The MLB All-Star Game is an annual celebration of some of the game’s brightest stars. With fans voting on the starters and the league’s requirement that every team be represented, each year presents several tough calls as to which players ultimately make the cut.
This year is no different. Some players with legitimate cases to earn a meaningful honor will get left out in the cold—and for a select few, it will be the continuation of an unfortunate career trend.
For whatever reasons, there are established, successful players who have repeatedly been snubbed come All-Star time. Some of them have been perpetual slow starters. Others got hurt at the wrong time, or play for small-market teams that don’t offer as bright a spotlight. Some were simply the odd man out at a crowded position. All-Star appearances, like most things in life, often come down to timing.
It remains to be seen whether the time is now for these perennial overdue All-Stars. Here are the active players who have accomplished the most without yet getting the call.
Dylan Cease
Career starts: 202
Career bWAR: 19.1
2026 stats: 4–3, 2.75 ERA, 2.38 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 118 K in 78 ⅔ IP
Cease has two top-five Cy Young Award finishes to his name—including a runner-up finish in 2022—and has topped 200 strikeouts for the past five years. His 118 punchouts lead the American League so far this season, as he’s lived up to the expectations that come with his $210 million contract. He seems poised to make the AL team this year, though one can never be too sure: Cease posted a 9–4 record with a 2.15 ERA and MLB-leading 150 strikeouts before the ‘22 All-Star break, yet was somehow still omitted from the roster. Here’s betting the same mistake isn’t made twice.
2026 chances: Near lock
Brandon Nimmo
Career games: 1,143
Career bWAR: 27.7
2026 stats: .271/.337/.435, 124 OPS+, 8 HR, 3 SB, 28 RBI, 32 R
It seems impossible that an 11-year veteran with a career 124 OPS+ who’s played most of his career in New York hasn’t made an All-Star team yet. But so it is with Nimmo, who has never so much as received a single MVP vote, nor has he won a Silver Slugger or Gold Glove—this despite recording four seasons with at least 3.5 bWAR. His mid-20s were stymied by injuries and the pandemic—from 2019–21, he played just 216 total games—but for such a consistent hitter, it’s surprising that his individual trophy case is this bare.
Nimmo is having another solid season, but in a crowded American League outfield, it remains an uphill battle. There isn’t an obvious All-Star on the Rangers’ roster, however, so that gives his 2026 odds a slight boost.
2026 chances: Mildly hopeful
Willy Adames
Career games: 1,116
Career bWAR: 26.2
2026 stats: .227/.269/.424, 95 OPS+, 13 HR, 31 RBI
Shortstop is almost always a stacked position, and Adames has lost out to some strong competition over the years. He’s received down-ballot MVP votes twice, most recently in 2024. Adames entered the All-Star break that year with 67 RBIs—the next-highest total from a National League shortstop was 52 (Francisco Lindor, also an All-Star snub that year)—yet was not one of the four shortstops on the NL roster. He has five times logged at least 25 homers, and is on pace to do so again this year. Still, this is tracking to be perhaps Adames’s worst offensive season of his career, as his .269 OBP is the fifth-lowest among 153 qualified hitters.
2026 chances: Better luck next year
Raisel Iglesias
Career games: 624
Career bWAR: 19.5
2026 stats: 0–2, 1.42 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 15 SV, 1.11 WHIP, 29 K in 25 ⅓ IP
No closer has logged more career saves than Iglesias’s 268 without making an All-Star team. Relief pitchers typically have fewer All-Star roster spots to claim each year, meaning there are always tough omissions. Still, for a pitcher with a career 2.85 ERA and five 30-save seasons, you’d think he’d have gotten the nod at least once. His best case was with the Angels in 2021, when his 19 saves ranked tied for second in the AL at the All-Star break. He ended that season with 34 saves and 103 strikeouts, earning an 11th-place Cy Young Award finish. As one of three NL pitchers this year with at least 10 saves and a sub-2.00 ERA, he looks to be in a strong spot to end the drought.
2026 chances: Looking good
Nico Hoerner
Career games: 780
Career bWAR: 22.8
2026 stats: .235/.312/.330, 84 OPS+, 4 HR, 12 SB, 35 RBI
Hoerner’s glove and high contact rates have been his calling cards throughout his career. He’s won two Gold Glove awards and has three seasons with at least 4.0 bWAR, though hasn’t put up the offensive stats needed to earn an All-Star selection. He looked on his way to making the team this year after posting a .300/.377/.457 slash line through his first 35 games, but a.478 OPS since then has quelled that momentum. Hoerner remains an elite defender, but there are several NL second baseman having significantly better years at the plate.
2026 chances: Better luck next year
Jhoan Duran
Career games: 273
Career bWAR: 9.9
2026 stats: 1–3, 1.69 ERA, 0.93 FIP, 19 SV, 0.94 WHIP, 43 K in 26 ⅔ IP
Since the start of the 2023 season, Duran's 101 saves are the fourth-most in baseball. He owns a 2.38 career ERA, which also ranks fourth in that span among pitchers who have logged at least 250 innings. He, along with Iglesias and San Diego’s Mason Miller, are the three NL pitchers who have at least 10 saves along with sub-2.00 ERAs. Expect all three to get selected to the NL roster this July.
2026 chances: Near lock
Seiya Suzuki
Career games: 595
Career bWAR: 13.5
2026 stats: .270/.362/.443, 129 OPS+, 10 HR, 31 RBI, 36 R
Suzuki was an established star in Japan before his MLB debut, and has pretty much done nothing but rake since arriving stateside. He owns a career 129 OPS+ and has been remarkably consistent each season, peaking with his 32 homers and 103 RBIs last year. Suzuki isn’t much of a defender, and the outfield is always a crowded group come All-Star selection time. He’s having another strong campaign this year, but likely will fall short once again.
2026 chances: Better luck next year
Michael Harris II
Career games: 594
Career bWAR: 16.8
2026 stats: .310/.342/.521, 140 OPS+, 14 HR, 4 SB, 42 RBI
Harris seemed poised for superstardom after bursting onto the scene in 2022. He posted a 133 OPS+ with excellent defense in center field, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors at age 21. While his defense remains stellar, his bat has lagged way behind. In the three years after that, he managed a 101 OPS+ with a .299 on-base percentage. The bat has bounced back in a big way in ‘26, though, as Harris has established himself once again as a game-changing two-way threat. There is no shortage of talented NL outfielders enjoying strong starts, but Harris has played his way onto the shor tlist.
Eduardo Rodríguez
Career starts: 251
Career bWAR: 21.2
2026 stats: 6–2, 2.27 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 70 K in 95 IP
The veteran Rodríguez has battled injuries and inconsistency throughout his career, but he’s experienced enough highs that were certainly worthy of All-Star honors. His best year was in 2019, when he went 19–6 with a 3.81 ERA and 213 strikeouts to finish sixth in Cy Young Award voting. He was much better in the second half of that season, though, after logging a first-half ERA of 4.65. While he’s not missing bats much this year (his 18.0% strikeout rate is a career low), he’s been incredibly effective, ranking fifth in the NL in ERA. Given the ridiculous amount of ace-level pitchers in the NL this year—and the fact that the Diamondbacks already have an All-Star lock in Corbin Carroll—Rodríguez’s shiny ERA might not be enough to get him a roster spot.
2026 chances: In the mix
