5 Cardinals who could become first-time All-Stars in 2025

Attending an All-Star Game as a player is a memorable experience. It shows that you were among the best at your position for the first half of the season, and it's an honor that will stick with you for your entire career. Nothing can take away a player's attendance at an All-Star Game.

This year's All-Star week will go down at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia from Friday, July 11th, through Tuesday, July 15th. The Home Run Derby, Futures Game, and All-Star Game itself are all popular festivities, and players always look forward to this mid-season break.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, having attendees at the All-Star Game, particularly young ones, will prove that their new plan for team-building is successful. This is especially true if young players are voted to their first-ever All-Star Game.

The Cardinals have several players who have attended multiple All-Star Games. Nolan Arenado has attended eight, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray have been in three each, and Ryan Helsley and Miles Mikolas have both participated in two All-Star Games. While these players may get another shot at the mid-summer classic, it wouldn't be nearly as meaningful for them as it would be for the club's young crop of players.

To be voted into an All-Star Game, a player must be at least one of two things: talented and popular.

The All-Star Game, in theory at least, is a conglomeration of the game's best players through July. While three hot months doesn't make a player's season, it's an indication of more to come in the second half of the season.

A player must also be popular to be voted to an All-Star Game. While this shouldn't be the primary reason someone represents his team on the national stage, there's no denying it's a factor in many voters' minds. Big-name players will always receive votes, and those who play in major cities will have an advantage in voting based purely on the population of the city in which they play.

For example, the Toronto Blue Jays almost always have multiple players sent to the game due to them being the only team in the country. There are several talented players on the Blue Jays, but they typically receive an outsized number of votes.

In 2024, 39 players were voted to their first All-Star Game. The bulk of these players were reserves, replacements, or relief pitchers, but there's still a way for position players to make a name for themselves in the first half of the season and attend the summer's festivities.

With the hot start that several position players are off to for the Cardinals, it stands to reason that they'll have a couple of players head to Atlanta in July. Nolan Arenado is bringing back shades of his old self, and Willson Contreras could go off at any point. Pitchers Sonny Gray (3.13 ERA, 23 Ks) and Ryan Helsley (3.00 ERA and three saves) stand a chance to receive some votes, too.

These 5 St. Louis Cardinals could become All Stars for the first time in their careers in 2025.