Last season, Willi Castro became a first-time All-Star for the Twins after a tremendous first half. Which players have the potential to follow in his footsteps in 2025?

The Minnesota Twins boast a roster with multiple established stars, but a new wave of talent is primed to take center stage. Five Twins have the potential to earn their first career All-Star nods this season.

Each player has flashed that kind of ability, and with continued growth, they could find themselves representing Minnesota in July. Let’s dive into why each of these five Twins could take that next step toward All-Star status in 2025.

Griffin Jax

Closest All-Star Season: 2024

Relievers usually need to be the team’s closer to make the All-Star Game, but Jax could be the exception to the rule. He had a 2.03 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched in 2024. Jax finished with 10 saves and allowed just four home runs all year.

He was worth 2.8 WAR, tied for seventh-most among all MLB relief pitchers. MLB Network left him off their list of the top 10 relievers entering the 2025 season, pointing to him being undervalued in national discussions.

An argument could be made that he was the Twins’ MVP last season, though, and he deserves more attention in 2025.

Matt Wallner

Closest All-Star Season: N/A

Last season, Wallner looked lost at the plate in the season’s first month, hitting .080/.273/.240 with a strikeout rate over 50%. Minnesota sent him back to Triple-A St. Paul to rediscover his swing.

He came back with a vengeance in the middle of the season.

In 75 games, he hit .259/.372/.523 with 13 home runs and 17 doubles. Max Kepler left in free agency, giving Wallner the inside track to be the team’s everyday right fielder.

Strikeouts will always be part of the cost of Wallner’s powerful swing, but avoiding some swing and miss could put him on pace to be one of the league’s best right fielders.

Royce Lewis

Closest All-Star Season: N/A

Lewis’s best season came in 2023, when he hit .309/.372/.548 with a 149 OPS+ and accumulated 2.4 rWAR. Like Wallner, his value accrued in the season’s second half, so he didn’t have an opportunity to make the All-Star team.

Last season, he hit a home run on Opening Day and got injured later in the game.

There is some discussion about what defensive position Lewis will play regularly this season, which could impact how he does in the voting process.

A hot start to 2025 could put him on pace to represent the team in the Midsummer Classic.

Joe Ryan

Closest All-Star Season: 2024

A strong argument could be made that Ryan deserved to be an All-Star for his first-half performance last season.

In 19 starts, he posted a 3.53 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP, while holding opponents to a .668 OPS.

According to FanGraphs, he had the seventh-highest WAR among AL pitchers in the first half. Ryan’s season ended on the mound in Chicago last year with a shoulder injury, but the Twins expect him to be fully ready for spring training.

He’s among the league’s best pitchers, and some minor improvements can make him an All-Star in the 2025 season.

Ryan Jeffers

Closest All-Star Season: 2023

Jeffers was one of the AL’s best hitters through the end of May last season.

He was hitting so well that the Twins regularly used him as the team’s DH on the days on which he wasn’t catching.

In his first 51 games, he hit .256/.345/.547, with 12 home runs and 14 doubles.

His performance nosedived from there, though, as he posted a .587 OPS for the final 24 games of the first half. Catcher is one of the easier positions at which to make the Midsummer Classic, since there is a need for up to three backstops on the roster.

A more consistent first-half performance can put Jeffers on the path to being an All-Star.

The Twins have a talented core, and 2025 could be the year several of their rising stars break through onto the national stage.

Whether it’s Jax dominating out of the bullpen, Wallner showcasing his power, Lewis continuing his ascent as a franchise cornerstone, Ryan solidifying himself as an ace, or Jeffers emerging as one of the league’s top catchers, each player has a legitimate path to their first All-Star selection.

If they deliver on their potential, the Twins could be well-represented when the game’s best gather for the Midsummer Classic.