First Pitch: 5 players destined to become first-time All-Stars in 2025

The MLB All-Star Game might not mean anything when it comes to dictating home-field advantage anymore, but it is one of, if not the, only All-Star Game in which players do actually try to perform to the best of their ability, giving MLB fans a chance to see some of the game's best players compete against each other.

Every year, we see the biggest names in the sport in action, guys like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Bryce Harper (to name a few). But there are always first-timers in the Mid-Summer Classic as well: This past season saw Garrett Crochet, Mason Miller, and Hunter Greene (among others) make their first All-Star Game appearances, and there will be several other first-timers in 2025.

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5) It's time for the MLB world to know just how electric Raisel Iglesias is

Raisel Iglesias has spent a decade in the Major Leagues, and has posted a 2.87 ERA in 530 appearances and 668.2 innings of work. He has a 2.64 ERA in 509 appearances and 548 innings of work as a reliever over the course of his career, and he ranks fifth — behind only Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, and Edwin Diaz — with 224 saves. He has struck out 29.5 percent of the batters he has faced.

Despite all of his accolades and a decade of dominance, Iglesias has never been named an All-Star. He had several seasons in which he was worthy, even receiving some down-ballot Cy Young consideration back in 2021 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, but he has never participated in the Mid-Summer Classic. That is bound to change in 2025.

Iglesias will enter the 2025 campaign as the undisputed closer for the Atlanta Braves, one of the best teams in baseball, looking to build off of what was arguably his best season in 2024. The right-hander posted a 1.95 ERA in 66 appearances and 69.1 innings of work for Atlanta, striking out 68 batters while allowing just four home runs and issuing just 13 walks. He converted 34 saves in 38 tries.

Somehow, that description doesn't come close to doing his season justice. From June 18 through September 13, Iglesias went 30 appearances and 35.1 innings without allowing a single earned run. Let me rephrase that: Iglesias went almost three full months without allowing a single earned run. He allowed just 10 hits and five walks while striking out 43 batters in that span. In that same timeframe, Iglesias had an 11-appearance and 13-inning stretch in which he did not allow a single base runner. He struck out 14 batters and converted six saves during that period while staying perfect.

I'm very aware that most of this production came after last season's All-Star Game, but Iglesias had a 2.02 ERA in converted 22 of his 24 save opportunities in the first half. He should've been an All-Star.

Given how well he pitched in 2024, the fact that he's likely going to be saving a lot of games for a good Braves team, and Devin Williams being traded to the American League, Iglesias feels like a lock to make his first ever All-Star appearance at 35 years of age.

4) Brandon Nimmo should have been an All-Star by now

Iglesias was obviously snubbed from last season's All-Star Game roster, but Brandon Nimmo was an even bigger snub. In fact, he might have been the biggest snub in all of baseball: He ranked in the top four among National League outfielders in fWAR, WRC+, home runs, and OBP, while leading that group in RBI. He had a case to be an All-Star starter, and yet, he didn't even make the team at all.

Nimmo did slow down in the second half of the season and wound up finishing with his lowest OPS since the 2016 campaign — a year that saw him appear in just 32 games as a rookie — but he was also incredibly unlucky. Nimmo's BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was at .267, well below the league average of .300 and by far the lowest of his career. He was that unlucky despite posting an average exit velocity of 91.9 mph, according to Baseball Savant, good for the highest mark of his career and placing him in the 89th percentile. He also ranked above league average in fly ball rate and line drive rate.

So, let me get this straight: Nimmo had his lowest average on balls he put into the field of play despite hitting the ball harder than he ever has and hitting it in the air or on a line more often than the league average? Why wouldn't he put up a monster year in 2025?

Assuming these trends continue, Nimmo, surrounded by one of the best lineups in the game, is primed to finally make the All-Star leap — although his new Mets teammate, Juan Soto, rejoining the National League won't help him.

3) A shift to the American League opens the door for Christian Walker to make his first All-Star team

I had to do a double take when I realized that Christian Walker has never been an All-Star. Frankly, it doesn't make any sense: Walker has been one of the best all-around first basemen in the sport for years now. Fortunately, signing with the Houston Astros might end up helping his case.

Walker has averaged 3.8 bWAR, 32 home runs, and 94 RBI while posting a .813 OPS over the past three seasons. His numbers are where they are even with the 33-year-old missing time last season due to an oblique strain.

What makes Walker such a special player is that his bat isn't all he's known for. Walker has won each of the last three National League Gold Glove Awards at first base. How someone so good on both sides of the ball hasn't been an All-Star isn't something I can answer, but again, joining the Astros should help his case for a couple of reasons.

First, Walker should do quite well playing half the time at Daikin Field, home of the Astros. Walker had 28 expected home runs in 2024 at Daikin Field according to Baseball Savant, three more than he had at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his second-most at any ballpark. Playing half the time with the Crawford Boxes out in left should prove to be very helpful.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, Walker is moving away from a league that features superstars like Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Pete Alonso, and Matt Olson, and going to a league that has Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a whole bunch of question marks. Walker should be a near lock to get to the All-Star Game for the first time in his 10th MLB season.

2) Cal Raleigh is one of the few Mariners hitters to be excited about

The Seattle Mariners have an extremely underwhelming group of position players, especially when considering how lethal their starting rotation is. But Cal Raleigh is absolutely a position player worth talking about, and that isn't only because of his A+ nickname (Big Dumper).

To put it simply, Raleigh is one of the best catchers in the game, if not the best. The 28-year-old might hit for a low average and might strike out a lot, but he's an elite run producer and an elite defender.

Raleigh slashed .220/.312/.436 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI in 2024. Yes, the average was low, but his 117 WRC+ was tied for second among all qualified catchers and was well above the league average of 100. His 34 home runs led all catchers and ranked ninth in the American League overall. His 100 RBI ranked second among all catchers and ranked 10th in the American League. His 5.4 fWAR was tied for the highest mark among all catchers and ranked eighth in the American League. Again, Raleigh was one of the best all-around players in the game in 2024.

What makes Raleigh stick out other than his ability to produce runs is his defense. Raleigh won the AL Gold Glove Award behind the plate in 2024, proving to be elite at managing the running game and especially framing pitches.

Somehow, Raleigh has received down-ballot MVP votes in each of the last two seasons, but has not made an All-Star Game appearance. Chances are, if he has a strong first half in 2025, that will change.

1) Jackson Chourio is a budding superstar who will make his first of many All-Star teams in 2025

The National League Rookie of the Year race was an awesome one to follow. The level that Paul Skenes and Jackson Merrill performed at was so high to the point where the third Rookie of the Year finalist, Jackson Chourio, was pretty much an afterthought. But while Skenes and Merrill undoubtedly outperformed him in 2024, the way Chourio adjusted to the MLB level should have all Milwaukee Brewers opponents on high alert.

Chourio made his MLB debut on Opening Day as a 19-year-old and, predictably, struggled. In the first two months of the season, he had a subpar .581 OPS, and there was reason to wonder if, even despite his hefty extension, the Brewers would consider sending him back down to Triple-A. But his play from June 1 through the remainder of the regular season nipped that in the bud.

Chourio slashed .303/.358/.525 with 16 home runs, 53 RBI, and 16 stolen bases during that span while playing outstanding outfield defense. His 142 WRC+ from June 1 through the remainder of the regular season was tied for 18th among all qualified hitters, and his 3.9 fWAR through that same span ranked 17th among all position players. He adjusted to MLB pitching and performed like a top-20 position player as a 20-year-old, which is absurdly impressive.

Chances are, as Chourio continues to get acclimated, he's only going to get better. His 5-for-11 performance in the National League Wild Card Series proved just that. Chourio was the best hitter in that series for the Brewers, and nearly willed them to a series victory.

It took him a little bit, but Chourio showed why he was as highly regarded as he was as a prospect. Now that he has broken out, it's time for Chourio to take that next leap into All-Star status.