The 2024 MLB All-Star game was, to put it bluntly, disappointing for Mariners fans. Starting pitcher Logan Gilbert was selected to the American League’s team but decided not to attend the festivities. In lieu of Gilbert, relief pitcher Andres Munoz took his spot but never made it out of the bullpen as the game lacked any Mariners representation.
2025 may sing a different tune for the Mariners as they have a few candidates coming out of May who are on an All-Star pace. With the team in first place in the AL West and among the best hitting teams in the MLB, here are potential names to pay attention to in the run-up to the All-Star break. (Note: all stats are as of June 2)
Cal Raleigh
To say that the Big Dumper is the best catcher in baseball right now feels like a no-brainer. 58 games into the season and Raleigh has started every single one (the most by any catcher thus far). He leads all of Major League Baseball in home runs at 23, even beating out Shohei Ohtani, who is the best designated hitter in baseball at the moment.
Among catchers, he is in a league of his own. He leads them in home runs at 23, runs scored at 39, hits at 56, RBIs at 45, walks at 37, stolen bases at 6, slugging percentage at 0.637 and OPS at an outstanding 1.016.
In the league as a whole he is third for slugging, fourth for OPS, seventh for RBIs, eighth for walks and of course first for home runs.
If any member of the M’s deserves to be an All-Star, it would be Raleigh. His production from both sides of the plate and his ability to cut down runners on the base paths make him a prime candidate.
Julio Rodriguez
2024 was J-Rod’s first absence from the All-Star festivities in his early career. 2022 saw him duking it out with Juan Soto in the home run derby, inevitably losing to the now New York Mets right-fielder. In 2023, he fell just short of the final round of the derby and 2024 had him absent from the event altogether. However, this year may feature Rodriguez’s return.
While his start to the season was cold, he has since heated up in late April and May. He leads all AL center fielders in hits at 57, RBIs at 32 and runs scored at 38. He is second for home runs at 10, just three shy of Trent Grisham. He is fourth for average at 0.244, on-base percentage at 0.317, slugging at 0.415 and fifth for OPS at 0.732
On the other side of the lineup, Pete Crow-Armstrong is looking to be the obvious front runner for the center field position. A game pitting PCA and J-Rod against each other would be entertaining to say the least.
Rodriguez does have some competition in the AL, mainly from Trent Grisham, Byron Buxton and possibly Javier Baez. However, a hot month of June could push him over the edge to his return to All-Star recognition.
Andres Munoz
With the M’s pitching staff plagued with injuries, Munoz has been the anchor keeping them in close games.
Through 26 appearances, he has only allowed four earned runs, all of them coming in his last two games against the Minnesota Twins. Up until that point, Munoz was the owner of a 0.00 ERA, making him one of the best closers in the MLB.
He has 33 strikeouts on the year as opposed to only nine walks given up. He has only allowed 13 hits, one home run and only one hit by pitch. His ERA sits at 1.40 after his last two appearances, the best among Mariners’ pitchers with 20 or more innings pitched.
However, the most important stat for Munoz coming out of May is his 17 saves. He leads the AL and is second in the MLB with his 17 clutch performances. His ability to come into games and slam the door makes him an invaluable member of the M’s bullpen, and a perfect bookend for the All-Star game.
While the event is not until July 13, which is more than a month away, these three names have already put themselves on pace for an All-Star caliber season. With Raleigh dominating as the league’s best catcher, Rodriguez moving up the ranks and Munoz dealing on the mound, the Mariners have a few routes to get their All-Star recognition.
