'I hope we send all six': O's eyeing All-Star selections
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This story was excerpted from Jake Rill's Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BALTIMORE -- Ryan O'Hearn made a surprise appearance at the Dunkin’ on West Pratt St. in Downtown Baltimore on Thursday morning. He handed out free Orioles donuts to the first 100 customers, and he also mingled with fans, encouraging them to vote for him and his O’s teammates before Phase 1 of All-Star Game voting ended at noon ET that day.
On Thursday evening, the All-Star voting finalists were announced, and the designated hitter was among six Baltimore players advancing to Phase 2, along with catcher Adley Rutschman, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, third baseman Jordan Westburg and outfielder Anthony Santander.
Perhaps O’Hearn’s last-minute Dunkin’ run on the campaign trail paid off.
“Maybe so,” O’Hearn said with a grin. “Maybe that pushed me over the top.”
Phase 2 of voting will begin Sunday at noon ET and run until Wednesday at noon ET. The All-Star Ballot will continue to be available exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 Club websites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App. Fans may vote once per day, with the daily voting limit resetting each day at 12 a.m. ET.
The voting totals have been reset following Phase 1. Here are the six American League matchups featuring O’s players:
Catcher: Rutschman vs. Salvador Perez (Royals)
First base: Mountcastle vs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)
Shortstop: Henderson vs. Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Third base: Westburg vs. José Ramírez (Guardians)
Outfield: Santander vs. Juan Soto (Yankees), Steven Kwan (Guardians), Kyle Tucker (Astros)
Designated hitter: O’Hearn vs. Yordan Alvarez (Astros)
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“It's like two-thirds of the positions on the field are All-Star finalists,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “They're all so well deserving. I hope they get a ton of votes. I hope we send all six.”
The player who receives the most votes in each head-to-head positional battle will start for the AL in the All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington on July 16. The top two outfielders will join Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (the AL’s leading vote-getter in Phase 1) in the starting outfield.
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Of the six Orioles named All-Star finalists, O’Hearn seemed the least likely to advance past Phase 1. In Monday’s update, he ranked fourth at AL DH, and the 30-year-old might not be as well known nationally as some of his younger up-and-coming star teammates.
Over the past two seasons, O’Hearn has been a surprise contributor for Baltimore, which acquired him from Kansas City in exchange for cash considerations on Jan. 3, 2023, and then designated him for assignment two days later. He didn’t break camp with the Orioles last season, but he recorded a .289/.322/.480 slash line with 14 home runs in 112 games.
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This season, O’Hearn is slashing .279/.340/.459 with eight doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 33 RBIs in 66 games.
“When you're a kid, it's a dream to be a Major League All-Star, and it seemed unattainable for a long time,” O’Hearn said. “Until the last year or so, I didn't believe it could actually happen. We're not there yet, but to be a finalist is an honor and something I don't take lightly. ...
“Very cool to have a fan base like the Baltimore Orioles’ fan base that had my back like that and think that I'm worthy of going to the All-Star Game.”
The O’s have a legitimate chance of having multiple players start the All-Star Game for the first time since 2014. They should have several representatives regardless of how Phase 2 voting unfolds.
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Henderson and Rutschman (the Baltimore players most likely to be voted starters) are probable locks to make the AL All-Star team. Mountcastle, Santander and Westburg all have strong cases to be named AL reserves if they lose their voting matchups, while even O’Hearn could still find his way onto the roster.
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Like the reserves, pitchers for the All-Star Game are determined by a player ballot and the Commissioner’s Office. Orioles ace Corbin Burnes is a near lock for the AL roster, and fellow right-handers Craig Kimbrel and Grayson Rodriguez could be under consideration.
“Hopefully, we've got seven or eight of us running around there at the All-Star Game,” Burnes said. “That would be great.”