Best 2024 seasons from MLB players who were not All-Stars

That’s a lot of gift bags!

And yet, as is always the case, there are plenty of players having seasons worthy of that little “AS” next to the 2024 line on their career Baseball-Reference page who, either because they were snubbed at the break or have caught fire after it, won’t have it.

So let’s give some of them a nod (not a gift bag … sorry, guys) here with the All-Non-All-Stars Team!

(And yes, some people will be snubbed from this team, too. Such is life and baseball.)

All stats are through Tuesday’s games.

This will be the third straight season that “Big Dumper” finishes the year with All-Star-worthy stats and no selection to show for it. All this talk about Shohei Ohtani and 50-50 is fun. But did you know that, according to Baseball-Reference data, Raleigh is the first catcher since Mike Piazza in 2001 – and just the 15th overall – to have 30 homers and 30 caught stealings in the same season?

Honorable mention: Yainer Diaz has a 117 OPS+ in his first season as the Astros’ regular behind the dish.

Walker, who has also never been an All-Star, was pretty widely mentioned as a snub at the time of the roster announcements. He wound up missing all of August with a left oblique strain. But he’s nevertheless had another very productive season for the defending NL champs, slashing .257/.344/.487 with 26 homers and 23 doubles, and he’s likely to be a Gold Glover for the third straight year.

Honorable mention: The Cubs’ Michael Busch has 20 homers and 27 doubles in a breakout year after an offseason trade from the Dodgers.

García’s performance is one of many things the general public won’t notice about this Nationals season, but he’s emerged as one of their many exciting young building blocks. With a .280/.319/.440 slash line, 16 homers and 25 doubles, the 24-year-old García has shown more power than anticipated, and he’s also swiped 21 bags.

Honorable mention: Brandon Lowe has once again navigated injuries while producing at the plate to the tune of a 124 OPS+ through 97 games for the Rays.

Lindor has actually not been an All-Star since 2019. Were he to overtake Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP (which seems even more doubtful now that he’s been battling a back issue in recent days), he would be the 13th MVP who was not an All-Star that season. Even if that’s not the case, this has been an extraordinary year for Lindor, who powered the Mets back into contention by taking over the leadoff spot and producing, by one measure (OPS+), the best offensive season of his stellar career. Lindor has slashed .271/.342/.494 with 31 homers, 39 doubles and 27 steals, along with tying Bobby Witt Jr. for the most Outs Above Average (17) at this premier position.

Honorable mention: Pending free agent Willy Adames (120 OPS+, 32 homers, 30 doubles) has definitely earned himself a nice payday by powering the Brewers to another NL Central title.

Well, you know the Giants must be happy with Chapman’s first season in San Francisco, because they just inked him to a six-year, $151 million extension. Chapman’s glove remains elite, as evidenced by him tying for the MLB lead this season with 10 Outs Above Average at third base. But by the Bay, he’s paired that with an offensive resurgence, which has produced his best full-season OPS+ (122) since 2019, when he finished sixth in the AL MVP voting.

Honorable mention: We could have just as easily gone with either the Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suárez (28 homers, 28 doubles, 96 RBIs) or the Padres’ Manny Machado (27 homers, 29 doubles, 102 RBIs) as our starter, so either is worthy of the reserve spot. The NL West is loaded with All-Non-All-Stars at the hot corner!

Chourio was sitting on a .243/.294/.384 slash line at the All-Star break, but the 20-year-old was just starting to figure out this whole “being a Major Leaguer” thing, and he seems to have the hang of it now. With a .960 OPS, a dozen dingers, 16 doubles and three triples just in the second half, the electric Chourio will figure prominently in the NL Rookie of the Year conversation.

The offseason trade for O’Neill was a big win for the Red Sox, for whom the 29-year-old has belted 31 homers with an .880 OPS in 106 games. He’s set himself up well for free agency.

And though never yet an All-Star, the 30-year-old Suzuki continues to be a reliable run-producer for the Cubs since coming over from Japan. He’s slashed .278/.357/.477 while matching his MLB-best with 20 homers.

Honorable mention: We ultimately gave our nods to guys with more at-bats, but the A’s Lawrence Butler (139 OPS+, 22 homers, 23 doubles) has made a late run at the AL Rookie of the Year honor with an explosive second half (.980 OPS).

Rooker was another legit snub at the time of the All-Star selections, and it looks even worse now. Among those who have spent at least half their time at DH this season, Rooker’s 172 OPS+ is second only to Ohtani’s 174. Not only is he hitting for more power than he did in his 2023 All-Star campaign (.584 slugging percentage vs. 488), but Rooker has upped his average to .302. He’s got 38 homers and 25 doubles.

Honorable mention: Kyle Schwarber remains a force for the Phillies, but this feels like a good place to salute Joc Pederson, whose .275/.395/.519 slash has helped turn the D-backs into the most productive offense in MLB.

Too many choices here, but Valdez looks like a lock to finish in the top 11 of the AL Cy Young voting for the fourth time in the last five years and possibly in the top five for the second time in three years. He’s 14-6 with a 2.91 ERA in 163 2/3 innings across 26 starts, and his 1.09 WHIP is a career best. His .444 opponent OPS in the second half is the best among all pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched since the break.

Honorable mention: Again, too many choices. But how about some love for the Padres’ Michael King, who came over in the Juan Soto trade and has delivered a 3.04 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 168 2/3 innings in 30 appearances (29 starts). He’s sure to get some support on the NL Cy Young ballot.

Among relievers, All-Star spots generally tend to go to closers, and, a recent blowup against the Dodgers aside, Iglesias is having the best season of any closer not named to an All-Star team this year. He’s saved 31 games and put up a 1.87 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP in 62 2/3 innings.

Honorable mention: As with starters, we have more options here than we know what to do with. But Cleveland has three young relievers – Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin and Cade Smith – who have done incredible work in front of All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase to give the Guardians the best bullpen in baseball. Gaddis gets the nod here with his 1.44 ERA and 288 ERA+, which are both the best among all non-All-Star relievers with at least 40 innings this season.