MLB News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Underrated National League All-Star candidates

By Lauren Amour, Kevin Henry, Taylor Bretl | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 11:46 AM ET

MLB's Midsummer Classic has long been a highlight of the summer months and often pits the brightest stars in baseball against each other. With this year's game just a month away (July 15 at Atlanta's Truist Park), Yardbarker's MLB writers took a look at an underrated All-Star candidate from each National League club who deserves to represent his team in Atlanta.

(Records and stats are through play Sunday.)

NL East

Jun 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

ATLANTA BRAVES (31-39) | RHP Grant Holmes | A 15-strikeout effort against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday set a new career high for Holmes and brought his K total to 92 across 79.1 innings this season. With a 3.97 ERA, Holmes has been a solid No. 3 starter behind Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach and amid injuries to Spencer Strider and AJ Smith-Shawver.

MIAMI MARLINS (28-41) | OF Kyle Stowers | It’s always fun to select an All-Star from a last-place team, and Stowers has made a fairly convincing case through 65 games this season. The 27-year-old has notched 20 extra-base hits and 33 RBI to the tune of an .807 OPS – not exactly anything to write home about, but he leads the club in multiple offensive categories.

NEW YORK METS (45-27) | LHP David Peterson | The Mets’ rotation has surprised everyone this season, particularly Peterson, who’s looked like an ace in 13 starts. The 29-year-old has a 2.49 ERA across 79.2 frames of work, including a complete game shutout he tossed against the Nationals on June 11.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (42-29) | LHP Ranger Suarez | Since his return from the injured list on May 4, the southpaw has regained the form that made him an All-Star for the first time in 2024, with a 2.32 ERA in eight starts. While he hasn't been quite as dominant, Suarez has quickly compiled a case for himself for the 2025 ASG.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (30-41) | SS CJ Abrams | While his teammate James Wood leads the team in homers and RBI, Abrams has put together a decent season as well, with an .819 OPS, 26 extra-base hits, 22 RBI and 11 stolen bases. If the former top prospect were to head to Atlanta, it would be his second consecutive ASG appearance. -- Lauren Amour

NL Central

Jun 13, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki singles against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. Matt Marton-Imagn Images

CHICAGO CUBS ( 44-28) | OF Seiya Suzuki | Tied for third in the majors with 58 RBI, Suzuki is on pace to drive in 134 runners this season. His power has been a major factor in driving in runs, with 17 home runs and 37 of his 71 hits going for extra bases, tied with teammate Pete-Crow Armstrong for the fifth most in the majors.

CINCINNATI REDS (37-35) | OF TJ Friedl | After a rough 2024 season, Friedl has bounced back in a big way as the Reds’ leadoff hitter this season, leading all centerfielders with a 2.3 WAR and a .384 OBP, which ranks fourth among all outfielders. His .290 batting average leads all NL centerfielders, making him one of the best leadoff hitters in the majors.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (39-34) | RHP Abner Uribe | After posting a 6.81 ERA in 14 games last season, Uribe has found his role as Milwaukee’s top setup option. His 1.31 ERA is the seventh-best among all relief pitchers, and he has not given up a run in 22 of his last 23 appearances.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (29-44) | RHP Dennis Santana | Santana has become Pittsburgh’s most reliable bullpen arm this season, with a 1.74 ERA and just a 0.84 WHIP — the fourth-best among NL relievers. His strong control across his five-pitch arsenal has limited batters from reaching base on balls just 4.3% of the time.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (37-35) | UTIL Brendan Donovan | Excelling both at the plate and in the field, Donovan is putting together a strong 2025 season. He’s batting .313 — fourth best in the NL — and has played five different positions on the defensive side, committing just one error in 64 games. -- Taylor Bretl

NL West

Jun 8, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Andy Pages dives and makes a catch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (36-35) | RHP Merrill Kelly | Arizona’s rotation has its share of former All-Stars (including the injured Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen). Still, Kelly has been solid for the Diamondbacks after giving up nine runs to the New York Yankees in his second start of the season. Now through 15 starts, Kelly has lowered his ERA to 3.41 through 87.0 innings and his 2.2 bWAR is tied for second among all Diamondbacks.

COLORADO ROCKIES (14-57) | RHP Jake Bird | Middle relievers usually aren’t that appealing for All-Star rosters, but Bird has not only been a stalwart for Colorado but also one of the NL’s best relievers this season. A 2.23 ERA in 40.1 innings, along with 52 strikeouts so far, could make Bird the Rockies’ representative in Atlanta.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (43-29) | CF Andy Pages | In a star-studded Dodgers lineup, what Pages has brought to center field is easy to overlook. However, his OPS of .800 is the sixth-best on the team, and his 2.6 bWAR is ahead of Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez, among others.

SAN DIEGO PADRES (39-31) | DH Gavin Sheets | In his first season in San Diego, Sheets has made an immediate impact on the lineup by posting an OPS+ of 119 (his first time above 100 since his 54-game rookie season in 2021). The 29-year-old Sheets has 12 homers (just one behind team leader Fernando Tatis Jr.) while his 40 RBI are just behind Manny Machado’s 43 for the team lead.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (41-31) | RHP Tyler Rogers | San Francisco’s bullpen has been one of the keys to the team’s success so far this season, and Rogers may be the overlooked piece in the late innings. His 1.35 ERA through 33.1 innings is impressive, but without any saves, will his numbers be enough to get him to the Midsummer Classic? -- Kevin Henry

Taylor Bretl

Taylor Bretl is a student at Virginia Tech and founder of Around the Globe Baseball. While his passion is MLB, he also has a strong connection with football and basketball at the professional and collegiate levels.

Kevin Henry

A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), Kevin Henry has been covering MLB and MiLB for nearly two decades. Those assignments have included All-Star Games and the MLB postseason, including the World Series. Based in the Denver area, Kevin calls Coors Field his home base, but travels throughout North America during the season to discover the best stories possible

Lauren Amour

Lauren Amour is a writer and editor based in the Greater Philadelphia area. She works as an editor and writer at Yardbarker, covering MLB and the Philadelphia Phillies.

More must-reads: