If you were posed the question "Who on the Cardinals will make the all-star team" in April, you probably would've rattled off at least three or four guys.
Paul Goldschmidt hit nine home runs and drove in 19 runs in March/April. Paul DeJong set the world on fire hitting .342 with five homers and a 1.010 OPS in March/April. Even Kolten Wong was hot offensively hitting four home runs and driving in 15 runs in the first month of the season.
Now, things look a bit different.
Pretty much every player on the team had a disastrous June, and now with the 2019 all-star game coming up fast, the Cardinals have been almost excluded from the discussion completely.
No player from the Cardinals made the cut in the new "primary" round of voting that narrowed each position to three candidates vying for a starting spot. (The Cubs have seven players in the race to start)
And somehow the Cardinals are just two games out of first place in the NL Central.
Even though the Cardinals didn't get much love at the ballot box (which I'll chalk up to St. Louis being hyper-focused on the Blues), someone has to represent the team in the all-star game.
Here's a look at the five most deserving candidates to represent the Cardinals on July 9 in Cleveland.
Paul DeJong
Paul DeJong was one of the best players in baseball during the first month of the season.
DeJong had an impressive .342/.403/.607/.1010 slash line in March and April and looked to be a lock for the all-star team.
Then May happened.
DeJong hit a dismal .200 in May and saw his all-star stock plummet.
He still has a 3.1 WAR, which is ninth among all NL position players, but the good momentum he had is gone.
Jordan Hicks
(NOTE: this was written before it was revealed Hicks tore his UCL in his right elbow)
The all-star game is supposed to be the most exciting and compelling players on the planet going head-to-head, right?
There's no reliever in baseball that makes you stop and watch more than Jordan Hicks.
Hicks owns the 48 of the 50 fastest pitches of 2019.
He has the kind of stuff the all-star game is made for.
I bet if given the chance in an all-star he'd even ramp it up a bit more and try to hit 105+ on a big stage like that.
His 3.14 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 28.2 innings aren't the most eye popping stats ever, but Jordan Hicks was born to pitch in an all-star game.
However, with it just being announced that Hicks tore his UCL against the Angels, this is all a moot point.
Yadier Molina
This is more of a legacy argument here.
Molina can no doubt still get it done, hitting a respectable .266 right now with four home runs and 35 RBI. He's also in the top five of NL catchers this season in hits, doubles, RBI and games caught.
Aside from the numbers, Molina is probably the player the rest of baseball most associates with the Cardinals, is a nine-time all-star already and likely only has a few seasons left in his career.
Molina is also a .556 career hitter in the seven all-star games he's played in. He also had that memorable home run in the midsummer classic in Miami in 2017.
Molina's stats back up the argument he's still one of the top backstops in the National League, but if that comes up short, the legacy angle for Molina is always something to point to.
John Gant
Who ever thought John Gant would end up as the Cardinals' best pitcher in the first half of 2019?
No longer being utilized as a starter, Gant found his calling in the bullpen.
Gant has an ERA of 2.40 in 41.1 innings this season. He's also manged to tally seven wins. That's the same he had last season when he was a part-time starter.
In a season where impressive performances from pitchers have been rare for the Cardinals, Gant has managed to stand out.
Since he's not a starter or closer, Gant lacks some of the notoriety the all-star game usually likes, but he'd be a solid and deserving addition to the club.
Marcell Ozuna
Marcell Ozuna is an adventure.
You never know what you're going to get from the guy on any given night. You can be guaranteed It's always going to be entertaining, though.
In 2019, Ozuna seems to have regained the power stroke that helped him crush 37 home runs back in 2017 as a Marlin.
So far this season, the "big bear" already has 20 homers. He had just 23 a season ago. His 20 bombs are good for a tie for seventh in the NL.
Ozuna has also been the Cards' best run producer so far this season. His 62 RBI rank third in the National League.
The average and on-base percentage aren't quite where Cardinals fans would like it to be, but there's no denying Ozuna is one of the biggest power threats in baseball.
He's the best candidate the Cardinals can offer up for all-star consideration.
