Paul Skenes and Kyle Tucker are obvious locks to represent their respective NL Central teams in the 2025 All-Star Game. As electric as it'd be to see those superstars matched up against the best that the American League has to offer, the NL Central has other surprising MLB All-Star candidates who could easily make an appearance in Atlanta.
In fact, an argument can be made that each NL Central team has at least one surprising candidate who deserves to be in All-Star consideration. Here are those five.
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Each NL Central team has at least one surprise All-Star candidate
Milwaukee Brewers - Abner Uribe
Abner Uribe having a breakout year isn't a shocking development for Milwaukee Brewers fans to witness. He's always had tremendous stuff, it's always been about him being able to harness his command. His command has improved exponentially, and Uribe has forced his way into the All-Star discussion as a result.
What makes this surprising is that Uribe is in the discussion while not being a closer. It's rare for non-closers to make the team, but Uribe has pitched so well to the point where he must be considered. He has a 1.39 ERA in 32 appearances and has fanned 42 batters in 32.1 innings of work. He's allowed just two earned runs (both came in the same appearance) in his last 21 outings since April 26, posting a 0.83 ERA and recording 11 holds in that span.
To put it simply, Uribe has been nothing short of dominant as Milwaukee's primary set-up man for Trevor Megill. The only thing his All-Star case is missing is the save statistic. Hopefully, managers will look past that and reward him for his dominant season thus far.
Cincinnati Reds - TJ Friedl
TJ Friedl has always been a solid player for the Cincinnati Reds, but he's off to arguably the best start of his career to date. He's slashed .294/.382/.429 with six home runs and 24 RBI entering Wednesday's action, and he only improved those statistics by launching a home run in Wednesday's game. He's arguably been the best position player the Reds have had to offer this season, which is wild to say on a team that employs Elly De La Cruz.
Statistically, Friedl has placed himself squarely in the discussion. His 1.9 fWAR is the 8th-highest among all qualified National League outfielders, and his 125 WRC+ is tied for 10th. With only seven or eight spots to be handed to outfielders the 29-year-old probably faces a slight uphill battle, but he shouldn't be.
Ultimately, his play at the top of Cincinnati's order is a big reason why the Reds are above .500 right now. His OPS in wins (.934) is over 250 points higher than his OPS in losses (.672). The Reds go where Friedl takes them, and considering the impact he's had and where his stats are, he really should be an All-Star.
Pittsburgh Pirates - Oneil Cruz
Oneil Cruz playing at an All-Star level is far from a shock - he's as dynamic a player as there is in the game right now. The fact that he's in the discussion as a National League outfielder, though, is pretty amazing. He plays the same position as Corbin Carroll, James Wood, Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Juan Soto, to name a few (I can go on but won't), so the odds were certainly stacked against him. They might still be, but his production can't be ignored.
Cruz is slashing .227/.350/.469 with 13 home runs, 29 RBI, and a league-leading 23 stolen bases in 25 tries. His slash line might not be eye-popping, but he has an .820 OPS despite Bryan Reynolds being a non-factor for much of the year hitting behind him in the order, and virtually nobody else in the order for pitchers to fear. Cruz has been a one-man wrecking crew.
Will he get in? I don't know. It's not as if he needs to, since Skenes will already be on the team as Pittsburgh's representative, but he absolutely should be in the conversation. That alone is impressive considering the outfield talent that exists in the NL and the circumstances Cruz is playing under with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
St. Louis Cardinals - Brendan Donovan
Brendan Donovan has always been a solid player for the St. Louis Cardinals, but did anyone expect him to have the season he's had thus far? The 28-year-old is breaking out in his fourth season, slashing .310/.379/.440 with four home runs and 26 RBI, primarily hitting third in the order for the surprisingly solid Cardinals and providing his usual strong defensive versatility.
Donovan leads all qualified National League second basemen by a wide margin with a 133 WRC+ and 2.2 fWAR. Ketel Marte is admittedly the better player, so it's entirely possible that if he continues playing well, he can help voters forget that he missed time due to injury, but for now, Donovan looks like the starting second basemen for the NL team.
The jump from good to great is tough for many players to conquer, but Donovan has done that this season with St. Louis. All Cardinals fans hope is that his breakout sustains down the stretch and helps them make an unexpected postseason appearance, and that his recent injury isn't anything serious.
Chicago Cubs - Michael Busch
Prior to the season, Pete Crow-Armstrong would've been the clear Chicago Cubs answer here, but now, everyone knows how well he's played. Michael Busch, however, has not been talked about nearly as much. Unfortunately, his All-Star case is a bit tough to make because both Pete Alonso and Freddie Freeman, a pair of National League first basemen, look like legitimate NL MVP candidates with how well they've played this season. Still, while they present an obvious roadblock for Busch to make an appearance, it isn't out of the question that he can sneak onto the NL roster. His numbers this season are certainly worthy of that.
Busch is slashing .267/.363/.510 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI in 63 games played. His .873 OPS and 146 WRC+ rank third among all qualified NL first basemen, only behind Alonso and Freeman, and his 1.4 fWAR is good for fourth in that group.
Chicago's offense has dominated all season long, and Busch has been a cleanup hitter for many of their games, playing an instrumental role in their success. His numbers are outstanding, and his impact on this Cubs team is evident. It's probably unlikely that he makes the team because of the position he plays, but his play is certainly deserving.