Brandon Hyde flashed a smirk when probed about the potentially deep Orioles All-Star Game contingent.
“It’s like two-thirds of the positions on the field are All-Star finalists,” the sixth-year manager said last week. His team has a representative vying for a spot at every positional grouping besides second base.
With voting set to close at noon Wednesday and starters announced that evening on ESPN at 7 p.m., there are six Orioles in the mix to represent the American League as starters at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 16. Complete rosters will be announced Sunday.
In the latest update on Tuesday, Gunnar Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman lead their respective positions by significant margins in Phase 2 voting. The Orioles shortstop, who said Sunday night that he would also be participating in the Home Run Derby on July 15, has so far received 65% of the votes compared with 35% for Kansas City’s Bobby Witt, while Baltimore’s backstop has the largest margin among any head-to-head matchup with 70% of the votes, far more than the Royals’ Salvador Perez’s 30%.
In other words, the two faces of the Orioles are all but locks to start the Midsummer Classic, but voting is much tighter for the others still in the mix.
Anthony Santander, who had a red-hot June with 13 of his 22 homers, has received 25% of the votes, trailing New York Yankees star Juan Soto (31%) and the Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan (28%) for two starting spots after the Yankees’ Aaron Judge earned an automatic starting spot for finishing Phase 1 with the most votes.
Ryan O’Hearn is in a similar position at designated hitter as he lags begind the Houston Astros’ Yordan Álvarez in their head-to-head matchup. O’Hearn has 47% of the votes compared with Álvarez’s 53%.
“We’re not there yet,” O’Hearn said over the weekend. “But to be a finalist is an honor and something I don’t take lightly.”
Jordan Westburg is likely a longshot at third base as he trails the Guardians’ José Ramirez with 40% of the votes. Westburg’s national notoriety sits in the shadows of a starry lineup but his 13 homers in a breakout sophomore campaign made him a finalist.
At first base, Ryan Mountcastle, who has 11 home runs and a .777 OPS, has 40% of the votes. He trails Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as he seeks his first All-Star Game appearance.
Even if the Orioles only earn two starting spots, there is a strong case for the other four to earn a reserve spot. The last time they sent six to the Midsummer Classic was 1972.
“They’re all so well deserving,” Hyde said over the weekend. “I hope they get a ton of votes. I hope we send all six.”
Pitchers are determined by a player ballot and the Commissioner’s Office. While ace Corbin Burnes figures to be a lock like Henderson and Rustchman to be on the roster, starter Grayson Rodriguez and closer Craig Kimbrel have an outside chance at joining the trip to the heart of Texas.
Baltimore sent four players to the 2023 All-Star game. Before that, the Orioles hadn’t had more than one since 2016. And they’ll likely field multiple starters for the first time since 2014 when Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz played in Minneapolis.
