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.

CF Victor Scott II

After a torrid start to the year, center fielder Victor Scott II has cooled off a bit. Through his first eight games, Scott had a slash line of .310/.400/.448 with one home run, a double, eight strikeouts, five walks, and four stolen bases. Since then, he's slashing .200/.231/.320 with just one stolen base and two extra-base hits. He's struck out eight times and walked only once.

Something seems to have flipped for the 24-year-old speedster on the offensive end. Since April 8th, Scott has seen fastballs at a rate well above 50% and breaking balls around 10% of the time. His swing-and-miss rate is highest against breaking balls, and it's gone up from 20% on March 30th to 50% in his most recent game. He's seeing fewer breaking balls over the last week of games, but he's whiffing significantly more on them.

What helps Scott's case at becoming an All-Star for the first time would be his electricity. He ranks in the 100th percentile in sprint speed, and his range in the outfield is virtually unmatched in baseball. Exciting players tend to receive large numbers of votes, and that plays in Scott's favor, and he's one of the game's most exciting young players.

Additionally, his strong start shows that he has the ability to turn it on offensively while still being a plus defender. If he can return to his approach from the first half of the team's games, his counting and rate stats will improve to levels that are comparable to his peers. He'll never lead the league in offensive stats, but pairing his defense with said stats boosts his credibility.

Presently, Scott is tied for seventh in fWAR among all National League center fielders with a total of 0.6 fWAR. Only Jung Hoo Lee, Jackson Merrill, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Brenton Doyle surpass Scott among all center fielders. Lee is having a career year already, and he's likely a shoo-in for the National League starting center fielder spot. If Scott can have a strong May and June, he could find himself near the top of outfield lists in both WAR and All-Star voting.

SS Masyn Winn

Masyn Winn is a rising star in today's game. He barely missed finishing near the top of the National League Rookie of the Year voting last year, and he's a human highlight reel on the defensive end. His name is already well known throughout baseball.

Masyn Winn has had a season opposite Scott's. While the latter started off hot and has since cooled off, Winn started off ice cold before finding his stride against the Boston Red Sox. The downside is that Winn has been on the Injured List since April 11th, when he went down with back spasms.

Once he's healthy again, it is the goal of both Winn and manager Oli Marmol to play the 23-year-old shortstop every day. While injuries will remain a concern, he will receive ample playing time to rack up the counting stats that are necessary for notice at the position.

Something that goes against Masyn Winn when it comes to being an All-Star shortstop in the National League would be his competition. Players like Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor, Elly De La Cruz, and Xander Bogaerts stand in his way. These players either play in major cities or are stars already — some fit both categories. If Winn wants to receive more votes than these perennial All-Stars, he has plenty of work to do.

In far fewer plate appearances than his competition, however, Masyn Winn ranks third in fWAR among National League shortstops. He trails only Geraldo Perdomo and Mookie Betts, and he edges out Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor, and Elly De La Cruz. He's on the right track as of now.

Masyn Winn's stellar defense, plus speed, and personality could carry him to his first career All-Star performance in 2025. He's slowly growing into a cornerstone for the St. Louis Cardinals. If he can continue his ascension to stardom that began last year, Masyn Winn could be mentioned in the same breath as other star shortstops throughout the league.

UTIL Brendan Donovan

When Major League Baseball instituted the Utility Gold Glove, it was clear that Brendan Donovan would be one of the top candidates each year. He ended up winning the award in its inaugural season and finishing in the top three in 2024.

Cardinal fans are quite familiar with Brendan Donovan's game. He's not flashy, he's not loud, but he's a fantastic team player. He's become a leader for the Cardinals these last two years, and players on the team have been outspoken about his necessity on the roster. Donovan is a true cornerstone for the Cardinals, and being voted to represent the Cardinals in the 2025 All-Star Game would go a long way toward giving him the recognition he deserves.

What's unfortunate is that there isn't a "utility" position on All-Star rosters. If there were such a nomination, Brendan Donovan would be a perennial occupant of this spot. Donovan has played 14 games at second base for the Cardinals this year, far and away his most frequent position thus far. He's been able to accumulate 0.8 fWAR in those 14 games, second in the National League.

Donovan is slashing .382/.411/.559 for a 175 OPS+ through the team's first 17 games. He leads Major League Baseball in hits (26) and batting average. He's currently riding a league-best 11-game hitting streak.

Donovan has strong name recognition throughout the country, too. Yankee fans have been clamoring for his services for years now, and his hit streak has only furthered his reach throughout the league.

If Donovan continues to operate at a level even 80% as strong as this through the early summer months, it would be malpractice to not elect the Cardinals' utility man to his first All-Star Game.

OF Lars Nootbaar

When it comes to name recognition and star power, only one other Cardinal can rival Lars Nootbaar, and that's Nolan Arenado. Nootbaar is a legitimate international name given his Japanese heritage and his appearance for Samurai Japan during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Cardinal fans knew who Lars Nootbaar was at the time, but his showing on the global stage caused his recognition to grow exponentially in just a few brief months.

The popularity is there for the Cardinals' left fielder, and he's backed that up with his play so far.

Noot is slashing .281/.410/.422 this year with two home runs, seven runs batted in, and two stolen bases. His 139 OPS+ is the best of his young career. Nootbaar posted a 1.022 OPS through his first eight games, and he's come back down to earth ever so slightly since then. However, he's still been one of the game's best all-around players early on.

Among all National League players, Nootbaar is tied for the 19th-most fWAR (0.6) in baseball. He's first in fWAR among left fielders with a total of 0.7. The next closest left fielder, Jackson Chourio, sits at 0.4 fWAR.

Lars Nootbaar is also known as a "Statcast darling." That is, his Baseball Savant page is filled with red metrics. The only metric where he ranks below average is barrel percentage (7.7%), and he's just shy of being average. He's in the 47th percentile in this metric.

Lars Nootbaar's excellent start to the season paired with his international fame should bode well for him attending his first All-Star Game. Fans throughout Japan are familiar with Lars Nootbaar. Should they turn out to vote for the 27-year-old outfielder, he'll almost certainly get enough votes to play for the National League.

RHP Phil Maton

The St. Louis Cardinals only free agent signing this offseason could be one of their only All-Stars, too. He has some ground to make up in the name-recognition category, but he's on his way early in the season.

Right-handed pitcher Phil Maton sat on the free agent shelf until March 13th, a full three weeks into Spring Training. Maton and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal, and he was thrust into high-leverage situations early on. Maton has responded about as well as anyone could have imagined so far.

Maton has thrown 8.1 innings across nine games, and he has yet to allow a run. He's struck out 10 batters, and his 0.480 WHIP is impeccable. He's allowed four hits and hit one batter, and he has yet to walk a batsman. Maton has been nails in late-game situations to start the year. His four holds are tied for 14th in baseball.

It's relatively easy for relievers to attend All-Star Games. Pitchers bow out of the showcase in droves, and players and the Commissioner's Office choose who the reserves and pitchers are each year. With three reliever spots available, space is tight for those in the bullpen.

If Phil Maton wants to be recognized by his peers, he will have to do something extraordinary, especially considering the fact that he isn't a closer. Relievers who don't rack up saves usually don't stand a chance at making it to an All-Star Game.

Not allowing a run for an extended period of time to start a season would sure give ample reason to be voted to the game by his peers. If Maton is able to continue limiting baserunners and preventing runs, he'll have a good-sized feather in his cap.

While WAR isn't an ideal metric to compare pitchers, Phil Maton still ranks in the top 10 relievers in the National League with 0.3 fWAR to start the year. With the volatility that surrounds pitchers and Phil Maton's excellent start to the season, there's a possibility that he attends his first mid-summer classic as a 32-year-old.