Why Mariners' Bryan Woo is a candidate to start All-Star Game for the AL

Bryan Woo has done everything you could ask of an ace in 2025. He’s been dominant. He’s been consistent. He’s been durable. And yet, for some baffling reason, he’s still being overlooked on the national stage.

While MLB.com and other outlets are busy highlighting the usual suspects in the discussion to start the All-Star Game for the American League, Woo’s name has been barely mentioned, if at all. It’s a glaring omission, and frankly, a disservice to one of the best pitchers in baseball this season.

Bryan Woo deserves to be in the discussion of All-Star Game starters

In a Seattle Mariners rotation that’s been ravaged by injuries, Woo has stepped up and become the anchor. With both Bryce Miller and Logan Gilbert missing time throughout the first half, Seattle has leaned heavily on Woo, and he’s delivered every single time out.

Through early July, he’s made 17 consecutive starts of at least six innings, something no other pitcher in baseball can say. His blend of efficiency and dominance has allowed him to eat innings in a league where starters are often pulled before the sixth. It’s a throwback mentality, executed with modern dominance. In a day of spin rates and velocity, Woo dominates with a mid 90's fastball/sinker combination that is untouchable that he relies on over 70 percent of the time.

Woo’s numbers aren’t just solid, they’re elite. He’s sporting an ERA well under 3.00 at 2.77, with one of the best WHIPs (0.960) in the American League. His command has been razor-sharp, limiting walks (just 1.6 BB/9) while maintaining solid strikeout stuff (8.7 K/9).

He’s not overpowering hitters with triple-digit heat, but his fastball explodes at the top of the zone and sets up a devastating cutter and sinker that generate weak contact and whiffs. He’s a technician who competes with the intensity of a bulldog. There’s no outing where Woo looks out of place, no lineup that seems too big for him. Every fifth day, he gives Seattle a chance to win, and more often than not, he flat-out shoves. Hitters know what is coming a majority of the time, but the fastball is one of the most unhittable pitches in the game.

Yet despite all of this, he’s been disrespected on the national stage. MLB.com’s recent breakdown of potential All-Star starters didn’t even include Woo’s name. Not as a longshot. Not as an honorable mention. Nothing. For a pitcher who’s been one of the most consistent and effective arms in the entire league, that’s not just an oversight, it’s a slap in the face.

This isn’t just about recognition, it’s about giving credit where it’s due. Bryan Woo has emerged as one of the premier arms in the American League, and he deserves to be treated that way. Starting the All-Star Game would be a fitting acknowledgment of a breakout season that’s been every bit as good as the numbers suggest. If baseball wants to celebrate its best, it better start with Bryan Woo.