Surprising Early-Season MLB All-Star Candidates
by Sam Cox | by Tyler Doty
It’s a little under two months until the 2026 MLB All-Star game. Sure, it’s a bit early to be making MLB picks for the Midsummer Classic, but we are already at the 50-game mark, so there’s a big enough sample to pick out some surprising All-Star candidates.
Andy Pages
Only four National League players have been worth more fWAR than Andy Pages. On a team of future Hall of Famers, Pages has been the standout performer, with elite outfield defense accompanied by a 90th-percentile hard-hit rate.
He’s done damage against all pitch types and already has 3.3 bWAR. There’s a chance Pages has a seven-win season with how productive he’s been so far.
Colson Montgomery
Colson Montgomery gave us a taste of what he’s capable of last year with 21 homers. Bat speed in the 95th percentile sees Montgomery do plenty of damage when he makes contact and he provides plenty of value with his glove at shortstop.
The profile is similar to a young Javier Báez, albeit with a few more walks. Montgomery has been the second-best shortstop in the American League in 2026.
Xavier Edwards
Xavier Edwards’ .322 batting average probably isn’t sustainable, as his xBA is only .280. A .353 xwOBA represents a significant improvement, however, and he’s upped his walk rate to 12.6%, while cutting his strikeout rate to 11.1%.
Edwards is a good defender and a plus runner. There’s no MVP upside here, but he’s become more selective at the plate, which has led to improved production. He’s destined to be in the All-Star mix at second base.
Mickey Moniak
Just three NL outfielders have a higher fWAR than Mickey Moniak. Progress made in 2025 has been taken to the next level, with Moniak leading the National League in OPS.
A wOBA 90 points higher than his xwOBA means this hot start is going to cool down at some point, but there’s no arguing with the results. Moniak is pulling the ball in the air more than a third of the time and made improvements against breaking pitches.
Brayan Rocchio
Brayan Rocchio entered this season with a 75 OPS+ in 281 big-league games. Continuing the long-running Guardians tradition of low-power, high-contact hitters, Rocchio has a 125 OPS+ in 2026 with a 9.8% strikeout rate.
Cutting the strikeouts down even further has helped boost Rocchio’s batting average. He doesn’t make much hard contact, but he’s consistently putting the ball in play and has doubled his career bWAR.
Josh Jung
A former top prospect who has struggled at the plate over the last two years, Josh Jung is having a breakout year. The .350 xwOBA is comfortably the best of his big-league career, and he’s only striking out in 15.8% of his plate appearances.
Texas has slowed down Jung’s swing. The trade-off is less power than was previously hoped for, but the contact numbers are highly impressive. He’s regularly squaring the ball up.
Davis Martin
Only two AL pitchers have a better ERA than Davis Martin. Martin’s command has improved and he’s striking out far more hitters than ever before.
Adding a sinker in 2025 made Martin into a seven-pitch guy. It’s made it easier for him to keep hitters off balance, and his slider has been mightily effective in any count.
Parker Messick
There’s a lot to like about Parker Messick. He doesn’t have a standout pitch, but he’s got six pitches he throws with decent frequency and has a strong combination of groundballs and strikeouts.
A 79th-percentile xERA might not suggest that Messick is going to be a season-long Cy Young candidate, but it’s been a very impressive start to the year for the Guardians’ southpaw.
Landen Roupp
Landen Roupp’s fastball has jumped 14 points in stuff+. His curveball remains nasty. Despite Roupp’s command sometimes being an issue, he’s got one of the lowest xERA marks in the NL.
A 1.7% barrel rate is eye-catching. Roupp hasn’t needed to change too much – his fastball, changeup, and curveball are all very effective pitches.
Louis Varland
Taking the closer job off Jeff Hoffman in the early going, Louis Varland has by far the highest fWAR among American League relievers. The former Twin has a 1.37 FIP.
A big fastball is backed up by a strong knuckle-curve and a lethal changeup. Hitters are often left clueless in the box against Varland.
