Top 10 First-time All-Star Candidates: Pitchers

Once the first All-Star voting update has been released, you know we are truly entering the middle of summer and the halfway point of the Major League Baseball season.

While the voting process continues to be highly questionable for the hitters, the pitchers selected to the All-Star Game feel far more deserving, making a list of first-time selections that much more intriguing to break down.

We all remember the days when a league winning the Midsummer Classic meant home-field advantage in the World Series, and even though that is no longer the case, there is still a sense of pride and appreciation that comes with being selected to the roster.

When it comes to your first selection, there’s no doubt it means that much more. For anyone in this group of ten pitchers, making the trip to Philadelphia for this year’s All-Star Game will be an experience they never forget.

Stats provided before play on Thursday, June 20.

Cam Schlittler – New York Yankees

2026 Stats: 16 G – 95.0 IP, 1.71 ERA, 2.12 FIP, 247 ERA+, 4.2 bWAR

It has been quite some time since the Yankees have been able to develop a top-of-the-rotation arm in-house, and Cam Schlittler looks to have finally bucked that trend. The Yankees’ new ace has been nothing but dominant for a rotation that was in desperate need of someone to step up with all of the injuries they had sustained heading into this season.

Come July 14, I don’t think there is much to question when it comes to who should start for the American League. It should be Cam.

The young right-hander leads all qualified starters in the AL in ERA (1.71). He is also first in opponents’ batting average (.192), strikeouts (109), and second in WHIP (0.89).

What makes this ascension even more fascinating is the fact that he’s doing it with a fastball sitting in the upper-90s. This is the same pitcher that was hovering in the upper-80s with his “heater” in college, and even in the beginning of his professional career in the Yankees organization.

The frontrunner for the American League Cy Young Award should already be canceling whatever plans he may have had that week in July.

Gavin Williams – Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats: 15 G – 91.2IP, 3.83 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 110 ERA+, 1.5 bWAR

It may have taken a couple of seasons for him to settle into the big leagues, but the version of Gavin Williams we were promised while he was developing through the pitching factory that is the Cleveland Guardians organization appears to have finally arrived.

Williams is coming off a season where he pitched a career-high 167.2 innings, walking a league-high 83 hitters. There’s a true justification to the statement that his turnaround is largely attributed to his cutting the BB/9 number down from 4.5 last season to 2.9 now. Though still a high mark, the 2.9 is a full walk below his career number.

Though he is coming off his worst start of the year, Gavin Williams has played a significant role in the success of the team this season. There shouldn’t be much pushback to the right-hander being selected for his first All-Star Game this summer.

Davis Martin – Chicago White Sox

2026 Stats: 14 G – 81.2 IP, 3.31 ERA, 2.90 FIP, 130 ERA+, 2.4 bWAR

There is likely no bigger surprise this season than the Chicago White Sox, and Davis Martin has played a significant part in them currently sitting atop the AL Central. What first looked like just a fun story at the beginning of the season – he had a sub-2.00 ERA through the middle of May – is now looking to be much more than that.

Say what you want about this stat, but Martin currently sits tied at the top of the American League in wins, which, like it or not, still impacts the minds of decision-makers when it comes time to make these selections. No matter which side you stand on this, he has done more than enough to be selected.

This also isn’t just one of the “every team needs to have a representative” storylines either.

Martin is generating whiffs at a 27.8% mark and only has a six percent walk rate to this point. This is a Chicago rotation that does not truly pose a threat when you look at it on paper, especially coming into the season. While many were quick to write off the team as a whole, the 2026 version of Davis Martin has done more than enough to warrant the conversation.

Dylan Cease – Toronto Blue Jays

2026 Stats: 13 G – 73.0 IP, 2.71 ERA, 2.37 FIP, 167 ERA+, 2.5 bWAR

Many heads were scratched when phones were pinging with the news of Dylan Cease signing his massive seven-year, $210 million deal this winter. Now, almost halfway through the season, Cease is making many question their ball knowledge.

The start to this season could not have been any better for Cease. Through six starts, he was sitting at a 0.24 ERA and at +300 odds to win the AL Cy Young Award just after the news of Skubal going down with his elbow injury. As of June 18, he is sitting at +210, second behind Cam Schlittler. He was even able to continue his dominance in his first start off a stint on the injured list.

Prior to the hamstring injury, he and Jacob Misiorowski were going head-to-head, competing to see who was the best pitcher in baseball. We are truly witnessing Cease perform at a whole new level in his first season north of the border.

When it comes to making the All-Star Game rotation, it shouldn’t even be a question. What I am trying to figure out is how this would be the first time he would end up making the roster for the Midsummer Classic.

Max Meyer – Miami Marlins

2026 Stats: 15 G – 85.0 IP, 2.75 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 149 ERA+, 2.6 bWAR

There is absolutely zero bias behind this, but I don’t know if I have been more impressed by a pitcher this season than Marlins starter Max Meyer.

Despite showing flashes throughout the previous three years of his career, Meyer entered spring training trying to fight for a starting job. Now 15 starts into the 2026 season, Meyer has leaped over Sandy and Eury as the best pitcher in the Marlins’ starting rotation.

I highlighted this in article I wrote in May about Meyer, but he has been able to capitalize on his talent, overcome the injuries of the past, and exceeded many’s expectation that he would eventually have to settle for being a back-end of the bullpen type of arm.

He has been able to inflict the most damage through the use of his breaking ball, which has generated a +11 run value, per Baseball Savant, and has him firmly in the conversation to be named a starter for the National League team.

José Soriano – Los Angeles Angels

2026 Stats: 16 G – 92.0 IP, 3.03 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 140 ERA+, 2.5 bWAR

You could argue that there wasn’t a hotter start for a pitcher in baseball than the one José Soriano was having for the Los Angeles Angels.

Through the end of April, Soriano was pitching to a 0.84 ERA in 42.2 innings, striking out 10.3 batters per nine, and doing all of this despite walking just under 10% of hitters. Even through the rough stretch he sustained in May, the fact that he is now holding on to an ERA just over 3.00 after a month in which he pitched to an ERA above 5.00 is a true testament to just how good his start was.

There was even a moment in time when he was generating Cy Young talks. To expect him to have an ERA under 1.00 for a season just wasn’t sustainable. While he has had an issue with walks throughout his four-year career, even more evident by his league-leading 46 walks, his ability to dance around the baserunners should solidify his candidacy as another first-time pitcher in the All-Star Game.

I hope he enjoys pitching in Philadelphia on July 14.

Chase Burns – Cincinnati Reds

2026 Stats: 14 G – 80.2 IP, 2.01 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 218 ERA+, 3.9 bWAR

Forget just being on the roster. Forget the fact that he should at least be considered to start the game. If it weren’t for just how dominant Misiorowski and Cristopher Sanchez have been, we would be talking a lot more about how Chase Burns is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.

Even at the young age of 23, I would have a hard time not at least considering Burns to pitch in a win-or-go-home game for me. The funny part about it is that he is doing all of this simply by heavily relying on his fastball/slider combination.

If you were to look at the heat maps above, you’d quickly realize how he has been able to dominate two parts of the zone, seemingly with ease. His slider sits second in all of baseball in strikeouts generated at the bottom of the zone, just behind Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez.

To be as young as he is, dominating big league hitters with a two-pitch mix, should simply tell us that Chase Burns is just scratching the surface of his potential, and an appearance in the All-Star Game should solidify his name at the top.

Antonio Senzatela – Colorado Rockies

2026 Stats: 22 G – 40.1 IP, 2.23 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 217 ERA+, 1.9 bWAR

Before this year, if I were to tell you that Antonio Senzatela was going to be a Rockies representative in the All-Star Game, you would’ve called me crazy, told me I don’t know ball, and likely sent an email saying I need to be fired from the Just Baseball writing staff.

Well, here we are. Senzatela is no longer a starter and is now one of the best swingmen in baseball.

Though he may not have agreed with the decision by the Rockies organization to have him pitch solely out of the bullpen, the move may have added a couple of years to his career. Not only that, but he has pitched his way into consideration for his first-ever All-Star Game nod. Team representative be damned, he is well-deserving of this nod.

Another benefit to him reinventing himself through this new role is that he has now had his name jump to the top of the list of relievers available at this year’s trade deadline. After adding almost three mph to his fastball, while not possessing anything truly “flashy,” the Rockies reliever looks to have earned the opportunity to pitch for the NL All-Stars come mid-July.

Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats: 32 G – 34.0 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.19 FIP, 178 ERA+, 1.0 bWAR

Here we go again with the Guardians having multiple names on a list consisting of some of the better pitchers in baseball this year. Cade Smith is quietly having one of the best seasons of any reliever this year.

After losing their closer last year, the Guardians’ bullpen hasn’t missed a beat since Smith took the job. Highlighted by his league-leading 24 saves to this point, there is no denying that he should be considered one of the best in baseball.

Despite simply being baptized by fire in the new role, Smith has dominated the new opportunity to a point where it does not look as if he is going to loosen the reins any time soon.

What makes this season that much more impressive is that he is doing this despite losing the feel for his fastball. After limiting opposing hitters to a .302 slugging percentage with a 37.6% hard-hit rate, he hasn’t had the same luck in 2026. Hitters are posting a .420 slug this year, doing so with a near 50% hard-hit rate.

The difference comes from the development of his splitter, which has held hitters to a .138 slugging percentage, generating a whiff rate of 50%.

As it currently stands, Smith ranks in the high-90th percentile in three key categories on Baseball Savant. His xERA (98th), whiff% (97th), and K% (99th) demonstrate his insane dominance over the rest of the league that should make it an easy decision to book his ticket to Philadelphia.

Louis Varland – Toronto Blue Jays

2026 Stats: 36 G – 40.0 IP, 0.90 ERA, 1.50 FIP, 506 ERA+, 2.3 bWAR

A relief pitcher having accumulated 2.3 bWAR, not even halfway through the season, should speak to just how good he has been amongst the rest of the competition around the league.

After being acquired at last year’s deadline by the Blue Jays, there aren’t many relievers who have been better than Louis Varland has been in the bullpen. There is a reason why there was so much worry about the usage in which the team was using him in the postseason. What Varland has shown this season is that it was just a precursor to how good he was going to be in 2026.

I mean, come on.

These are video game numbers that Varland has put up so far this season. It is hard to justify calling ANY reliever better than him this season.

Despite the Blue Jays’ overall struggles this year as a team, the fault is not on Varland. If there is a save situation at the end of the All-Star Game for the American League, this is who should be getting the ball.