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3 Cardinals who could still get an All-Star nod

All Star rosters have been released, but things could change between now and July 16th.

By Thomas Gauvain |
St. Louis Cardinals v Oakland Athletics
St. Louis Cardinals v Oakland Athletics / Ezra Shaw/GettyImages
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All-Star rosters have been released for this year's showcase on Tuesday, July 16th. Players such as Tyler Glasnow, Shota Imanaga, Freddie Freeman, William Contreras, and Fernando Tatis Jr. headline the National League roster. Corbin Burnes, Seth Lugo, Emmanuel Clase, Salvador Perez, and Gunnar Henderson are some of the biggest names for the American League.

Ryan Helsley will be the St. Louis Cardinals' lone representative at the mid-season classic. He wasn't elected by fans, he wasn't chosen by coaches, and players didn't even select the league leader in saves. Rather, Helsley was chosen simply because each team must have at least one representative at the game. This is the second year in a row that the Cardinals are sending just one player to the All-Star Game. Nolan Arenado was named a starter last year.

Every year, there are replacements named for players for a variety of reasons. Injuries are the primary cause, but pitchers could become unavailable, especially starters if they threw recently or are scheduled to throw in the near future. Other players simply opt-out from playing. In 2023, 15 players were named as replacements. 18 replacements were designated in 2022. This year is sure to have a comparable amount of replacements.

Therefore, despite having only one representative, the Cardinals could still see players from their roster attend the mid-summer classic. There are players on other teams who are deserving of a roster spot and will likely be named as substitutes such as Christian Walker, Francisco Lindor, Patrick Bailey, Brice Turang, and Trevor Megill, but if enough players opt out of the game from the National League, there are some Cardinals whose names might be called to participate.

This isn't a list of snubs. The All-Star roster, in my opinion, is largely accurate. Some changes here and there using the players above would have been welcome, but the players chosen are deserving of a shot to display their abilities on a national level. Instead, these are players who have played well for the Cardinals this year and could find themselves in Dallas on July 16th.

There is still a week left before the big game, and rosters can change dramatically between now and then. These 3 players will have to jump some of their competitors, but the arguments for them to be announced as replacements are strong.

These 3 St. Louis Cardinals players could make the All-Star Game as replacements.

RHP Sonny Gray

First of all, Sonny Gray is slated to pitch on Wednesday against the Royals. The Cardinals haven't announced their starters for the series against the Chicago Cubs -- one of which is a double header on Saturday -- before the All-Star break just yet, but Gray won't pitch in any of those. It'll likely be Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, Miles Mikolas, and Andre Pallante in that order. Therefore, Gray could use some time on the mound over the long break.

Sonny Gray has undoubtedly been the Cardinals' ace this year. He boasts a 3.30 ERA and a 2.65 FIP, and his 2.6 fWAR ranks 7th among qualified National League starters. Gray, despite being 2 starts shy of over leaders, is able to match their output on the season. If he continues this pace, he could see Cy Young votes this year. Gray won't reach the #2 spot like he did last year unless he has a ridiculous second half, but he could see down-ballot votes.

Gray has been a stabilizing force for the Cardinals' rotation since his return to injury. He's thrown at least 6 innings in half of his starts, he's allowed 0 runs in 4 of his starts, and he's already thrown 92.2 innings in just 16 outings. Gray's 124 ERA+ is solid for a team's #1 pitcher.

Pitchers are most often the ones who will sit out the All-Star game, so Gray's chances stand to be the greatest among the list of non-participants at the moment. He will have to see players like Christopher Sanchez and Trevor Megill go before him, but Gray is definitely one of the top-3 of players on the outskirts.

SS Masyn Winn

Masyn Winn has been one of the best players on the Cardinals this year. The rookie shortstop, despite his troubles early on, has been a stabilizing force on the defensive side. His 10 defensive runs saved rank second among all players in the National League and 1st among shortstops. While outs above average doesn't love Winn, he's shown much improvement in that metric with a -1 rating now. Two months ago he sat even deeper in the negatives.

Offensively, Winn has been a pleasant surprise. He has moved into the leadoff spot during the Cardinals' torrid run these past 7 weeks, and he's set the table for players like Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras to contribute.

Winn is slashing .289/.337/.409 on the season for a 113 OPS+ and 2.0 fWAR. He doesn't hit for much power, but his speed is dangerous. He's 9 for 12 in stolen bases, and of his 25 extra-base hits, 18 are doubles, and 3 are triples. Winn has been off to a hot start in July thus far with a .896 OPS through 6 games. If he keeps that level of production up, clamors for his presence at the All-Star game will grow.

Infielders who were snubbed include Francisco Lindor (3.5 fWAR), Willy Adames (2.7 fWAR), Ha-Seong Kim (2.6 fWAR), and Brice Turang (2.5 fWAR). Winn has his work cut out for him to jump those players, but the opportunity is there, especially if he continues to boast highlight-reel defensive plays.

One aspect of the All-Star game is to showcase the young talent in the game. Elly De La Cruz, Paul Skenes, Heliot Ramos, and CJ Abrams are all studs for their respective teams and are growing in national recognition. It's about time Masyn Winn receives the same treatment given his output this year. An All-Star nod will help him get to that level.

C Willson Contreras

Had Willson Contreras not gone down with a fractured arm, he likely would have been in the running to be on the All-Star roster, perhaps even as the starter. Alas, that is not the case, and his lack of playing time hurt his case. This isn't to say that the catchers ahead of Contreras, his brother, William of the Milwaukee Brewers, and Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers, aren't deserving; rather, this is to demonstrate how good Willson Contreras has been in less time.

Among catchers with at least 180 plate appearances, Willson Contreras ranks third in fWAR with 2.3. He barely edges out Patrick Bailey -- another potential All-Star replacement -- by 0.1 fWAR. Contreras, however, has played in half as many games as his brother, who sits at 2.8 fWAR. Had he been able to play even 70 games this year, and Willson would be looking at a 3-fWAR total halfway through the year.

Contreras's slash line sits at .266/.399/.519, and his .918 OPS is nearly .80 points better than the next-best catcher's OPS, Will Smith (.845). All-Stars are often chosen for their offensive prowess rather than defensive capabilities. Contreras is the best offensive catcher in the National League right now, and he has a strong argument for being the best offensive catcher in baseball right now.

There are only two other catchers who could challenge Willson Contreras as a replacement: Elias Diaz and Patrick Bailey. Neither can tout an offensive profile as potent as Contreras -- .781 OPS and .749 OPS -- and neither has been as productive in limited time as Willson has been. Should Will Smith or William Contreras sit out, departures that aren't likely, Willson Contreras deserves to take their place on the National League roster.

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