It’s an honor being bestowed upon about 75 of the game’s greatest players in this 2025 season, even if ‘All-Star’ is a bit further down on the résumés of future Hall of Famers like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw.
But some of the names on the All-Star Game rosters may not stand the test of time.
With the requirement that every MLB team have a representative, sometimes the ‘best’ players on bad clubs end up sharing the spotlight with the likes of Judge and Ohtani. Other times, it’s a worthy player whose first-half success proves to be nothing more than a three-month anomaly in the long arc of baseball history.
But those guys will forever be All-Stars. And they deserve to be remembered as such.
Here’s a look at some players from this millennium who elicit a certain ‘that guy was an All-Star?’
2000: Mike Bordick, Orioles
The man who moved Cal Ripken Jr. to third base in 1997, Bordick was a useful player in the 1990s with Oakland – but had a career .670 OPS entering his 11th year. Then 34, Bordick went on a heater to start the 2000 season with seven home runs, 29 RBIs and a .352/.365/.682 slash line in April, ultimately entering the break with a .303 average and .856 OPS. He was traded to the Mets at the deadline and reached the World Series with New York before signing back with Baltimore as a free agent at the end of the year.
Also random: James Baldwin (White Sox)
2001: Joe Mays, Twins
Entering his third season, Mays was 13-26 with a 4.84 ERA. But in 2001, Mays went 17-13 and led the American League with a 143 adjusted ERA. He helped the Twins pull off a 16-win improvement from 2000-01, laying the groundwork for the club’s four AL Central titles in five years starting in 2002.
Also random: Jeff Nelson (Mariners), Paul Quantrill (Yankees) and Mike Stanton (Yankees). It was a big year for AL setup men.
2002: Robert Fick, Tigers
These were grim days in Detroit, with the Tigers only losing 106 games in 2002 before making a run at the record in 2003, finishing with 119 losses. Fick, formerly a catcher, had transitioned to right field and was hitting .290 with 40 RBIs at the break as Detroit’s only All-Star.
Also random: Damian Miller (Diamondbacks), Junior Spivey (Diamondbacks)
2003: Lance Carter, Rays
We’ve arrived at the first ‘good reliever on bad team’ on this list. Carter had a 2.72 ERA and 12 saves on June 23, but proceeded to give up nine earned runs over his next four outings, entering the All-Star Game at 4.05. Carter finished 2003 with a 4.33 ERA and 26 saves, and made 105 appearances over the next three seasons for the Devil Rays and Dodgers, playing his last MLB game in 2006.
Also random: Mike MacDougal (Royals), Shigetoshi Hasegawa (Mariners)
2004: Ken Harvey, Royals
Played just 271 MLB games but was hot at the right time, batting .305 in the first half as the representative of the 104-loss Royals. Probably wouldn’t have been an All-Star had Carlos Beltran (who won fan voting) not been traded to the Astros in June.
Also random: Dan Kolb (Brewers), Jake Westbrook (Cleveland), Johnny Estrada (Braves)
2005: César Izturis, Dodgers
A very fine infielder and Gold Glove winner! Izturis led shortstop fan voting late in the process and was hitting .345 on June 1, but went cold in June and entered the break with a .660 OPS, struggling through injuries. He underwent Tommy John surgery later in the year.
Also random: Danys Báez (Rays), Felipe López (Reds)
2006: Gary Matthews Jr., Rangers
Matthews had a 12-year career but 2006 was the only year he ever topped 3 WAR (5.2), batting .313 with an .866 OPS. A former top prospect, Matthews parlayed his big year (and one of the greatest catches in baseball history) into a five-year, $50 million deal with the Angels at the age of 32.
Also random: Derrick Turnbow (Brewers), Mark Redman (Royals)
2007: Gil Meche (Royals)
We’re not here to say bad things about Gil Meche, who averaged 30 starts from 2003-2008 and was a workhorse in the aughts. But in the first year of a five-year, $55 million contract with Kansas City (the largest in franchise history until 2016), Meche was elected as the Royals’ lone representative with a 5-6 record and 3.84 ERA.
Also random: Hideki Okajima (Red Sox), Takashi Saito (Dodgers)
2008: Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs
Signed to a four-year, $48 million contract prior to the 2008 season, the Japanese import hit a dramatic home run on Opening Day for his new team – but didn’t really do much after that. Fukudome won the fan vote as a rookie and spent five years in MLB, posting an above-average .359 OBP in 596 games.
Also random: George Sherrill (Orioles), Aaron Cook (Rockies), Corey Hart (Brewers), Nate McLouth (Pirates)
2009: Jason Marquis, Rockies
The right-hander enjoyed a 15-year career for nine different teams and won his spot at the 2009 game in St. Louis with 11 wins in the first half. Coming off his All-Star campaign, Marquis signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Nationals, resulting in one of the most random regional sports network hype-commercials of all time, which still circulates on social media 15 years later.
Also random: Zach Duke (Pirates), Edwin Jackson (Tigers), Ryan Franklin (Cardinals)
2010: Ty Wigginton (Orioles)
We do not tolerate Ty Wigginton slander in these parts. The man who averaged 476 at-bats from 2003-2012 with seven different teams was selected as Baltimore’s only All-Star in 2010 with a .252 average and .768 OPS (with 45 RBIs) prior to the All-Star break.
Shoutout to Ty Wigginton.
Also random: Evan Meek (Pirates), Hong-Chih Kuo (Dodgers), Omar Infante (Braves)
2011: Gaby Sánchez, Marlins
A top prospect in the mid-late aughts, the first baseman had a .302 career average in the minors but was never able to find the same consistency in the majors. He won his spot as the Marlins’ lone 2011 representative with 13 homers and 50 RBIs before the break.
Also random: Kevin Correia (Pirates), Jair Jurrjens (Braves), Ricky Romero (Blue Jays)
2012: Bryan LaHair, Cubs
LaHair may be the most random All-Star of all time. He debuted for the Mariners in 2008 but didn’t play again in the majors until 2011 with the Cubs, finishing his career with just 195 MLB games. And this wasn’t a charity case with the Cubs needing a representative in 2012. LaHair truly earned his spot, posting an .883 OPS with 14 home runs and 30 RBIs in 231 at-bats before the break. But he tailed off in the second half (.202 average in 109 at-bats) and never played another big-league game after his All-Star campaign, ending up in Japan the next season.
Also random: Ryan Cook (Athletics), Billy Butler (Royals), Matt Harrison (Rangers)
2013: Domonic Brown (Phillies)
One of the top prospects in baseball, Brown struggled through 147 games (.236 average, -1.5 total WAR) in the majors from 2010-2012 – but seemed to flip the switch in 2013, racking up 23 homers and 67 RBIs in the first half for Philadelphia. He managed just four more homers and 16 RBIs after the break, though, and was let go by the Phillies after the 2015 season, never playing another MLB game.
Also random: Grant Balfour (Athletics), Edward Mujica (Cardinals), Everth Cabrera (Padres), Marco Scutaro (Giants)
2014: Alfredo Simón, Reds
The right-hander joined the rotation after two strong years in Cincinnati’s bullpen (2.78 ERA in 99 games) and immediately thrived as a starter, going 12-3 with a 2.70 ERA in the first half.
Also random: Devin Mesoraco (Reds), Henderson Alvarez (Marlins)
2015: Jose Iglesias, Tigers
Nearly a decade before Iglesias emerged as a Latin pop star with a hit single that got a Pitbull remix, he was a glove-first shortstop who regularly produced a decent batting average and crushed left-handed pitching. He was hitting .314 at the All-Star break with a .364 OBP – but only had one home run and 15 RBIs entering the game.
Also random: Héctor Santiago (Angels), Brock Holt (Red Sox)
2016: Michael Saunders, Blue Jays
Batting .298 with 16 homers, 42 RBIs and a .923 OPS in the first half, the 29-year-old Saunders finally looked to be living up to the potential he displayed as a top Mariners prospect. But he hit .178 the rest of the way in 2016 and only played one more year in the majors.
Also random: Steven Wright (Red Sox), A.J. Ramos (Marlins)
2017: Yonder Alonso, Athletics
The seventh overall pick in 2008, Alonso projected as a big-time power hitter but that never materialized – until his age-30 season. Alonso, who grew up in Miami and attended the University of Miami, timed his big year perfectly with the 2017 All-Star Game at Marlins Park.
Also random: Jake Lamb (Diamondbacks), Jason Vargas (Royals), Chris Devenski (Astros)
2018: Mitch Moreland, Red Sox
A strong-side platoon king and Gold Glove winner, Moreland had 46 RBIs in the first half for a 108-win Boston team that won its fourth World Series title in 15 years. He went on to hit a huge three-run homer in the Fall Classic off Dodgers reliever Ryan Madson, prompting a tweet from President Donald Trump about manager Dave Roberts’ bullpen management.
Also random: Ross Stripling (Dodgers), Mike Foltynewicz (Braves), Jed Lowrie (Athletics), Scooter Gennett (Reds)
2019: David Dahl, Rockies
The 2012 first-round pick momentarily looked to have a bright future at Coors Field after years of injuries, but got hurt a few weeks after the All-Star Game and didn’t play again in 2019. Injuries continued to pile up and the Rockies non-tendered him after the 2020 season.
Also random: Daniel Vogelbach (Mariners), John Means (Orioles), Tommy La Stella (Angels)
2021: Joey Wendle, Rays
A versatile infielder and good ballplayer who had a nice 2018 rookie campaign, Wendle was hatting .275 with a .786 OPS at the break to earn himself an invite to the game in Denver. Was traded after the 2021 season and was designated for assignment twice in eight days in May 2024.
Also random: Andrew Kittredge (Rays), Alex Reyes (Cardinals)
2022: Santiago Espinal, Blue Jays
A (very) late injury replacement, the Toronto second baseman had a .711 OPS in the first half.
Also random: Jose Trevino (Yankees), Garrett Cooper (Marlins)
2023: Josiah Gray, Nationals
One of the key pieces coming from the Dodgers in 2021’s Max Scherzer/Trea Turner deal, Gray was chosen as the Nationals’ lone representative with a 6-7 record and 3.41 ERA at the break. Only made two starts in 2024 due to injury, and the 27-year-old is currently rehabbing after Tommy John surgery.
Also random: Geraldo Perdomo (Diamondbacks), Bryce Elder (Braves)
2024: David Fry, Guardians
One of the more unlikely All-Stars through the years, Fry has struggled with injuries this season and is hitting .143 in 63 at-bats.
Also random: Willi Castro (Twins)
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