Which of the candidates should you actually vote for?
Starting earlier this week and running through most of the month, voting for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game is open to the public. For nearly three weeks, votes will be tallied, with the top two vote-getters at each position advancing to the Phase 2 voting that was introduced last year. The winner of Phase 2 is who becomes the All-Star Game starter at a given position.
This process is a lot more fun for Orioles fans now that there are good players on the team who actually deserve to be recognized. Having four All-Stars – Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Austin Hays, and Adley Rutschman – in last year’s game was one of the signs of better fortunes for the franchise. It’s not looking like any relievers will get into the mix this year, so if the O’s are somehow going to beat that, it’ll be up to position players.
Who is actually worth a vote for the All-Star Game? Below is a completely and totally objective analysis at each position of whether to vote for the Orioles player on the ballot there.
Catcher
The Oriole – Adley Rutschman
The switch-hitting catcher whose arrival coincided with the Orioles return to prominence is in his third big league season now and it’s his best one yet, with Rutschman batting over .300 and on pace to hit more than 30 home runs. There are no primary catchers with more homers right now.
The Competition – Salvador Perez
Kansas City’s ageless wonder is still going, 13 years after debuting in the league. He’s never walked more than 28 times in a single season and yet he already has 18 walks this year. Add that to an average over .300 and power numbers in excess of his career norms and he’s doing pretty well for himself.
The Verdict
Does Perez give out hugs? I mean, maybe he does, but who cares? Vote Adley.
First Base
The Oriole – Ryan Mountcastle
Offense is down across the league this year, but nobody told Mountcastle, who’s increased his OPS by 37 points on the strength of a nice boost to his power numbers. He’s been making impressive plays in the field and should probably get serious Gold Glove consideration.
The Competition – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The son of former Oriole Vladimir Guerrero set a high bar when he OPSed over 1.000 in his age 22 season and has never lived up to that prowess ever since. Up to this point this season, he’s hit only seven home runs.
The Verdict
Earlier this week on Camden Chat, Tyler Young surveyed the field of AL first basemen and showed that Mountcastle is the best of them, so far. Vote Ryan.
Second Base
The Oriole – Jorge Mateo
After a 2023 season where Mateo was white-hot at the plate in April and horrible every other month, he’s putting together a more consistent campaign so far this year, with similar performance from April to May. He rates well in Defensive Runs Saved at this position and he’s adding value with stolen bases and other aggressive baserunning too.
The Competition – Marcus Semien
You could probably make the case that Semien is the most underrated player in MLB right now, in the sense that he’s accumulated 44.5 career WAR and placed third for MVP three times but people naming great current baseball players are likely to skip right over him. He’s on pace for another 7+ WAR season.
The Verdict
Jorge Mateo is my wife’s favorite player. Vote Jorge.
Third Base
The Oriole – Jordan Westburg
With the way that some high-profile rookies have looked in their debuts over the last couple of seasons, Westburg stands out for how he was able to debut last year and maintain league average hitting. He’s doing even better this season so far, already with nine home runs in 57 games, a jump of exactly 100 points of OPS compared to his two months of games from 2023.
The Competition – José Ramírez
Ramírez has been cranking out good-to-great seasons for eight years now and he’s still rolling in his age 31 season. The five-time All-Star is headed for a sixth bid. He leads third basemen with 17 homers. He barely strikes out. I don’t think he’s underrated to the degree of Semien but he’s definitely underrated compared to what attention a player with his career who was on the Red Sox or Yankees would get.
The Verdict
Only one of these players participates in post-game water cup wars. You know what to do. Vote Jordan.
Shortstop
The Oriole – Gunnar Henderson
The winner of the AL Rookie of the Year from last season is following up on that triumph by laying waste to the league. He’s taking aim at a potential 50 home run season. He’s walking a lot more often. He’s a perfect 8-8 in stolen base attempts. Playing this premium position, he’s also made some simply unbelievable plays in the field.
The Competition – No one
Not a single player in the entirety of Major League Baseball has been worth more (b)WAR than Henderson up to this point in the season.
The Verdict
Vote Gunnar.
Outfield
The Orioles – Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander
The strain of this bit shows the most as we reach the outfield, but we are committed even with Cowser having hit the deck hard since the end of April, Mullins being horrible at the plate over the full season, and Santander having… not a bad season, but one where he’s currently got an OBP below .300 and a career low batting average of .221.
The Competition – Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker
I wrote positive things about both of these Yankees earlier in the week when I looked at the AL MVP race and you can’t make me do it twice. Tucker is up there in that MVP discussion too even while the Astros have been a big disappointment over the course of the season.
The Verdict
Do fans moo when any of these other jabronis come up to the plate? Are they wearing cow-themed clothing to the stadium? No. Vote Colton.
Remember that time that Mullins robbed a home run in the ninth inning and then hit a go-ahead homer in the tenth inning? That was awesome. Vote Cedric.
Santander is one Eutaw Street home run away from tying for the career lead, which is mighty impressive for a switch hitter to do. He has fun walkup music. Vote Anthony.
Designated hitter
(I forgot to write about this one before initially posting the article.)
The Oriole – Ryan O’Hearn
Last season, O’Hearn was worth 1.2 bWAR over the whole year. This year, he’s already worth 1.2 bWAR so far. With the understanding that there’s no guarantee a player’s WAR will keep going up as he plays more games – in fact, it can go down if he sucks – that’s an impressive first couple of months. O’Hearn is hitting better and at least as far as the defensive measurements are concerned appears to have reduced some of his liabilities when he does play in the field.
The Competition – David Fry
Be honest, have you ever heard of David Fry before right now? I have given him zero seconds of thought. This Guardians player is listed as their choice at DH, although in fact he’s only started four games as the DH this season. The 28-year-old second year player has played in 43 games so far this season and is batting an absurd .336/.473/.602 up to this point.
The Verdict
Out of these two players, only O’Hearn is actually a DH, so the choice is obvious. Vote Ryan.
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You can vote up to five times per day from now until June 27 for the first phase of the voting. You know what to do.