Juan Soto will finish the season with more than 40 homers, more than 30 stolen bases, more than 100 RBIs, more than 100 runs scored and more than 100 walks.
How many players in MLB history have compiled such a single-season stat line? Exactly two -- Barry Bonds in 1996 and 1997 and Jeff Bagwell in 1997 and 1999.
Not bad company for a guy who wasn’t even an All-Star this year.
Soto is a great hitter with -- in this particular case -- bad timing.
And that tends to happen in our game.
Have a great first half (or, at the least, a particularly supportive fan base) and you’ll forever have “All-Star” attached to a description of your season. But what about the guys who start slowly, or go dubiously uninvited to the Midsummer Classic, or are playing at a position especially deep in star talent?
Isn’t there any way to recognize them?
Yep, we do it right here … by naming our 2025 Non-All-Star All-Star Team!
*All stats are through Thursday’s games
CATCHER: William Contreras, Brewers (Shea Langeliers, A’s)
The case is equally strong here for Shea “Bangeliers” Langeliers of the A’s, who has reached 30 homers. But we’ll give Contreras extra credit for more games played (despite a broken finger) and being such a key piece of the club with baseball’s best record.
Contreras has slashed .263/.359/.408 and his defense behind the dish rates as above average, per fielding run value.
FIRST BASE: Bryce Harper, Phillies
Lots of good options here. Michael Busch took another big step forward for the contending Cubs. Ben Rice, who also serves as a DH and catcher, saved the Yankees’ bacon early in the year when Giancarlo Stanton was out. Tyler Soderstrom, who plays both outfield and first base, broke through for the A’s. Josh Naylor somehow has 27 steals, which … what?
But Harper has an .852 OPS, 25 homers and 31 doubles in what will generally be considered a “down” and “non-All-Star” season, which goes to show you how good he is at baseball.
SECOND BASE: Brice Turang, Brewers
From Bryce to Brice, our team shifts to second base, where Turang is tied with Ketel Marte among second basemen in FanGraphs wins above replacement (4.2) and trails only Marte and the Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. (both All-Stars) in weighted runs created plus, with a mark 25% better than league average. Like Contreras, he’s a huge reason why the Brewers are where they are.
Turang, a Platinum Glove winner last year, will in all likelihood finish with a 20-20 season.
SHORTSTOP: Trea Turner, Phillies
Though Blue Jays bounceback-er Bo Bichette definitely merits mention here, Turner was a candidate to be a finalist in the NL MVP voting prior to his recent hamstring strain.
Turner has an NL-best 179 hits and .305 average, along with 36 steals. What’s crazy is how much his defensive metrics improved this year. He went from minus-3 outs above average last season to plus-16 in 2025.
THIRD BASE: Matt Chapman, Giants
Though limited to 113 games because of hand injuries, Chapman has nevertheless had a very Chapman-like (i.e. good!) season. He’s got an .810 OPS, 21 homers, 19 doubles and, per usual, grades out very well at the hot corner.
In the previous four seasons, Chapman was a three-time Gold Glove winner and received down-ballot MVP support in 2024. But he wasn’t an All-Star in any of those seasons (or, of course, in this one).
OUTFIELD: Juan Soto, Mets
As we implied above, this is a generational talent. In the first two months, as he settled into this new squad and had what were -- for him -- uncharacteristic struggles at the plate, his hustle and his general enthusiasm were called into question. Now, when you look up, it’s the kind of offensive year even many Hall of Famers would clamor to have.
We recently took a deeper dive into Soto’s year over on YouTube.
Cody Bellinger, Yankees
Essentially, the Yankees have gotten the same impact from Bellinger that the Cubs received in 2023, when he finished 10th in NL MVP voting. (Interestingly, he wasn’t an All-Star for the Cubs in ’23, either.)
Bellinger has arguably been the most valuable Yankee not named Aaron Judge, playing all three outfield positions well while delivering a .277/.334/.500 slash and closing in on 30 homers, 25 doubles and 100 RBIs.
Roman Anthony, Red Sox
As usual, there are a bunch of players from the outfield spots who could be included here, including (but not limited to): Ramón Laureano, who has raked for both the Orioles and Padres; Bellinger’s teammate Trent Grisham; Phillies trade acquisition Harrison Bader and Brewers Rookie of the Year candidate Isaac Collins, to name a few.
What’s crazy about Anthony, though, is that he’s actually tied with deserving Guardians All-Star Steven Kwan in fWAR (2.7), despite having only played 71 games this season (and currently being on the shelf with an oblique strain). With an .859 OPS and 27 extra-base hits, Anthony arrived too late (June 9) to merit consideration for the All-Star squad but not too late to change the scope of the Red Sox’s season.
DESIGNATED HITTER: George Springer, Blue Jays
Last year, Springer had the worst offensive season of his career for a Blue Jays team that finished in last in the AL East. This year, his resurgence has paired properly with theirs.
In his age-35 season, Springer has put up the best adjusted OPS+ (153, or 53% better than league average) and weighted runs created plus (158) of his career. He’s posted one of the lowest strikeout rates of his career to go with his highest walk and hard-hit rates since 2019.
Like Soto, Springer is also a recent subject of our YouTube Deep Dive series.
STARTING PITCHER: Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies
The Phillies and their phans were understandably annoyed when Sánchez didn’t make the initial NL All-Star roster. Then Sánchez turned down the opportunity to be named a replacement for the game, which took place two days after his last start before the break (a player can only be named a replacement if he agrees to play in the game).
Anyway, there’s still a strong likelihood of Sánchez being saluted as a Cy Young finalist this year. He’s had a sensational season, with a 2.57 ERA, 172 ERA+ and 192 strikeouts in 182 1/3 innings.
RELIEF PITCHER: Jhoan Duran, Twins/Phillies
Though we swear we didn’t intend to have such a Phillies-focused club here, the numbers are the numbers, folks. Duran is absolutely deserving in a year in which he’s posted a 1.83 ERA and an ERA+ that’s 136% better than league average while saving 29 games and finishing 51.
It’s kind of wild that a guy who has been probably one of the top three relievers in MLB since he debuted in 2022 has never been an All-Star. But that’s why we have lists like this!