The Seattle Mariners were one of Major League Baseball's best stories in 2022. Their second straight 90-win season led to a playoff berth 20 years in the making and rejuvenated the love for baseball in Seattle. With stars like Julio Rodriguez leading the way, the Mariners were one of the youngest but most exciting teams to watch in baseball in 2022.

This season hasn't gone as smoothly for Seattle. Currently sitting at an even 33-33, the Mariners are in fourth place in the AL West, eight games back of the first-place Texas Rangers and 4.5 games out of a wild card spot. Despite the Mariners using the same sort of approach from a year ago – having their brilliant pitching staff carry their below-average offense – it has not yielded the same results as in 2022.

The Mariners have the honor of hosting the MLB All-Star Game this summer and likely planned on being well represented, though the one player that was most tabbed to be an All-Star for them this season, the aforementioned Rodriguez, may not be there. He was one of two Mariners All-Stars in 2022 but is a longshot to make the team this year given his dip in production.

Still, the Mariners have some talented players who have proven they are worthy of an All-Star nod this season. They have seven players in the top 10 of All-Star Voting at their positions, showing just how much Mariners fans want to see their players show out at the All-Star Game. There's also a good chance J-Rod participates in the Home Run Derby again after putting on a show in Los Angeles last summer.

2. George Kirby – Starting Pitcher

George Kirby is the definition of a consistent pitcher and he's been just that for the Mariners ever since his debut last May. He has 10 quality starts in 13 games this season, saving Seattle's bullpen some stress almost every fifth day. Kirby has gone seven or more innings five times this season. That's after 11 quality starts as a rookie last year.

His 3.24 ERA is among the best this season and as far as intensity goes, Kirby pitches with more of it than most players in the league. He's the perfect type of player to pitch for the team hosting the All-Star Game. He's also proven to show up in big games, as he did in the playoffs last season with seven shutout innings against the Houston Astros in the ALDS.

The Mariners are guaranteed to have at least one player at the All-Star Game, though chances are they'll get multiple as the hosting team. There may not be a complete lock for Seattle as far as All-Star players, so Kirby should be one of the favorites to be selected given his role in the team's success.

1. Luis Castillo – Starting Pitcher

Luis Castillo had shown flashes of an elite pitcher throughout his first five seasons in the MLB, but he finally put it all together in 2022 and has carried that with him into an outstanding 2023 to this point. Castillo has a 2.70 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 13 starts this season. Those numbers are good enough for seventh and fourth among American League pitchers.

Castillo has been the pitcher that the Mariners thought he would be since acquiring him via trade last July. His 2.92 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 24 starts with Seattle are some of the best numbers of his seven-year career. This season he's pitching like an ace and leading a solid Mariners starting rotation that is trying to lift Seattle back into playoff contention.

Castillo has been an All-Star twice in his career, doing so in 2019 and 2022 with the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched in both games, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in both of them. What a scene it would be if he started the All-Star Game in Seattle in front of his home crowd. The Mariners are 6-2 in home games that Castillo starts this season.

A pitcher on the hosting team has a pretty decent chance of starting the game, especially one as talented as Luis Castillo. Three or four more great starts before the All-Star teams are announced should put him in a great position to make the team and be a big part of the game.