By the time we reached the All-Star Game this summer in Philadelphia, 59.4% of the MLB season was in the books. But the truth is, we could probably have the game 70-80% of the way through the season and still have snubs and second-half surges unaccounted for on the All-Star rosters.
That’s why we like to use this space each year to salute some All-Star-worthy seasons that somehow slipped through the Midsummer Classic cracks.
Here’s a lineup’s worth of guys who didn’t get to walk the red carpet but are still stars to us.
Stats included are through Monday's games.
C: Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks
The 26-year-old Moreno won a Gold Glove Award back in 2023, but this season has been his biggest step forward yet in terms of anchoring this pivotal position with high-contact hitting and excellent defense. He’s surpassed his previous career high in games played (111 in 2023) while posting his best OPS (.846), and he’s in the 90th percentile or better in expected weighted on-base average, expected batting average and whiff percentage.
Honorable mentions: Carter Jensen, Royals; Liam Hicks, Rays/Marlins; Tyler Stephenson, Reds
1B: Jake Bauers, Brewers
In his seventh Major League season and on his fifth team, Bauers has launched himself into the top 10 on the OPS leaderboards (.892). He hits for power and draws walks at elite levels, and after having some success in more favorable platoon matchups last season, the left-handed hitter has improved his OPS against lefties this year by nearly 400 points. It’s been a stunning surge for the 30-year-old Bauers and a big reason why the Brew Crew might have its best postseason entry yet.
Honorable mentions: Pete Alonso, Orioles; Rafael Devers, Giants; Ty France, Padres; Luis Garcia Jr., Yankees/Nationals; TJ Rumfield, Rockies; Alec Burleson, Cardinals; Jonathan Aranda, Rays
2B: Brice Turang, Brewers
Though yet to be saluted as an All-Star in his career, the 26-year-old Turang’s upward trajectory has continued this season. His offensive numbers (.265/.363/.443) are pretty much in line with last season, when he finished 14th in the NL MVP vote. But his defense, as measured by Outs Above Average, has actually been even better than in his 2024 Gold Glove season (+12 at second base, vs. +6 that season). This is an underrated star.
Honorable mentions: JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals; Brandon Lowe, Pirates; Chase Meidroth, White Sox; Luke Keaschall, Twins
SS: Elly De La Cruz, Reds
The irony is that De La Cruz’s best of three full seasons to date is the only one that didn’t send him to the All-Star Game. Elly’s not a threat to steal nearly 70 bags like he did two years ago, but he’s become a more complete player. He’s walking more, striking out less and more frequently tapping into his raw power, with an average exit velo, barrel rate and hard-hit rate that all rank near the absolute top of MLB. It’s added up to an .874 OPS that, when combined with the elite range and arm at short and the super speed make him a potential MVP waiting to happen.
Honorable mentions: Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks; Zach Neto, Angels; Jeremy Peña, Astros
3B: Alex Bregman, Cubs
In addition to the typically Bregman-esque defense at the hot corner (+8 Outs Above Average) and OPS+ more than 20% better than league average, the Cubs’ veteran offseason addition has been lauded for his clubhouse presence. The mentorship he provided Pete Crow-Armstrong early in the year about plate approach and swing decisions helped unleash PCA’s MVP-worthy year.
Honorable mentions: Isaac Paredes, Astros; Kazuma Okamoto, Blue Jays
LF: Jackson Chourio, Brewers
The Milwaukee team once again vying for MLB’s best record sent only two All-Stars to Philadelphia (Jacob Misiorowski and William Contreras), so it seems appropriate that we’ve included three Brewers here. Chourio has continued his ascent to national stardom by reaching a new level offensively, with career bests in all three triple-slash categories (.292 average, .349 OBP, .493 SLG) as well as home runs (23). His full-time shift to left field has produced +5 Outs Above Average.
Honorable mentions: Steven Kwan, Guardians; Sam Antonacci, White Sox; Trevor Larnach, Twins; Bryan Reynolds, Pirates; Wyatt Langford, Rangers; Tyler Soderstrom, A’s
CF: Michael Harris II, Braves
The Braves had three All-Star position players (and five overall), yet arguably their most valuable everyday guy didn’t make the cut. Harris had shown great potential in his run to NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2022, but this age-25 season has been the best example yet of what his dynamic athletic profile can bring the Braves. He’s an elite, rangy defender at a premium position, and he’s backed it with the highest slugging percentage (.490) since his rookie year.
Honorable mentions: Jackson Merrill, Padres; Garrett Mitchell, Brewers
RF: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
What a great example of how long the season truly is. Tatis was oddly invisible for the season’s first two months. It took him 56 games to finally hit a home run. Now you look up, and his .289/.357/.462 slash, 22 homers, 29 doubles and 35 steals are very much in line with his All-Star norms. After all that homerless handwringing, he has a hard-hit rate (54.2%) in the top 3% of MLB.
Honorable mentions: Seiya Suzuki, Cubs; Jac Caglianone, Royals; Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox; Carson Benge, Mets; Chase DeLauter, Guardians; Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
UTL: Ezequiel Duran, Rangers
We had to include a utility spot for this guy. In his fifth season, he’s more than doubled his WAR (via both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs) from the previous four combined. He’s played every position in the infield and outfield while ranking in the 98th percentile in fielding run value, while also producing career bests in OPS (.769), homers (17), doubles (26) and steals (11). The definition of super utility.
Honorable mention: Kody Clemens, Twins
DH: Dominic Canzone, Mariners
After flourishing in a quasi-platoon at the DH spot last season, the lefty-hitting Canzone claimed a more consistent role this year and handled both righties (.796) and lefties (.827). He’s crossed the 20-homer and 20-double thresholds and produced the sixth-best OPS (.804) among qualifiers with at least 50% of their games played at DH.
Honorable mention: Joc Pederson, Rangers; Bryce Eldridge, Giants
SP: Sonny Gray, Red Sox
Gray’s All-Star appearances arrive like presidential election cycles -- every four years (2015 with the A’s, 2019 with the Reds, 2023 with the Twins). In retrospect, the pattern should have been broken this year. Gray is vying for the MLB wins lead (17), and his 148 ERA+ (48% better than league average) is the best of any qualified starter who didn’t make the All-Star squads. His precise command plays up all the more in the ABS era.
Honorable mentions: Zack Wheeler, Phillies; Cade Cavalli, Nationals; Payton Tolle, Red Sox; Michael King, Padres; Nolan McLean, Mets; Reid Detmers, Angels; Grant Holmes, Braves; José Soriano, Blue Jays/Angels; Keider Montero, Tigers
RP: Paul Blackburn, Yankees
As always, elite relief seasons were underrepresented at the All-Star Game, so there are a lot of ways you can go with this pick. But as of this writing, Blackburn is the only reliever this year to have provided 80-plus innings with a sub-2.00 ERA without getting the All-Star nod. It has been a dramatic turnaround for an injury-plagued starter whose weak-contact-inducing arsenal has really played up in the ‘pen.
Honorable mentions: Tyler Rogers, Blue Jays; Brent Headrick, Yankees; Yuki Matsui, Padres; DL Hall, Brewers; Grant Taylor, White Sox; Abner Uribe, Brewers; Steven Okert, Astros; Didier Fuentes, Braves; Juan Morillo, Diamondbacks