I can’t lie; it’s been a rough couple of weeks here in what was formerly known as baseball heaven. We followers of Fredbird have suffered through seven losses in eight games. Three of those coming at the hands of the insufferable makers of the worst beer in North America in Milwaukee. Where do we go from here? Do we abandon hope and blow it up? Bid farewell to Arenado, Noot, Gray, Contreras, and Fedde? Those are questions for Johnny Mo.
The question for me, does this team even have an all-star? Since the first round of ballots have been released it’s clear the fans of baseball don’t think so. But rules are rules.
A Baseball Tradition I Love
Everybody gets a guy. From Tampa Bay to Boston Harbor. From that warehouse in Ripken land to the desert of Arizona, we all get an all-star. Our guy to root for at the mid-summer classic. I love it. A vestige of summers gone with memories of names like Luis Arroyo, Harvey Haddix, and Rick Wise. No matter how destitute your club is, you get to see your uniform on the field with the best in the game.
But who is that guy this season?
The 2025 Cardinals All-Star Candidates
Looking at the individual performances of our boys of summer I can see only four men we could legitimately say belong in Atlanta this July.
Iván Herrera
Herrera has been the only hitter this season that has actually felt like a threat. Willson and Gorman have shown flashes, but molasses like slow starts for both and stretches of bringing zero offense eliminate them from any contention. Herrera has been THE man in the middle of this lineup every time Oli writes his name.
In 40 games he’s hitting .313 with 8 home runs, 32 runs batted in and an OPS of .928. That’s better than the best Matt Holliday Cardinals OPS of .922.
Brendan Donovan
BD is the leader in the clubhouse to be the lone rep from the gateway to the west out in the southeast. His .313 batting average is currently fourth in the NL, he’s 6th in hits with 79, and leads the Cards with a 2.3 WAR. He’s currently 4th in voting for second basemen, 185,00 votes behind some guy named Tommy Edman.
Steven Matz
Here is a sentence I never thought I’d write …Where would this team be without Steven Matz? Seriously, this was the guy I thought we signed what feels like baktun ago. Matz is 3-2 with a 2.32 ERA, and a 1.000 WHIP in 39 innings. He has also answered the call, no matter what it was, whenever he has been asked. That would be an awesome story…and a GREAT trade asset if this ship continues on to its meeting with the SS Sultana.
Kyle Leahy
Hey, put that scoff back in your mouth! Mr. Leahy has been PDS (pretty damn solid) in 2025. Yeah, he looks like he works 3rd shift at a QT in Jefferson County, but the man can pitch! Thirty-nine innings with a 2.31, a 2-1 record, and 12 holds which is good for 8th in the NL. Why not him???
Who will it be?
My gut tells me it’s Donovan, and I wouldn’t throw a fit. It would be good to see his luscious locks go headfirst into second after ripping a double to the gap. Herrera would be amazing as well, destroying some offering late into the ATL sky. Even Kandi Burruss would cheer for that.
But what would be best? Matz. Talk about a trade chip! An all-star lefty that’s been electric in the final year of a contract? What more could some East coast contender ask for? Keep that “re-tool” going without giving up something you weren’t going to lose anyway!
For now, I’ll do my best to keep pushing positivity in every article I write. If the fellas down on Clark can turn it around, I’ll be happier than Jonathan Broxton at a Golden Corral. If they keep dropping games like I dropped buckets at Mizzou rec center…I’ll still watch. Why? When you’re born a mile from Busch Stadium, what choice does a boy have?
Follow Will on the Twitters @WillSaulsbery
Born and raised in St. Louis, Will Saulsbery is a multitalented writer and musician. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Saulsbery has established himself as a prominent ghostwriter, with his work appearing in top-tier publications like Forbes, Fast Company, Tech Crunch, Entrepreneur, The Observer, and The Hill. He recently Co-Authored You Wouldn’t Believe Me If I Told You: An Unforgettable Memoir of Golf, Grit, and a Blue-Collar Kid on the PGA Tour with the great Jay Delsing.
