen -- ahead of more heralded players like the Reds’ Sal Stewart and the Giants’ Rafael Devers -- and he’s putting up the best numbers of his career.
Burleson’s walk rate is also up to a career high 9.3%, and he’s even playing a nimble first base.
4. Iván Herrera, DH
Obviously, no one is touching Shohei Ohtani in this category -- not even Kyle Schwarber -- but Herrera has more than held up his end of the bargain this year. Batting out of the No. 2 spot in the order, Herrera has his OBP over .370 once again.
His defense at catcher is a work in progress, but the Cardinals are continuing to give him opportunities and besides, this is the DH category. You’d like to see Herrera hitting for a little more power -- his slugging percentage is down 61 points from last year -- but his walk rate is up to a career-high 12.2% and he leads the NL with 13 hit-by-pitches. If he starts launching the ball again, look out.
5. Masyn Winn, SS
Thanks to his all-world defense, Winn would be a sleeper pick at the shortstop position -- maybe even a popular pick -- if he had made the offensive strides the Cardinals had been hoping he’d make this offseason. Unfortunately, he hasn’t: His 85 OPS+ is not going to get it done.
There are some positive signs, though, particularly of late. Winn is getting on base more, and his OBP is, in fact, up eight points from last year. If he can become even merely an above-average hitter, he’d be a regular All-Star with his defense. But he’s not that yet.
Other Cardinals on the ballot
• Pedro Pagés, C
• Nolan Gorman, 3B
• Nathan Church, OF
• Victor Scott II, OF