3 Cardinals we should see in the All-Star Game

The St. Louis Cardinals sit at 27-27 after winning their three-game series over the Cincinnati Reds. Last season, Nolan Arenado was the only St. Louis representative for the All-Star game held in Seattle. Although the Cardinals showed modest improvement from their terrible 2023 season, there will be more than one member from St. Louis at the 2024 All-Star Game in Arlington.

Here are three players who we hope will take a roster spot on the National League All-Star team next month, starting with a brand new starting pitcher who has been impressive in his limited time here. 

Sonny Gray

The St. Louis Cardinals needed a no.1-starting pitcher, and free-agent Sonny Gray fit that mold. After a hamstring pull sidelined Gray in Spring Training, Gray debuted against the Philadelphia Phillies and pitched five shutout innings, albeit on a pitch count. Throughout the rest of April, Gray's performance was stellar enough to be voted one of, if not the best signings in all of Major League Baseball.

Among pitchers who pitched at least 50 innings, Gray is among the best in the National League. In particular, he has been one of the better strikeout pitchers. Gray ranks second in K/9, third in K%, and fourth in K/BB. In addition, Gray is seventh in the National League in WHIP and, more impressively, second in SIERA. It is no wonder why Gray has a record of seven wins and two losses so far in 2024.

Gray has significant competition for the National League All-Star Game. Phillies pitchers Ranger Suarez and Zach Wheeler have two of the four highest Wins Above Replacement (WAR) statistics among National League starting pitchers. The other two are a resurgent Chris Sale in Atlanta and first-year Dodger Tyler Glasnow. If Gray can stay healthy and Marmol and the coaches let Gray keep pitching, look for Sonny Gray to get an All-Star nod.  

Ryan Helsley

The National League leader in saves will have a spot in the All-Star game in Texas. Ryan Helsley has started to return to his 2022 form and looks to be a lock for the Midsummer Classic. Armed with one of the best fastballs in the majors, Helsley also leads the National League in Games Finished. 

As the Cardinals entered May, Helsley re-emerged after an injury-riddled 2023 season. His performance led him to be named NL Relief Pitcher of the Month by MLB.com. Here is what Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru said about the Cardinals closer:

Helsley missed about half of the 2023 season with a right forearm strain, but he's gotten right back at it in 2024. The 29-year-old put in a lot of work for the Cards in April -- his 16 appearances were tied for the most in baseball, as were his 10 saves. 

Those were accompanied by a sparkling 1.69 ERA and 9.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio (19 strikeouts, two walks). Not to be outdone, he also returned with his characteristic high-octane fastball, which has averaged 99.3 mph this season.

In 2022, Helsley split closer duties with Giovanny Gallegos and finished with nineteen saves, while Gallegos had fourteen. Now established as the closer for the Cardinals, Helsley is poised to smash through that career-high 19 saves, as the flamethrower already collected eighteen saves entering May 31st. Seven of those saves have come since the Cardinal's win on May 12th in Milwaukee and are critical to this team's current hot stretch. 

If the St. Louis Cardinals want to return to the postseason, Helsley needs to continue at this pace. We are starting to see glimpses of the Helsley of 2022, and that's good news not only for the team but also for Helsley himself. Look for Helsley to come in for a relief appearance in July at the All-Star game.