The Marlins Were Baseball's Biggest All-Star Snubs

The Miami Marlins were flat-out snubbed when the 2026 National League All-Star Game finalists were announced.

Miami heads into the All-Star break as the hottest team in baseball after setting a franchise record with 20 wins in June. The Marlins posted an MLB-best 20-6 record during the month and enter the break at 49-42, tied for the final National League Wild Card spot. They also made history by becoming the first team in Major League Baseball to begin a month eight games below .500 and finish it six games above .500.

Despite that remarkable turnaround, three Marlins who have been instrumental to the team's success—catcher Liam Hicks, second baseman Xavier Edwards, and shortstop Otto Lopez—were left out as All-Star Game starters.

Starting Pitcher

Although pitchers are selected by the players and the Commissioner's Office rather than through fan voting, Marlins ace Max Meyer has built one of the strongest cases to earn an All-Star selection.

Meyer opened the season with a perfect 9-0 record through his first 17 starts, setting the Marlins franchise record for the best undefeated start to a season. Along the way, he tied the club record for the longest single-season winning streak with nine consecutive decisions and matched the longest streak of starts without a loss to begin a season. His nine-game winning streak tied marks previously set by Liván Hernández in 1997 and Pat Rapp in 1995.

Among all Major League pitchers with at least 10 starts, Meyer stood alone as the only one to remain undefeated during that stretch. He enters the break with a 9-1 record, a stellar 2.53 ERA, a career-best 161 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR.

While he wasn't eligible for fan voting, Meyer has unquestionably pitched like an All-Star.

Catcher

Second-year catcher Liam Hicks has quietly put together one of the best offensive seasons by any catcher in the National League.

Through 79 games, Hicks is batting .290 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs. He's getting on base at a .365 clip while slugging .464 for an .829 OPS. His 133 OPS+ ranks well above All-Star caliber, and he's already accumulated 2.2 WAR.

He's also made history, setting the Major League record for the most RBIs by a catcher before May with 28 earlier this season.

The two National League finalists at catcher were Atlanta's Drake Baldwin who won the fan vote and is the starting catcher on the NL side, and Los Angeles' Will Smith.

Baldwin has enjoyed another solid season, batting .251 with 15 home runs and 43 RBIs while posting a .336 on-base percentage, .451 slugging percentage, .787 OPS, 116 OPS+, and 1.6 WAR. Those are respectable numbers, but they're still a step behind the Rookie of the Year campaign he had last season.

Smith, meanwhile, has earned plenty of respect as a three-time All-Star, but this season simply hasn't matched that standard. He's batting .249 with six home runs and 23 RBIs while posting a .338 on-base percentage, .382 slugging percentage, .720 OPS, 100 OPS+, and just 0.9 WAR.

Statistically, Hicks has outperformed both finalists. He owns a higher batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, and WAR than either Baldwin or Smith. He's also struck out significantly less, with just 28 strikeouts compared to Baldwin's 64 and Smith's 34, despite playing more games than both.

Based strictly on this season's performance, Hicks deserved to be an All-Star starter.

Second Baseman

Xavier Edwards has blossomed into one of the National League's best second basemen, putting together the finest season of his career.

Edwards is hitting .302 with a career-high six home runs and 35 RBIs. Known more for his contact hitting than power, he's reached base at a .387 clip while slugging .427, giving him an impressive .814 OPS. His 131 OPS+ is also a career best, and he's already accumulated 2.9 WAR.

He's stolen 13 bases and is tied for fourth in Major League Baseball in triples.

As DMX famously said, "X gon' give it to ya." That's exactly what Edwards has done all season.

Despite his breakout year, Edwards wasn't named one of the two finalists at second base. Instead, fans voted for his division rivals, Ozzie Albies, who won the starting second base position for the NL, and Bryson Stott.

Albies is enjoying his best season in three years, batting .271 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs. However, despite the impressive batting average, his overall offensive production is more modest, with a .322 on-base percentage, .445 slugging percentage, .767 OPS, 111 OPS+, and 1.8 WAR.

Stott's selection is even more difficult to justify. He's batting just .247 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs while posting a .305 on-base percentage, .397 slugging percentage, .702 OPS, an 87 OPS+, and only 0.2 WAR.

Edwards surpasses Albies in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, WAR, and triples, while outperforming Stott across nearly every major offensive category.

His season warranted a spot among the finalists.

Shortstop

If there is one Marlin who deserved to start the All-Star Game above everyone else, it's Otto Lopez.

Lopez has built arguably the strongest résumé of any National League shortstop this season. He leads all of Major League Baseball with 123 hits and leads the National League with a .346 batting average. While power isn't his calling card, he's contributed nine home runs, 43 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.

He's also posted a .376 on-base percentage, .520 slugging percentage, .896 OPS, a career-best 150 OPS+, and 4.6 WAR. In addition, he's leads Major League Baseball with 21 doubles.

The National League finalists at shortstop were CJ Abrams, who was named the starting shortstop for t and Mookie Betts.

Abrams has been outstanding offensively, batting .269 with 18 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases while posting a .348 on-base percentage, .498 slugging percentage, .846 OPS, 133 OPS+, and 2.6 WAR. However, his defense has been a concern, as he's tied for the National League lead in errors committed with 14. He's also helped power baseball's highest-scoring offenses with the Washington Nationals.

Betts, on the other hand, appears to have benefited from his reputation more than his production.

This has been the weakest statistical season of his career. He's batting .241 with 11 home runs, 29 RBIs, and just one stolen base while posting a .300 on-base percentage, .436 slugging percentage, .736 OPS, a career-low 102 OPS+, and only 1.6 WAR.

Lopez compares favorably to both finalists.

Against Abrams, Lopez owns a higher batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, more hits, more doubles, higher WAR, and has committed two fewer errors.

Against Betts, Lopez leads in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, doubles, hits, RBIs, and WAR. Betts' only clear advantage is defense, having committed just three errors compared to Lopez's 11.

When looking at the complete body of work, Lopez has the strongest case to be the National League's starting shortstop.

Final Verdict

The Marlins' remarkable first half deserved far more recognition than it received from All-Star voters.

Liam Hicks established himself as one of the league's best offensive catchers. Xavier Edwards emerged as one of baseball's most complete second basemen. Otto Lopez became one of the best all-around shortstops in the National League while leading all of Major League Baseball in hits.

Of the three, Lopez had the strongest argument to start the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. Leading the majors in hits and the National League in batting average should have made him one of the easiest choices at shortstop.

Only two made it into the squad, Lopez and Meyer.

The All-Star voting process isn't perfect, and this year's results once again highlight its biggest flaw. Fan voting often rewards popularity and name recognition over performance. At the very least, players having clearly superior seasons should reach the final round of voting instead of being eliminated before the final phase of All-Star voting.