Adrian Houser's short time with the Chicago White Sox in 2025 has been so stellar that he could end up as the team's All-Star representative.
Rookie Shane Smith looked like a lock to represent the club in Atlanta with an outstanding April and May, but he has never pitched more than 94.1 innings in his professional career. Smith appears to be tiring out as he gets closer to that number with a terrible June.
Smith posted a 5.60 ERA last month, where he allowed 11 earned runs and opponents hit .294. Smith allowed just 17 earned runs in April and May.
Smith's June struggles and a slump from Miguel Vargas have opened the door for Houser to receive the All-Star recognition.
Houser has been great since joining the Sox
Adrian Houser has a 1.90 ERA in seven starts with the White Sox. He has allowed zero runs in three of those starts and has never allowed more than three.
Houser's 3.23 FIP indicates that his low ERA can be attributed to good defense behing him and a little bit of luck. But that fielding independent pitching number also shows he has been strong on the mound. His expected ERA of 3.64 also represents Houser as an effective pitcher.
Houser has above-average ratings in key advanced stats according to Baseball Savant.
Houser is in the 77th percentile in barrel percentage (6.3%). He is also above average in ground ball rate (69th percentile) and average exit velocity (64th percentile). Hitters are having a tough time squaring up Houser’s pitches. He is generating soft contact.
Houser's 1.1 fWAR is already second most on the team behind only Shane Smith.
Houser was a brilliant addition by Chris Getz
It truly has been a surprising run considering Houser was pitching for the Texas Rangers' Triple-A team in April. He has had a major impact on the 2025 White Sox and the addition is already looking like a major win for the front office.
Houser's professional career was hanging on by a thread after he struggled with the New York Mets last season. He ended up signing a minor league deal with Texas in the offseason.
He elected free agency after not getting called up by mid-May and the White Sox pounced on the opportunity, adding him. Chicago had been needing a veteran starting pitcher ever since Martín Pérez went down with an elbow injury.
Should Houser be the White Sox All-Star?
Houser potentially receiving the team's All-Star invite speaks to just how far away from competing the White Sox still are.
Miguel Vargas was making a case for making the AL All-Star roster in May, but he has seriously cooled off in June.
Pitcher Davis Martin has strong numbers to deserve the nod, but he is saddled on the 15-day IL.
Veteran Mike Tauchman was getting All-Star votes. His fWAR is at 0.8, which is not typical All-Star production, but he's still one of the better options on the board. Andrew Benintendi has some decent numbers - 10 home runs and an OPS near .750. If Benintendi was on a better team, he is nowhere near getting All-Star consideration.
Houser representing the White Sox during All-Star week is not far-fetched despite him only being on the team for six weeks.
Smith's push for All-Star recognition took a huge blow with a rough first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. His struggles are why Houser could take the All-Star spot that was once assumed to be reserved for Smith.