Jhoan Duran One of American League's Biggest All-Star Snubs

The Minnesota Twins will only send one representative to the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, and while Byron Buxton is a worthy choice and will even be competing in the Home Run Derby, it’s clear that the roster should include another Twin. Jhoan Duran, Minnesota’s electric closer, was quietly one of the most glaring omissions from this year’s American League squad.

Yes, the All-Star selection process has changed. Each league now carries a limited number of relievers, making the path to an All-Star nod even more difficult. When you look at the names who made it (Josh Hader, Andrés Muñoz, and Aroldis Chapman), it’s hard to say any of them are undeserving. But if there’s one reliever who should be heading to Atlanta and isn’t, it’s Duran.

Dominant, Despite the Save Total
Duran hasn’t piled up the saves like some of his peers this year, with just 13, but that’s no reflection of how dominant he’s been on the mound. The 27-year-old right-hander owns a 1.56 ERA over 41 appearances this season. He’s yet to allow a home run, and his strikeout rate remains excellent (26.8%). He’s anchoring a Twins bullpen that’s kept the team afloat (more or less) during an up-and-down first half. Duran is the type of player who can thrive in a showcase like the All-Star Game, when players are facing the best hitters on the planet. 

His lack of saves isn’t a matter of performance, but rather a product of Minnesota’s inconsistency in close games. The Twins haven’t provided him with the same volume of save opportunities as teams like the Astros, Mariners, or Red Sox have furnished his counterparts, but when Duran gets the ball in the ninth, he’s almost automatic. For the season, he has two blown saves, and he has yet to allow more than one earned run in any appearance.

Duran has already accrued 2.1 rWAR, the second-highest total of his big-league career. He’s been successful this season on multiple levels. He is getting one of the best ground-ball percentages in baseball (70.2%). When batters aren’t smacking the ball into the ground, it's often because they're missing the ball entirely; he's inducing whiffs on 31% of opponents' swings. If hitters do manage to make contact, even in the air, they are barreling the ball less than 3% of the time. His xSLG, wOBA, xwOBA, and xwOBACON each rank in baseball’s top 4%. The numbers are elite for a pitcher who has seen a velocity drop over the last two seasons. 

A Legacy of Elite Relief Arms
If Duran had made the team, he’d be the latest in a proud tradition of Minnesota relievers representing the club in the Midsummer Classic. Glen Perkins made three straight appearances from 2013 to 2015. Taylor Rogers earned a spot in 2021 as a very late addition to the team. Duran could follow a similar path in 2025. “Everyday” Eddie Guardado was a two-time All-Star in the early 2000s, and Joe Nathan became a perennial All-Star during the team’s AL Central dominance in the 2000s. Duran fits right into that lineage, as a high-leverage monster with stuff that leaves hitters baffled and fans buzzing.

Unfortunately, this year’s All-Star format didn’t leave enough room to include him. As bullpen usage continues to evolve and relievers take on greater importance in the modern game, limiting each league to a small number of bullpen spots feels increasingly outdated. If any position group deserves expansion, it’s relief pitching.

More Snubs in the Twin Cities
Duran wasn’t the only deserving Twin left off the AL roster. Matthew Trueblood recently wrote about Joe Ryan's case for inclusion, and he’s right, because Ryan’s underlying numbers are as strong as ever, and he’s become a model of consistency in the rotation. Like Duran, Ryan might have been a victim of the team’s lukewarm standing in the playoff race, making it harder for voters (including his fellow players) to reward his performance.

Still, if the goal of the All-Star Game is to highlight the very best of the game at the halfway mark, Duran (and Ryan) belong. Whether it’s lighting up the radar gun or locking down a late-inning lead, there are few pitchers more imposing or more deserving. Here’s hoping the snub fuels a dominant second half, and maybe a late push for some postseason hardware instead.

Was Duran snubbed from the All-Star team? Leave a comment and start the discussion.