O's Magic: The Nine Orioles With the Possibility of Making the 2024 AL All Star Team!

The All Star voting is open...and the O's are going to have a ton of players representing them in Arlington, Texas this July!

Welcome back to another edition of ‘O’s Magic’, a Cool Sports Newsletter series made by a die hard Orioles fan. The AL and NL All Star voting has been launched, with fans having the opportunity to vote up to five times per day until phase one of voting closes on June 27. So it’s made me think, which Orioles have the opportunity to make an All Star team in 2024? Because with 47 wins, the Orioles are cruising as one of the best teams in the MLB because of many stars. 

The Orioles had four players go to the game last year, and their record was six which came over a decade ago…Baltimore may surpass both marks in 2024. Let’s take a look:

Gunnar Henderson, Shortstop
Is anyone shocked? Gunnar is an absolute lock to make his first All Star team. An MVP campaign wouldn’t even be surprising from Mr. Henderson. The numbers suggest it. Gunnar’s 5.0 WAR is tied for the highest mark in the MLB with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, his 22 home runs are second in the MLB, only behind Judge, and his 49 RBI mark combined with a .957 OPS has shown Henderson is just as good as any hitter in baseball. He slugs at one of the highest rates in the league, and would be shocked if he didn’t take home a Gold Glove for his play in the field at shortstop. Anthony Volpe has had a great year, and Bobby Whitt Jr. is also playing at a borderline MVP level as the current batting champion; both are competition for him to start for the AL this July in Arlington, Texas. However, Henderson is just a better player, and we will of course see him in the All Star game, and maybe even perhaps the home run derby, this summer. 

Status: Lock

Adley Rutschman 
Like Henderson, Rutschman is headed to Arlington with very little explanation needed. Last year Rutschman got in as one of three American League catchers…but this year he’s actually better than his 2023 self. Last year, through his 67th game, Rutschman was batting .282 with nine homers and 29 RBI’s. This season in that same time frame, he’s batting .289 with 14 homers and a near top-five mark of 53 RBI’s. Granted his on-base rate has been lowered because of his position behind Gunnar Henderson in the lineup, but he’s just gotten better offensively. And defensively, he continues to impress. The O’s pitching staff is once again one of the best in baseball, and each new Orioles pitcher on the roster has a lower ERA than they did in their previous home in 2023. It shocks me he’s not more involved in MVP conversations. Salvador Perez, a possible future Hall of Fame catcher for Kansas City, could make a run at a starting position. But if stats, offensive consistency or defensive dominance mean anything to the fans voting, Rutschman should get the nod. Nonetheless, he’ll be in the All Star game one way or the other, and I’d get used to that saying for the next decade, O’s fans! 

Status: Lock

Corbin Burnes
This is called Thursday for Corbin Burnes. The Orioles ace has gotten used to making All Star teams, as after a slow first two years to his career, Burnes has made the All Star team three straight seasons. And that will continue. He is the definition of consistency. He pitches an average of over six innings, yet has gone over 100 pitches just twice, has thrown eleven strikeouts on multiple occasions, and has posted 12 quality starts, tied for the highest total in Major League Baseball. Combine that with his 2.14 ERA, and it’s not surprising he’s one of the favorites to win the Cy Young in 2024. As for his time in Arlington this summer, he may not be the first selection. Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, Boston’s Tanner Houck and Yankees rookie sensation Luis Gil are all posting career numbers that could interfere with Burnes’ starting position for the AL All Stars. But nonetheless, he’s getting in for the fourth consecutive season. 

Status: Lock

Ryan Mountcastle
If you’ve been following the Orioles closely, it does not feel like Mountcastle should make the All Star team. He really hasn’t hit for power, hasn’t been great in the field, and went through a very cold stretch in the middle of May. And all of those things are more than true. Mounty has only driven in 32 RBI’s with a respectable 11 homers. And by Fan Graphs, his overall defensive rating is the worst among qualifying American League first baseman. However, Mountcastle is the closest to a lock as he’s going to get due to his competition. Look, he’s not having a bad season. He’s slashing .270/.315/.469 with a .784 OPS, 126 OPS+ and a 126 wRC+. Those are good numbers. But the real reason why he’s going to be sent to his first career All Star game is because those numbers are the best any first baseman has to offer. He’s first or second in virtually every offensive category for AL qualifying first baseman. And that will help him, forget make the All Star team, but start in it this summer even if it feels like it shouldn’t. 

Status: Very Likely 

Anthony Santander
This is where things get interesting. One month ago when Santander was batting .220 with seven homers, he was not on my radar to make his first All Star team. However, and quietly at that, Santander has been posting amazing numbers as of late. He is having a stellar month of June, where he is batting near .300 with eight home runs and 14 RBI’s. His 17 home run total is now the 7th best in the MLB and fourth among American League outfielders, and his 43 RBI total is third among AL outfielders. So after a slow start, Santander looks like the top reserve selection in the outfield behind Judge, Yankees’ Juan Soto and Astros’ Kyle Tucker, if Tucker’s healthy by the All Star break. You love to see it from Tony Taters! 

Status: Likely 

Jordan Westburg
This is tough. Because Westburg is posting All Star worthy numbers. He’s slashing .278/.332/.504 with a .836 OPS, eleven homers, 42 RBI’s, 14 doubles and five triples. He actually ranks 4th in the MLB in triples. But his competition to make an All Star team is tremendous. Jose Ramirez, for one, is definitely getting in. He has 62 RBI’s and a .864 OPS. But it’s not just him. Rafael Devers is also an intriguing candidate to make it as a third baseman. So compared to the two others, Westburg ranks third in home runs, second in RBI’s, second in average, third in wRC+, third in OPS+ and second in WAR. So he’s definitely an intriguing candidate, especially when you consider he’s played near flawless defensively. So he’s done enough to get in, but his competition at the position may steer him away from East Texas this July. 

Status: Probable, But Maybe Not

Craig Kimbrel
If you’re an Orioles fan and you watch game-by-game, the stress Craig Kimbrel has caused to all of us would say he shouldn’t even be considered to make the All Star team. However, there are many reasons why Kimbrel should be actually highly considered. For one, he’s been here before. The former World Series champ has made nine all star teams. And secondly, he has many reasons to be considered. As inconsistent as he’s been, he’s made sixteen saves in nineteen opportunities (84.2%), good enough for third most in the American League. For the season, he’s 4-2, posted a 2.39 ERA with 13 K/9 in 26.1 innings, and as of late has been on fire. In his last 13 games, he’s allowed no runs, struck out 16 in 12 innings to just two walks, allowed opponent splits of .079/.146/.079 with a .225 OPS. He’s heating up, and with at least three relievers guaranteed to go, Kimbrel could be an intriguing candidate as the closer on one of baseball’s best teams. 

Status: Possible

Colton Cowser
Considering how cold Cowser has been as of late, I did not expect the first All Star voting results to show Colton Cowser 7th among American League outfielders. And considering six outfielders could make the All Star team with the lack of depth at first and second base this season, I’m realizing Cowser may have a real shot. It still shocks me he has a chance while batting .234 with 31 RBI’s. Those totals aren’t usually All Star worthy. However, the path is difficult but simple…he has to get hot. Cowser was one of baseball’s most productive hitters to begin the season, so despite a cold stretch could easily get back to that threshold after a two-RBI game against Philly. And defensively, he’s in the 98th percentile of arm strength by Baseball Savant, his eight outs above average is the second best mark amongst outfielders in the MLB according to the Baltimore Sun, and his defensive rating by Fan Graph’s is the 2nd best among American League outfielders. If he can get hot offensively, the defensive execution and ability is there to maybe sneak in. I still find it hard to believe, but it is possible. 

Status: Unlikely 

Jorge Mateo
Now, Mateo is not making the All Star team. However, I was happily surprised to see the first voting results show Jorge Mateo as the fourth most voted for second baseman. Granted second base isn’t that strong for the AL this year, but Mateo does deserve a ton of credit for what he’s done. Going into the season, Mateo was just seen as a valuable pinch runner but not as a great hitter. However, he’s developed into more of a power hitter, already crushing four home runs, his 11 stolen bases are second amongst American League second baseman, and has totaled >100 wRC+ and OPS+ numbers, showing he’s been an above average hitter. He’s also been great defensively. He won’t make the All Star team, but it’s great to see some Jorge Mateo respect. 

Status: Happily Surprised By 4th Amongst AL 2B

So there you have it. Those players have been tremendous to the O’s success in 2024. Some of them may not get in due to their own personal play, competition at the position, or that the Orioles may already have too many players. Remember, every team has to have an All Star. So that could interfere as well. Nonetheless, it’s been great to see these O’s stars shine, and as the schedule only gets tougher, we’re going to see how great they all truly are.