Five Potential First-Time All-Stars for the 2025 Minnesota Twins

[Cody Christie]

Last season, Willi Castro became a first-time All-Star for the Twins after a tremendous first half. Which players have the potential to follow in his footsteps in 2025?

Image courtesy of © Orlando Ramirez- Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins boast a roster with multiple established stars, but a new wave of talent is primed to take center stage. Five Twins have the potential to earn their first career All-Star nods this season. Each player has flashed that kind of ability, and with continued growth, they could find themselves representing Minnesota in July. Let’s dive into why each of these five Twins could take that next step toward All-Star status in 2025.

Griffin Jax
Closest All-Star Season: 2024
Relievers usually need to be the team’s closer to make the All-Star Game, but Jax could be the exception to the rule. He had a 2.03 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched in 2024. Jax finished with 10 saves and allowed just four home runs all year. He was worth 2.8 WAR, tied for seventh-most among all MLB relief pitchers. MLB Network left him off their list of the top 10 relievers entering the 2025 season, pointing to him being undervalued in national discussions. An argument could be made that he was the Twins' MVP last season, though, and he deserves more attention in 2025. 

Matt Wallner
Closest All-Star Season: N/A
Last season, Wallner looked lost at the plate in the season’s first month, hitting .080/.273/.240 with a strikeout rate over 50%. Minnesota sent him back to Triple-A St. Paul to rediscover his swing. He came back with a vengeance in the middle of the season. In 75 games, he hit .259/.372/.523 with 13 home runs and 17 doubles. Max Kepler left in free agency, giving Wallner the inside track to be the team’s everyday right fielder. Strikeouts will always be part of the cost of Wallner’s powerful swing, but avoiding some swing and miss could put him on pace to be one of the league’s best right fielders.

Royce Lewis
Closest All-Star Season: N/A
Lewis’s best season came in 2023, when he hit .309/.372/.548 with a 149 OPS+ and accumulated 2.4 rWAR. Like Wallner, his value accrued in the season’s second half, so he didn’t have an opportunity to make the All-Star team. Last season, he hit a home run on Opening Day and got injured later in the game. There is some discussion about what defensive position Lewis will play regularly this season, which could impact how he does in the voting process. A hot start to 2025 could put him on pace to represent the team in the Midsummer Classic.

Joe Ryan
Closest All-Star Season: 2024
A strong argument could be made that Ryan deserved to be an All-Star for his first-half performance last season. In 19 starts, he posted a 3.53 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP, while holding opponents to a .668 OPS. According to FanGraphs, he had the seventh-highest WAR among AL pitchers in the first half. Ryan’s season ended on the mound in Chicago last year with a shoulder injury, but the Twins expect him to be fully ready for spring training. He’s among the league’s best pitchers, and some minor improvements can make him an All-Star in the 2025 season.

Ryan Jeffers
Closest All-Star Season: 2023
Jeffers was one of the AL’s best hitters through the end of May last season. He was hitting so well that the Twins regularly used him as the team’s DH on the days on which he wasn’t catching. In his first 51 games, he hit .256/.345/.547, with 12 home runs and 14 doubles. His performance nosedived from there, though, as he posted a .587 OPS for the final 24 games of the first half. Catcher is one of the easier positions at which to make the Midsummer Classic, since there is a need for up to three backstops on the roster. A more consistent first-half performance can put Jeffers on the path to being an All-Star. 

The Twins have a talented core, and 2025 could be the year several of their rising stars break through onto the national stage. Whether it’s Jax dominating out of the bullpen, Wallner showcasing his power, Lewis continuing his ascent as a franchise cornerstone, Ryan solidifying himself as an ace, or Jeffers emerging as one of the league’s top catchers, each player has a legitimate path to their first All-Star selection. If they deliver on their potential, the Twins could be well-represented when the game’s best gather for the Midsummer Classic.

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Which player has the best chance to be a first-time All-Star? Should someone else make the list? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Fire Dan Gladden]

Poor Miranda and Larnach... left out of the party.

[umterp23]

Voters dictate starters and so twins players will have to go the route of of selected and not auto vote in. Fan vote has skewed the game on occasions as with every other all star game including awful skill flag football pro bowl. I like our chances with a couple guys being included. 

[Doctor Gast]

If they dial Jeffers back to weak-side tandem as in '23 he might have a shot. Otherwise, forget it.

[Blyleven2011]

Correction  on castro , though he was in the allstar game last year he was a substitute for Correa  , so technically it wasn't earned  but he did have a nice first half  ...

Who has a chance to make their first allstar from the names mentioned above  ...

Captain Jax  , if he's as dominant in the first half in 2025 and he isn't  selected for a allstar , then I'm not buying a ticket to go watch him pitch  ...

Lewis , yes 

Ryan , yes 

Wallner , no

Jeffers , no 

[DocBauer]

Lewis has the best chance, IMO. No pressure, and no offense to anyone else on the team, but I'll actually be disappointed if he's not selected in 2025. He's due for a full season. And we've seen the potential he's got. Put health and ability together and you've got a good shot at an All Star selection.

Jax should have been there last year. But it's hard unless you put up big save numbers at times.

Ryan is a deserving mention. But so are Ober and Lopez. I can see any of those 3 being potentially selected, and I'm not sure I can accurately predict one over the others.

Yes to Jeffers if he can ride a more road and not one with all the peaks and valleys. Especially if he's catching about 60% of the games. He's one of the best offensive catchers in the game. A good, and steady, first half might see him selected.

I'm going to say no on Wallner since I just think there's going to be too much competition to fill the OF for the game, and he's just not as well known to make it past other more established players. Now, 2026 could be a different story.

[JD-TWINS]

4 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Lewis has the best chance, IMO. No pressure, and no offense to anyone else on the team, but I'll actually be disappointed if he's not selected in 2025. He's due for a full season. And we've seen the potential he's got. Put health and ability together and you've got a good shot at an All Star selection.

Jax should have been there last year. But it's hard unless you put up big save numbers at times.

Ryan is a deserving mention. But so are Ober and Lopez. I can see any of those 3 being potentially selected, and I'm not sure I can accurately predict one over the others.

Yes to Jeffers if he can ride a more road and not one with all the peaks and valleys. Especially if he's catching about 60% of the games. He's one of the best offensive catchers in the game. A good, and steady, first half might see him selected.

I'm going to say no on Wallner since I just think there's going to be too much competition to fill the OF for the game, and he's just not as well known to make it past other more established players. Now, 2026 could be a different story.

I agree that Ober has as good a chance as anyone on the Roster. ……….. post is about 1st time All-stars ……..Lopez has been an All-star once already.

[DocBauer]

6 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

I agree that Ober has as good a chance as anyone on the Roster. ……….. post is about 1st time All-stars ……..Lopez has been an All-star once already.

I stand corrected. I hadn't remembered Lopez being an All Star.

[Fatbat]

There are a few questions in our roster and even more that could take a giant leap into stardom. All star type stardom.  The first five are safe picks but what about a Larnach, Miranda, SWR, Paddack or Festa the Slim Reaper?  
There is probably more.

Someone is gonna show up. Put up numbers and we will all say. I was gonna say his name but….. 

[UK Twin]

I think Lewis has a great chance of becoming an All Star. Jeffers could as well - good hitting catchers are quite thin on the ground. If Wallner has more consistent at bats and doesn't have a huge slump early in the season again he could have a breakout year - the power is clearly there to put up big numbers. 

[dxpavelka]

Seems like closer to 20 potential first time all-stars.  No reason someone outside those 5 can't make it.  Just got to put together a monster first half.  Like Castro did last year.  Brian LaHair.

[MinnInPa]

Ober..our most consistent pitcher..then Jax

[MesaTwinsFan]

Can't believe Ober is not on this list. Take away a couple starts and he was by far the most consistent starter. I see him being top dog this year.

[BillyBallLives]

Whoever makes it, with our front office...

....they might immediately traded him for two prospects and a player to be named later.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Harrison Bader gets left off this list? Why?

[old nurse]

13 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

Seems like closer to 20 potential first time all-stars.  No reason someone outside those 5 can't make it.  Just got to put together a monster first half.  Like Castro did last year.  Brian LaHair.

That was a historically bad Cubs team.  Somebody had to be named. 

[Doctor Wu]

Lewis, Jax, and Ryan seem like they could/should be most worthy if they stay healthy and productive, but as others have noted, don't sleep on Ober or Miranda. Ober, in particular, seems like he could make a big jump this season. In any case, I'm hoping that ALL of those players will be worthy of a chance in the ASG.

[dxpavelka]

9 hours ago, old nurse said:

That was a historically bad Cubs team.  Somebody had to be named. 

Just proves that anyone can be a first time all star.  The ONLY qualification is to not have been an all star previously.

[LambchoP]

While I don't think Lewis will play a full season, an all-star caliber first half is a distinct possibility, and that's all you need to make the all-star team. How about Payton Eeles? Rookie of the year and '25 all-star lol!