Ranking Twins' 2025 All-Star Candidates: Is Byron Buxton a Lock?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The calendar is creeping toward June, which means one of baseball’s great traditions is about to return: All-Star voting. Phase 1 of the voting process will open soon, with fans once again choosing nine offensive players to represent each league. For the Twins, this year’s squad features a solid mix of emerging contributors and established stars. While some names are more familiar than others, multiple Twins players have made convincing cases to represent the American League this July.

Here’s a breakdown of the top five Twins candidates for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, ranked from unlikely long shot to likely lock.

5. Harrison Bader – Left Field
On the surface, Harrison Bader may not scream "All-Star" to casual fans scrolling through the ballot. However, anyone watching Twins games closely knows how valuable he has been to this team. Tied with Byron Buxton for the highest rWAR on the roster, Bader has been a steadying force in the outfield. Much of his value has come on the defensive side, where he has played in left and center field and has arguably been the most consistent defensive player on the team.

That said, the reality of All-Star voting is that offense still carries more weight, and that’s where Bader may fall short. He has posted a career-high 122 OPS+ with 11 extra-base hits in 46 games. With so many offensively gifted outfielders in the American League, however, Bader’s chance at an All-Star nod may come only if injury replacements or late roster shuffling occurs.

4. Jhoan Duran – Relief Pitcher
Closers often feel like wild cards when it comes to All-Star selections. It’s no secret that Duran possesses one of baseball’s most electric arms, and that can force the issue when it comes to a one-game showcase. He's the kind of pitcher who could go viral with a single pitch. More importantly, he’s posting the kind of numbers that make him a legit All-Star candidate: a sub-1.50 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings.

Unlike offensive players, pitchers aren’t selected by fan vote, with managers and players handling that job. That works in Duran’s favor. Although there may be more recognizable names in the closer pool, few have been as dominant or exciting. If he keeps this up through June, it’ll be tough to keep him off the AL roster.

3. Pablo López – Starting Pitcher
There’s something to be said for reliability and track record, and Pablo López has both in spades. An All-Star in the past, López has quietly built one of his best seasons yet, with a career-best 2.31 ERA, 177 ERA+, and a 4.4% walk rate. Advanced metrics also support his performance, as he ranks in the 90th percentile or better in Pitching Run Value, Hard Hit%, and BB%.

While the casual fan may overlook him in favor of flashier names, López has been a stabilizing force in Minnesota’s rotation. And with the AL All-Star staff needing multiple arms to ensure that no one is overworked during the exhibition game, López’s consistency and experience make him a prime candidate to return to the midsummer stage.

 

2. Joe Ryan – Starting Pitcher
If we’re talking about current form, few pitchers in the American League have been as dominant as Joe Ryan in 2025. After an up-and-down 2024, Ryan came into this season with something to prove. His fastball is one of baseball’s most valuable pitches, and this has helped his other pitches play up. Ryan’s strikeout and walk rates are sparkling. He also has some of the surface-level numbers (2.57 ERA, 53 innings pitched in 11 games, even 5 wins) that coaches and players will consider when voting.

Unfortunately, fans don’t get to vote on pitchers; that would make Ryan a frontrunner. If the All-Star Game were held today, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Ryan to be in consideration for the starting nod. He’s been that good.

1. Byron Buxton – Center Field
At the top of the list is a name Twins fans know better than any. When healthy, Byron Buxton is not just an All-Star, he’s one of the most dynamic players in the entire game. After years of battling injuries, 2025 has been a renaissance for Buxton. He’s finally back in center field full-time, and the results speak for themselves. Among AL players, he has the highest WAR for center fielders, putting himself ahead of names like Cody Bellinger and Julio Rodriguez. 

The biggest question, as always, is health. If Buxton can stay on the field through June, it’s hard to imagine fans, coaches and players all leaving him off the team. He’s been the heartbeat of the 2025 Twins and might be the most entertaining player on any given night. It's also fun to consider Buxton making an All-Star appearance in Georgia, his home state.

The Twins may not have the offensive star power of some coastal franchises, but this roster is quietly stacking up All-Star-caliber talent. With a mix of elite pitching and athletic outfield play, Minnesota should be well-represented when the Midsummer Classic rolls around. All-Star voting kicks off in early June, and if the early results hold, Twins fans might have multiple reasons to tune in to the festivities. Until then, it’s up to these five players (and maybe a surprise name or two) to keep building their resumes.

Who’s your pick for the Twins’ most deserving All-Star? Let us know in the comments below.

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[thelanges5]

Kody Clemens if he continues to rake. 

[Mark G]

Frankly, I don't see any of the position players making it, primarily because of the numbers crunch.   The 3 pitchers Cody talked about all deserve to go first, in my opinion, and we probably won't get all 3 of them.  In terms of fan voting, Buck and CC have name recognition and might do well in the voting, but I don't think either will finish first and the manager picks will likely go to our pitching staff first.  And I think they should; they are the reason we are where we are.  They deserve it.  

[DJL44]

Good list, no arguments.

[dxpavelka]

Nice to have three of the top 20 (15?) starting pitchers in the league and at least two potential Cy Young candidates.  

[MinnInPa]

IMO ..has to be a pitcher...don't see 'All star" in any of our position players..but if i had to it would be Ty France.. Sorry Buck ...when you K 35% of the the time ..you should never be considered an All Star.. If i had to pick one ????  hmmmmm.. Joe Ryan ...cuz Duran has been hit hard and quite frankly ..just lucky that hard hit balls have been right at fielders

[UK Twin]

The pitching has been a huge strength and a big reason why we've dug ourselves out of the early hole we found ourselves in, so I'd be disappointed if we don't have any selected as all stars. Duran and Ryan look the best options there. 

[IndianaTwin]

In a world where the setup man starts to get attention, Danny Coulombe was on his way before the injury. He's still nearly the team's leader in bWAR among relievers, with two-thirds the number of innings. And with a good June, Sands could still be in the mix as well. 

[Western SD Fan]

Jax could even make a guest appearance if he is able to continue his dominance for the next month or so.  Managers will choose non-"closers" considering they show dominance.

[The Great Hambino]

Buxton is far from a lock.  He might be leading centerfielders in WAR (technically Julio Rodriguez has passed him in bWAR), but they vote on outfielders as a whole.  He's only 7th in the AL among outfielders - Bader has even snuck by him for the moment.  And assuming he'll pick up right where he left off post-concussion is pretty optimistic.  He's had a great stretch, but he definitely has some work to do. 

I think Ryan has the best chance on the roster of getting picked before the manager-fill-out-the-roster phase, and that stage becomes a crapshoot based on which teams need someone and who their viable candidates are.

[mikelink45]

I will take Ryan and say that I am happy to have all of these players on our team. Buxton is electric but his K's mean he is often absent when needed just like when he has health issues.  Not my all=start this year and looking at the roster right now Jeffers might be the best candidate for a second team. 

[arby58]

Ryan first, Lopez second, but Buck might get the second spot. They should (with their record) get at least two players on the roster.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Agree with most of what is being said here. The SP group, led by Ryan and Lopez, are carrying the bulk of the load for this team.

A few weeks back there was pundit discussion, with some assenting comments here, about trading Ryan to the Orioles for prospects. That take continues to look pretty bad. 

[thelanges5]

[Road trip]

After the pitchers and Buxton, I guess Jeffers would have a chance.  Raleigh is clearly the best catcher in the league, but after that you have to look a little. 

Rutschman has been a bust this year for Baltimore.  Perez rarely catches anymore for KC, and hasn't been good this year either.  Narvaez has been surprisingly good for Boston, but he's unknown and doesn't have a track record indicating he will continue to hit.  I suppose Langeliers may be Oakland's Sacramento's lone rep.  Gotta figure the AL will take three catchers, and you could argue that Jeffers is as deserving as any of the candidates, especially if he would manage a nice little hot streak in June.

[bean5302]

Nobody is a lock on the Twins for some reasons previously noted.
First, pitchers don't get votes from fans.
Second, the season is still young so regression is going to happen for both Twins players and league players so there are going to be some big swings in results columns/value.
Third, the Twins don't have a strong fan base to vote for them.
Fourth, the team doesn't have any popular superstars on it.

In regard to who deserves an All Star nod at this point in the season, there will need to be 12 pitchers and 20 position players:
OF x6 - Buxton gets the nod as deserving here, but he's not going to be a starter because he's not winning a popular vote.
1B x2 - None.
2B x2 - None.
3B x2 - None.
SS x2 - None.
C x 2 - None.
DH x 1 - None.
Open x 3 - None.
SP x 7ish - None.
RP x 5ish - Duran.

When it comes to starters, Skubal, Eovaldi, Crochet, Bubic, Brown, Fried, Woo arguably all better than our guys, and if we change up the vote to rely on ERA, guys like Mahle get the nod.

When it comes to relievers, Jax is a tough sell with the ERA, but I could see players/managers putting him in because of the luck factor in SSS.

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, MinnInPa said:

if i had to it would be Ty France

This is for the All-Star Game, not the Boring Mediocre Player Showcase.

[DJL44]

18 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

In regard to who deserves an All Star nod at this point in the season, there will need to be 12 pitchers and 20 position players:

Plus about another 10 guys for injury replacements.

[CoachDW]

If he continues to pitch as he has so far, I think Joe Ryan has an excellent chance of being chosen. When picking starters for the All-Star team, pitchers with high win totals are always named. So far, Ryan is tied for fifth in the AL in wins with 5, trailing only Rodon & Fried of the Yankees who both have 7 and are virtual locks to be picked by their manager, Aaron Boone, and Hunter Brown (7) and Casey Mize (6). Ryan is tied for seventh in WAR with Rodon, and ranks 6th in Ks/9, so he certainly has to be considered among the top starting pitcher candidates to be selected. Among relievers, Jhoan Duran has to be in the running as well. He doesn't have huge saves totals (currently ninth in the AL with 9) but among relievers he is tied for third in WAR with Josh Hader (1.2), trailing only Andres Munoz' 2.1  and Luke Weaver's 1.5. Byron Buxton probably has a shot, but he would have to come back strong from his injury to be considered. Unfortunately, and as usual, the Twins will probably end up with only the mandated single representative on the All-Star team this year.  

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, CoachDW said:

If he continues to pitch as he has so far, I think Joe Ryan has an excellent chance of being chosen. When picking starters for the All-Star team, pitchers with high win totals are always named. So far, Ryan is tied for fifth in the AL in wins with 5, trailing only Rodon & Fried of the Yankees who both have 7 and are virtual locks to be picked by their manager, Aaron Boone, and Hunter Brown (7) and Casey Mize (6). Ryan is tied for seventh in WAR with Rodon, and ranks 6th in Ks/9, so he certainly has to be considered among the top starting pitcher candidates to be selected. Among relievers, Jhoan Duran has to be in the running as well. He doesn't have huge saves totals (currently ninth in the AL with 9) but among relievers he is tied for third in WAR with Josh Hader (1.2), trailing only Andres Munoz' 2.1  and Luke Weaver's 1.5. Byron Buxton probably has a shot, but he would have to come back strong from his injury to be considered. Unfortunately, and as usual, the Twins will probably end up with only the mandated single representative on the All-Star team this year.  

I see Ryan as 10th in fWAR 12th in FIP , but tied with 2 other guys for 7th in bWAR and in sole possession of ERA+ just ahead of 2 guys who are 1,000% more likely to make the team (deGrom and Skubal). Ryan's on the cusp, but if things were voted on today, I doubt he makes it because of so many big names around his performance.

 

[Jeff K]

6 hours ago, MinnInPa said:

IMO ..has to be a pitcher...don't see 'All star" in any of our position players..but if i had to it would be Ty France.. Sorry Buck ...when you K 35% of the the time ..you should never be considered an All Star.. If i had to pick one ????  hmmmmm.. Joe Ryan ...cuz Duran has been hit hard and quite frankly ..just lucky that hard hit balls have been right at fielders

I'm not saying Buck should make the All star team.  He has work to do.  But your reason (K rate) is silly.

[CoachDW]

Bean5302; "I see Ryan as 10th in fWAR 12th in FIP , but tied with 2 other guys for 7th in bWAR and in sole possession of ERA+ just ahead of 2 guys who are 1,000% more likely to make the team (deGrom and Skubal)." 

Granted, Skubal will make the team, he's the reigning Cy Young Award winner, and an ace on the Division leading Tigers. But DeGrom is currently on a third place team that has a losing record. So DeGrom is  1.000% more likely to make the team than Joe Ryan? What is it about DeGrom's numbers that you think are so superior to Ryan's to make that statement and make you that confident? I could argue that right now, DeGrom's stats are no better than his Rangers teammate Nathan Eovaldi, who also should be considered. A lot can happen between now and the All-Star break, but at this juncture to state that DeGrom is 1,000% more likely to make the team than Ryan seems like a huge statement to make without much evidence to back it up. 

[RpR]

Right now Bader and Buxton are most likely but July is a Looong ways away.

[Aerodeliria]

Ryan because of his ability to win important games, and Duran because he is nasty. No one else. Maybe neither of these even deserve it, but they have to take someone, and no offensive player is in the running IMHO.

[Doctor Wu]

Thinking about All-Star picks already? Hmm ... let's revisit this list again in late June and then we'll have a better idea. Too many things can happen (nosediving performances and injuries) during the next month. 

[dxpavelka]

23 hours ago, MinnInPa said:

IMO ..has to be a pitcher...don't see 'All star" in any of our position players..but if i had to it would be Ty France.. Sorry Buck ...when you K 35% of the the time ..you should never be considered an All Star.. If i had to pick one ????  hmmmmm.. Joe Ryan ...cuz Duran has been hit hard and quite frankly ..just lucky that hard hit balls have been right at fielders

90% of this game is half luck.

[dxpavelka]

10 hours ago, CoachDW said:

Bean5302; "I see Ryan as 10th in fWAR 12th in FIP , but tied with 2 other guys for 7th in bWAR and in sole possession of ERA+ just ahead of 2 guys who are 1,000% more likely to make the team (deGrom and Skubal)." 

Granted, Skubal will make the team, he's the reigning Cy Young Award winner, and an ace on the Division leading Tigers. But DeGrom is currently on a third place team that has a losing record. So DeGrom is  1.000% more likely to make the team than Joe Ryan? What is it about DeGrom's numbers that you think are so superior to Ryan's to make that statement and make you that confident? I could argue that right now, DeGrom's stats are no better than his Rangers teammate Nathan Eovaldi, who also should be considered. A lot can happen between now and the All-Star break, but at this juncture to state that DeGrom is 1,000% more likely to make the team than Ryan seems like a huge statement to make without much evidence to back it up. 

There are only two ways DeGrom goes ahead of Ryan:  1, he dominates June and or Ryan tanks.  Possible? Sure.  Likely?  Not so much.  2:  He gets it as a lifetime achievement award.  Doesn't really happen so much in baseball at least among pitchers where there is no fan vote.  DeGrom ahead of Pablo & Ober?  Sure.  But not Ryan.  Accept it folks, Ryan has become an elite level starting pitcher.  Top 7 in the AL.  It's ok.  This is NOT against the rules.  Enjoy it.

[Bodie]

20 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Plus about another 10 guys for injury replacements.

Who really wants another team's manager messing with the timing of their pitchers' schedule?  Truly a wonder that anyone allows SPs to go to the ASG!

Litlle birdie tells me Kyle Gibson will be the Devil Dogs' representative... Go Tampa!

 

Also, count on Buxton getting his near annual mid season break - IL centered around the ASG - allowing him a short two week vacation while only missing a week of work. 

[MinnInPa]

18 hours ago, Jeff K said:

I'm not saying Buck should make the All star team.  He has work to do.  But your reason (K rate) is silly.

you strike out 35% of the time ??? and thats an All Star??? nope ...with his defense he'd be a great 8-9 hitter to have on good team ..but not considered one of your high paid reliable star players ...nope

[MinnInPa]

22 hours ago, DJL44 said:

This is for the All-Star Game, not the Boring Mediocre Player Showcase.

this team is full of them...you have to pick one thats at least producing