3 surprising Pirates players who deserve serious All-Star consideration

All-Star talk has begun, as voting started this month. The Pittsburgh Pirates have some clear All-Stars this season. Paul Skenes is once again having an insane season on the mound. He’s all but confirmed to make the Midsummer Classic at this point. Oneil Cruz has also made a strong case to represent the Bucs.

But the Pirates have some other players that could go to the All-Star game fans probably weren’t thinking of. They’ve done well enough to at least get consideration.

3 Pirates who surprisingly deserve 2025 All-Star Game consideration

David Bednar

After the sort of start David Bednar had to start 2025, to think that the former two-time All-Star would even have a chance of making his third Midsummer Classic would have been insane. The right-hander allowed three earned runs, a home run, two walks, and only one strikeout. He faced nine batters and only retired three. This was a brutal follow-up to his horrible second half of 2024.

Bednar was sent to the minor leagues before April 1 to work on things, something that should have been done long ago. He was recalled to the Major Leagues on April 19 and, since then, he’s looked like the David Bednar many were hoping for. In 20.2 innings, Bednar owns a 2.61 ERA, 1.37 FIP, and 0.97 WHIP. He’s gotten well over a third of his opponents to strikeout, with a 37% K%, and his control has been pinpoint, with a 3.7% walk rate. He has also only allowed a single home run. 

Bednar has been one of baseball’s best relievers upon his return to the big leagues. He has the fifth-lowest FIP, ninth-best K%, ranks sixth in K%-BB%, and is only one of 41 relievers with a WHIP under 1.00. His +0.8 fWAR is the seventh-best in the game and surpasses the likes of Edwin Diaz, Emmanuel Clase, and Josh Hader, to name a few closers who are pretty much guaranteed All-Star roster spots this season. Bednar has since reclaimed his closing role, which could give him a boost in All-Star consideration.

Dennis Santana

While David Bednar struggled, Dennis Santana thrived. By the end of last season, Santana was regularly seeing late-inning and high-leverage innings. When Bednar struggled badly to open 2025 and was demoted to Triple-A, Santana took over as closer and helped ease Bednar back into the role once he was recalled, and did so with grace.

Santana owns a 2.00 ERA, 2.48 FIP, and 0.89 WHIP across 27 innings of work. His 21.4% K% may only sit around league average, but he has allowed just 4.9% of opponents to reach via free pass. The right-hander has an 0.33 HR/9 ratio and is in the 74th percentile of exit velocity, sitting at 88.1 MPH. However, he is only in the 37th percentile of barrel rate at 9.2%.

Santana has flown under the radar this year. He is one of 37 relievers with an ERA no greater than 2.00. Only 19 qualified bullpen arms have a sub-5% walk rate. He also ranks 33rd in FIP and 17th in WHIP. He has gotten opponents to chase outside the zone 38.5% of the time, which is in the 99th percentile of all pitchers.

Bailey Falter

Bailey Falter has been a huge success story by the Pirates’ pitching development. Acquired at the 2023 trade deadline for infielder Rodolfo Castro, Falter put up some solid numbers during 2024. However, now he is giving the Pirates an even better performance this year and could join Paul Skenes in the All-Star Game this season.

Falter has pitched 69.2 innings, working to a 3.43 ERA, 4.07 FIP, and 1.12 WHIP. Falter has never gotten many strikeouts, and 2025 is no different, with only a 15.6% K%. His walk rate comes in at 8.7%, which is about league average. Falter has been immune to home runs, with an 0.72 HR/9 ratio. Although his 89.6 MPH is slightly worse than average, he does have a 7.2% barrel rate, which is in the 63rd percentile. He capped off May with an historically low 0.76 ERA, the lowest by a Pirates starter in a single month.

Falter may not have one standout trait, but he does a lot of things at a decent level. He is 40th in ERA and has a 119 ERA+. Falter doesn’t allow many hits and has a .215 opponent batting average, which is the 23rd-best in baseball. His WHIP currently ranks 25th. The only numbers that don't appear average or better are his expected stats, like xFIP at 4.69 and SIERA at 4.90. Falter is good at a lot of things, which could be enough to earn him a spot on the All-Star roster this season, especially as pitchers drop out and shuffles are necessary at the last minute.