4 Cardinals Unfairly Left Out of All-Star Game

The St. Louis Cardinals have certainly had an eventful first half of the season, but with the best record in the National League since Mother’s Day, only one All-Star in Ryan Helsley seems a little unfair. After Helsley announced he would not be playing in the All-Star Game, fans won’t see a single Cardinal take the field in Arlington. With a 50-46 record, they currently sit in second place in the Wild Card and fifth-best record in the National League, so how come they only have one All-Star? Here are four Cardinals players who were unfairly left out of the 2024 All-Star Game.

Signed to a 3-year, $75 million contract to lead the Cardinals’ starting rotation, Sonny Gray has been worth every penny to begin his tenure in St. Louis. Despite missing time due to injury, Gray has been fantastic, posting a 3.34 ERA in 17 starts. His 2.56 FIP (fielding independent pitching), however, indicates that he has been pretty unlucky in the first half. Still, his phenomenal 10.9 strikeouts per 9 innings and excellent run control should have earned him his 4th career nomination.

Compared to fellow All-Stars Tyler Glasnow, Logan Webb, Hunter Greene and others, Gray had a good reason to pitch in Arlington, but perhaps his two missed starts early in the season made all the difference. After all, the only statistic Gray lags behind other starters in is wins above replacement (WAR). With significant pitching stats similar to many National League All-Star starting pitchers,

Had Willson Contreras not been hit by J.D. Martinez’s hit that broke his arm in early May, he would have been a guaranteed All-Star. However, as he was sidelined for several weeks, Contreras was left out in the cold by his brother William and Will Smith of the Dodgers. However, a third catcher should have been added to the roster, and that third catcher should have been Willson Contreras.

With a .917 OPS and a 158 OPS+, Willson Contreras is not only one of the best offensive catchers in the league, but also one of the best offensive players overall. Much like Trea Turner, who won the starting shortstop job due to Mookie Betts’ untimely injury, Willson’s missed time should have been overlooked in his fourth career All-Star appearance.

Both National League catchers Will Smith and William Contreras have more WAR than Willson Contreras at this point in the season, but neither player is within 20% of Willson offensively in terms of OPS+. With Contreras’ vastly improved defense and extremely strong throwing arm, he should have been considered much more. He may not accept an offer from his brother or Will Smith, but he should have had a roster spot.