The Twins Have Five Potential All-Stars This Year

The 94th MLB All-Star Game is less than two weeks away, and there’s a lot of buzz about who will represent their squads for the American and National League teams. No team will be without a player in Arlington; the exhibition game always requires at least one player from each of the 30 teams to be there.

The Minnesota Twins have played well enough this season to send more than one player to Texas. The Twins will probably only get two or three All-Stars, but five players have made their cases to be considered for the American League team at this year’s All-Star Game.

Carlos Correa

The Twins shortstop is coming off the best June of his career, hitting .388/.441/.582, with five home runs and 21 runs batted in 25 games (112 plate appearances). The numbers are worthy of a Player of the Month award, but the All-Star consideration has only grown exponentially since his slow start to the year.

Because it’s online-only, the All-Star voting process has more limitations. Correa has already lost the opportunity to start because Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson will be voted on for the starting role as they are the voting finalists in the American League at short. However, Correa is the clear choice for a reserve at the position. He, Henderson, and Witt Jr. are the only three shortstops in the American League with an OPS over .800, a minimum of 40 RBI or more, and batting averages over .285.

A lot can still happen before the All-Star selection show on Sunday. Still, among Minnesota’s hitters, there is no better candidate to join the American League squad than Correa.

Joe Ryan 

Ryan has been Minnesota’s most consistent starter out of the rotation this season. He hasn’t missed any of his 17 starts and has thrown a team-leading 103.2 innings. Ryan is 10th in the American League with a 3.21 ERA, tied fifth with Pablo López in strikeouts (110) and fourth in WHIP (0.96).

Compared to where Ryan was when he tried to battle through a groin injury a year ago, Ryan has become the starter the Twins long expected him to be. His consistency has been an anchor as Lopez, Bailey Ober, and Chris Paddack battled through pitching slumps.

All-Star squads typically carry anywhere from 10 to 12 starters initially and usually expand with a few more pending when a starter pitches before the game or if they suffer any injuries. Ryan’s next two starts will likely land on July 6 and 12. If all goes well, he should be good enough to make the team and throw at least an inning in the All-Star game.

Griffin Jax

All-Star reliever selections are always more challenging to project than starters. Closers typically fill most of the spots. However, Andrew Kittredge wasn’t a reliever but deserved a spot after dominating in the first half as he did in 2021 (1.47 ERA in 32 games and only two saves).

That’s where Griffin Jax is in 2024. He has proven to be Minnesota’s most successful high-leverage reliever his year. His 1.98 ERA is ninth-best in the American League among relievers who have thrown a minimum of 30 innings, and his 27.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio sits fifth-best among relievers who have thrown the same length of innings.

There may be fewer roster spots available for Jax to make the squad. However, his performance in the first half of this season has drawn enough attention to at least consider joining Correa, Ryan, or both at this year’s All-Star game.

Willi Castro

Has there been a better utility man in all of baseball than Castro this year? He’s certainly been that and more for the Twins offense, playing at least 20 games between the middle infield positions and outfield positions except for right field. The team leader in games played (84) has continued to be a hitting machine, leading the team in hits (81), doubles (21), and stolen bases (10).

What Castro has done for the Twins this season rivals that of former Twins super-utility man Cesar Tovar. He’s filling into the Twins lineup wherever he’s needed and has made things simpler at shortstop and center field when Correa and Byron Buxton have been injured this year.

Finding a spot for super-utility players on the All-Star team is challenging because they don’t have a set position. However, if the right roster spot opens up, Castro could be the guy to fill it.

José Miranda 

He may have the longest case of making the All-Star team among these five, but Miranda has gone from an injury-ridden sophomore slump season to an All-Star candidate in half a season. The third baseman has excelled in the 67 games he’s played in this season, posting a .297/.340/.486 triple slash and .826 OPS in 241 plate appearances.

This is the version of Miranda many fans expected after his breakout 2021 season in the minor leagues. His numbers at the plate with runners in scoring position have exceeded expectations. Miranda has a triple slash of .351/.429/.579 and a 1.008 OPS in 70 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.

The third baseman options in the American League are more crowded. Two of the spots will more than likely go to Jose Ramirez and Rafael Devers with their impressive 2024 campaigns. There’s also stiff competition between rookies Jordan Westburg of the Baltimore Orioles and Josh Smith of the Texas Rangers, one of which will likely get the third spot on the American League roster. Still, Miranda brings consideration to the table. That alone is worth the spotlight, considering the uncertainty with which he entered the 2024 season.

There’s a lot of speculation on who will be a part of both All-Star squads as the week continues. Aside from Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper, there are no guarantees on who will be on these rosters until Sunday evening’s announcement on ESPN. The Twins are no exception to any guarantee who will be in Arlington for them in two weeks. Still, it’s safe to assume two players from this squad will be there.