The MLB All-Star Game festivities begin next week in Arlington, Texas, and four Orioles will be representing Baltimore in the Midsummer Classic. There’s an argument more should be joining them.
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, third baseman Jordan Westburg and right-hander Corbin Burnes will be participating in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Henderson will also compete in the Home Run Derby on Monday. It’s Henderson and Westburg’s first career All-Star Game appearance, Rutschman’s second and Burnes’ fourth — but first on the American League team after the Orioles acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers this winter.
Several more Orioles had cases to be on the squad and still can be named replacements if players already on the team are unable to play or attend. Here’s everything Baltimore fans need to know about next week’s events.
How to watch the 2024 MLB All-Star Game
The 2024 MLB All-Star game will be held on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Globe Life Field, home of the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, and will be broadcast on Fox. Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal, Tom Verducci and Tom Rinaldi are announcing the game.
Which Orioles are playing?
Henderson, Rutschman, Westburg and Burnes, perhaps the Orioles’ four best players, will take the field in Arlington. Henderson and Rutschman were named starters, as chosen by winning the fan vote. Westburg replaced Boston’s Rafael Devers, who is unavailable because of a shoulder injury.
Burnes could be the AL’s starting pitcher, which will be chosen by Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. The right-hander will likely be available to pitch with his last regular-season start before the break coming Wednesday, six days before the All-Star Game.
Henderson and Rutschman both lead their respective positions in several statistical categories. Henderson leads all of MLB in FanGraphs’ wins above replacement and is second in the AL with 27 home runs. Rutschman’s .284 batting average, .345 on-base percentage and 2.8 fWAR lead all AL catchers. Westburg is top three among AL third basemen in average, slugging and fWAR.
Burnes has been one of the AL’s top starting pitchers just past the midway point of the season. His 2.32 ERA is second-best in the league, and his 14 quality starts and nine wins are top five.
What else to know
Several more Orioles could have been selected to the All-Star team and narrowly missed out on doing so via the fan vote. Ryan O’Hearn finished second among designated hitters in voting. Anthony Santander was also close to making the cut in the outfield, and closer Craig Kimbrel had a strong case to be selected to the squad out of the bullpen. All could be chosen to fill in for All-Stars who are unavailable.
Kimbrel’s 23 saves are second in the AL, and his 2.10 ERA is better than Mason Miller’s (Oakland Athletics) and Clay Holmes’ (New York Yankees), two of four AL relievers chosen. Santander is tied for third in the league with 23 home runs. O’Hearn’s platoon status prevents him from being qualified for stat leaders, but his .285 average is second at the position among those with at least 250 plate appearances.
Before Westburg was announced as a replacement, Baltimore had fewer All-Stars this season than last, despite being on pace to again eclipse 100 victories and win the AL East. Two American League teams, the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals, had more All-Stars than the Orioles when the initial rosters were announced. Both have fewer wins.
Schedule of events
The week’s festivities begin Friday with the HBCU Swingman Classic, a showcase game for the best players from historically Black colleges and universities across the nation. Coppin State catcher Sam Nieves will be participating in the game, which begins at 8 p.m. on MLB Network.
The Futures Game, which displays the sport’s best prospects, will take place Saturday, with Orioles prospect Samuel Basallo competing. The catcher is Baltimore’s third-ranked and the league’s 16th-ranked prospect, according to Baseball America. Basallo is slashing .277/.341/.460 with 12 home runs with Double-A Bowie this season.
Henderson will compete in the Home Run Derby on Monday at 8 p.m. on ESPN. He’s the second Oriole to participate in as many years after Rutschman did so last season. If the shortstop wins the Derby, he’d become the youngest player to ever do it and the third Oriole to take home the trophy. Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada won in 1991 and 2004, respectively.
MLB All-Star Game rosters
Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Houston second baseman Jose Altuve and Cleveland third baseman José Ramírez round out the AL starting infield alongside Henderson and Rutschman. New York’s Aaron Judge and Juan Soto and the Guardians’ Steven Kwan will start in the outfield. The Astros’ Yordan Alvarez is the starting designated hitter.
In the National League, Severna Park graduate Jackson Merrill was named an All-Star in his first major league season with the San Diego Padres. Former Orioles reliever Tanner Scott was also named a first-time All-Star as the Miami Marlins’ lone representative.
Here are the rest of the rosters, which are subject to change before the game.
Other American League pitchers
LHP: Tyler Anderson (LAA)
LHP: Garrett Crochet (CWS)
RHP: Logan Gilbert (SEA)
RHP: Tanner Houck (BOS)
RHP: Seth Lugo (KC)
LHP: Cole Ragans (KC)
LHP: Tarik Skubal (DET)
RHP: Emmanuel Clase (CLE)
RHP: Clay Holmes (NYY)
RHP: Mason Miller (OAK)
RHP: Kirby Yates (TEX)
Other American League reserves
C: Salvador Perez (KC)
INF: Carlos Correa (MIN)
INF: Josh Naylor (CLE)
INF: Isaac Paredes (TB)
INF: Marcus Semien (TEX)
INF: Bobby Witt Jr. (KC)
OF: Jarren Duran (BOS)
OF: Riley Greene (DET)
OF: Kyle Tucker (HOU)
DH: David Fry (CLE)
National League starters
C: William Contreras (MIL)
1B: Bryce Harper (PHI)
2B: Ketel Marte (AZ)
3B: Alec Bohm (PHI)
SS: Trea Turner (PHI)
OF: Christian Yelich (MIL)
OF: Jurickson Profar (SD)
OF: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD)
DH: Shohei Ohtani (LAD)
National League pitchers
RHP: Tyler Glasnow (LAD)
LHP: Shota Imanaga (CHC)
RHP: Reynaldo López (ATL)
LHP: Chris Sale (ATL)
RHP: Paul Skenes (PIT)
LHP: Ranger Suárez (PHI)
RHP: Logan Webb (SF)
RHP: Zack Wheeler (PHI)
RHP: Ryan Helsley (STL)
RHP: Jeff Hoffman (PHI)
LHP: Tanner Scott (MIA)
LHP: Matt Strahm (PHI)
RHP: Robert Suarez (SD)
National League reserves
C: Will Smith (LAD)
INF: CJ Abrams (WSH)
INF: Pete Alonso (NYM)
INF: Luis Arraez (SD)
INF: Mookie Betts (LAD)
INF: Elly De La Cruz (CIN)
INF: Freddie Freeman (LAD)
INF: Ryan McMahon (COL)
OF: Teoscar Hernández (LAD)
OF: Jackson Merrill (SD)
OF: Heliot Ramos (SF)
OF: Bryan Reynolds (PIT)
DH: Marcell Ozuna (ATL)