Four Orioles are in the top two of their position in the first update for the 2024 All-Star ballot.
MLB released its first update for the 2024 All-Star voting yesterday, and we can safely say that baseball fans have taken notice of the Baltimore Orioles.
The club’s two most high-profile young stars, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, have vaulted out to big leads at their respective positions, while several other Orioles are close enough to potentially advance to the next phase of voting. As a reminder, after the first round of voting concludes on June 27, the top two vote-getters at each position will advance to Phase 2, where their totals reset and they go head-to-head in a final round of voting.
Long gone are the days when horrible Orioles teams received one token All-Star representative by rule, with the likes of Tony Batista, George Sherrill, and Ty Wigginton representing the club in the Midsummer Classic. Those kinds of players will boost your rarity score on Immaculate Grid, but weren’t exactly stalwarts in Orioles history.
These days, though, the Orioles have talented gems all around the diamond, and they’re getting strong support in the All-Star voting. Let’s take a look at the early results.
Catcher
1. Adley Rutschman, Orioles (792,857)
2. Salvador Perez, Royals (588,952)
This just in: Adley Rutschman is really good. All-Star voters know it, too. Rutschman has garnered the third-most votes of any American League player, behind only Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, as he bids for his second straight All-Star appearance. Last season, Rutschman was the top vote-getter among catchers in the first round, only to be upended by the Rangers’ Jonah Heim in Phase 2 for the starting spot, settling for a selection as a reserve.
Rutschman again appears destined to advance to Phase 2 and will likely go head-to-head against Perez, who’s been no slouch himself. The ageless Royals catcher is enjoying his best season in three years, narrowly topping Rutschman in OPS+ (139 to 133), but Adley’s 14 homers and 53 RBIs lead all AL catchers.
First base
1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (746,031)
2. Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles (693,594)
Let’s be honest: it hasn’t been a banner year for American League first basemen. Only three — Guerrero, Mountcastle, and the Twins’ Carlos Santana — have accumulated a FanGraphs WAR of even 1.0. Guerrero, the most prominent name of the bunch, is unsurprisingly leading the vote, but Mountcastle is nearly 300,000 votes ahead of third-place Josh Naylor of the Guardians, which if it holds up would earn the O’s first baseman a showdown with Vlad in Phase 2. So far, Mountcastle has been the more prodigious slugger — bashing 11 home runs to Guerrero’s seven — but Guerrero’s .374 OBP eclipses Mountcastle’s .315.
Second base
1. Jose Altuve, Astros (620,724)
2. Marcus Semien, Rangers (539,223)
3. Michael Massey, Royals (341,450)
4. Jorge Mateo, Orioles (276,400)
This is a pretty impressive showing for Mateo, who many O’s fans thought wouldn’t even make the team out of spring training, much less become a regular starter. He’s been a valuable contributor to the Birds, though his 0.8 fWAR is tied for just 10th place among second basemen with Massey, who’s played only 29 games. Semien (2.6) and Altuve (2.1) have been the two best primary second basemen and will likely be the two Phase 2 finalists. Still, way to represent, Mateo. Hip hip Jorge, indeed.
Third base
1. José Ramirez, Guardians (742,910)
2. Jordan Westburg, Orioles (366,670)
Under the old voting system, Ramirez, who’s well ahead of all other third basemen, would be the undisputed starter for the All-Star Game. But the Phase 2 element means that someone will get a second chance to take him down. As of now that person is Westburg, though Red Sox star Rafael Devers is less than 25,000 votes behind him. Westburg is quickly making a name for himself in his first full MLB season despite being overshadowed as a prospect by the likes of Rutschman and Henderson. By fWAR, he’s tied with Devers (2.3) and only a point behind Ramirez’s 2.4, though Westburg has collected some of that value as a second baseman. I’d be shocked to see Westburg voted in as the starting third baseman, but it’s impressive that he’s putting himself in the conversation.
Shortstop
1. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (740,436)
2. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (541,261)
The voters have it right: Gunnar Henderson is the best shortstop in the game, if not the best player, period. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year has stepped up his game even more in 2024, with 22 home runs (second in the majors only to Judge) and a .957 OPS. He’s 200,000 votes ahead of Witt, who has been sensational in his own right with a league-leading 96 hits and 59 runs along with a .928 OPS. These two budding superstars are going to be a lot of fun to watch for a long time.
Outfield
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees (1,366,315)
2. Juan Soto, Yankees (1,252,020)
3. Kyle Tucker, Astros (593,358)
4. Steven Kwan, Guardians (464,274)
5. Anthony Santander, Orioles (321,333)
6. Alex Verdugo, Yankees (293,984)
7. Colton Cowser, Orioles (278,573)
I would have to go 11 deep on this list to get to the third O’s outfielder, Cedric Mullins, whose vote total is a bit shy of 210,000. A .189 average and .563 OPS isn’t going to get him to his second career All-Star game. Sorry, Cedric.
Still, the O’s are well represented among the top outfield vote-getters. Santander is currently in line to be part of Phase 2 (which will include the top six outfielders) despite not really hitting until June. The rookie Cowser isn’t far behind despite not really hitting since April. He’s currently ahead of more nationally known outfielders like Adolis García and Julio Rodríguez, though it’s early enough in the voting process that those numbers could change. At the moment, it’s hard to envision anyone but Judge, Soto, and Tucker earning the three starting spots.
Designated Hitter
1. Yordan Alvarez, Astros (475,158)
2. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (408,610)
3. David Fry, Guardians (379,845)
4. Ryan O’Hearn, Orioles (290,091)
Here’s an interesting fact: according to FanGraphs, the best designated hitter in the American League has been…Adley Rutschman. In just 23 starts as a DH, Rutschman has posted a 1.2 WAR, better even than Alvarez (1.1). But Adley’s not on the ballot as a DH, so that’s not really relevant here. Alvarez and Stanton are two true designated hitters and have name recognition to boot, so it’s fair that they’re atop the voting. But O’Hearn is continuing to put up a solid performance in his second year as an Oriole, proving his 2023 breakout was no fluke.
All in all, the Orioles are well represented in the early voting results. As of now, five of their nine position players would be in line to advance to Phase 2. While we won’t see all of them ultimately make it to the All-Star Game, the O’s definitely will have multiple stars on the diamond in Arlington on July 16.