Sat Jun 14 04:30:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
With the All-Star Game approaching, the article spotlights a dozen under-the-radar players who deserve consideration for the Midsummer Classic, despite some high-profile names already being shoe-ins like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. The article is divided into two parts, one for each League. The National League candidates include Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF), Oneil Cruz (OF), Seiya Suzuki (DH), Ha-Seong Kim (2B), Matt Olson (1B), and Matt Chapman (3B). In the American League, the article highlights Mike Trout (OF), Jackson Holliday (2B), Emmanuel Caminero (3B), Corey Seager (SS), Alejandro Kirk (C), and Will Brennan (OF). The article uses statistics to highlight each player’s contribution and All-Star worthiness.
**News Article:**
**Beyond the Usual Suspects: Under-the-Radar Players Eye 2025 All-Star Nods**
As the All-Star Game approaches, baseball fans are gearing up for the annual tradition of fan voting to determine the starters for the Midsummer Classic. While perennial favorites like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are all but guaranteed spots, a number of lesser-known players are making strong cases for their inclusion on the All-Star roster.
The All-Star ballot has plenty of starpower including Ronald Acuña Jr.. Acuña boasts a .353 batting average with a 1.083 OPS and six home runs since his return. He is a contender in the crowded NL outfield race. Another NL outfielder, Oneil Cruz may be batting .226, but has hit the hardest ball of the Statcast era this season — the 122.9 mph rocket home run he hit on May 26. He leads the NL with 24 stolen bases. With 17 home runs, Seiya Suzuki may run into an All-Star roadblock that is Ohtani, but Suzuki ranks second in the National League in RBIs behind only Alonso. As for Ha-Seong Kim, the former Korean league star is batting .391 with two homers, six steals and a .997 OPS in his first 29 games as a Dodger. Also, Matt Olson’s .398 expected wOBA is sandwiched between Alonso and Freeman for the best among NL first basemen, as his .561 expected slugging percentage. Finally, Matt Chapman’s offense-and-defense combination makes him a worthy candidate as usual as he ranks third among MLB third basemen in Wins Above Replacement.
Mike Trout is still one of the greatest All-Star Game performers of all time, and it would be a thrill to watch a healthy Trout in the Midsummer Classic again. Recent star prospect Jackson Holliday has looked like a different player since taking some hitting advice from his dad near the end of April, batting .284 with six homers, six stolen bases and 16 extra-base hits since. Similar to Holliday, Emmanuel Caminero’s average swing speed this season of 78.0 mph ranks second only to Oneil Cruz in the Majors, and he leads AL third basemen with 15 home runs (tied with Isaac Paredes). Despite being mired in a 2-for-31 slump in June, Corey Seager’s quality of contact this season has actually been better than most, as by Statcast’s all-around offensive metric, expected wOBA, Seager ranks No. 1 among all MLB shortstops. Alejandro Kirk has been excellent both offensively and defensively, batting .325 thanks to a top-tier hard-hit rate and having one of the lowest strikeout rates in the Majors, 10.1%. Finally, Will Brennan is one of the most fun players to watch in baseball this season thanks to his defense alone.
While the fan vote will ultimately decide who starts, these players are proving that there’s more to the All-Star Game than just the biggest names. Be sure to cast your ballot and give these under-the-radar stars the recognition they deserve.
First Piper 