Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Austin Hays and Adley Rutschman were named to the 2023 American League All-Star team, the first appearance for each player in the annual showcase.
This marks the first year the Orioles will send multiple players to the Midsummer Classic since 2016, when the club sent Brad Brach, Zack Britton, Manny Machado, Mark Trumbo and Matt Wieters.
This year’s selections represent the steps forward the team has made in recent years. At 49-33, the Orioles lead the AL wild-card race and are chasing the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead. Baltimore lost 110 games just two years ago.
The All-Star Game will be played at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, July 11 in Seattle.
“To be recognized by their peers says everything about everyone recognizing them around the league for how good they’ve been in this first half,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters on July 2, prior to the announcement.
Bautista, 28, has been one of the best closers in baseball since taking over the role after Jorge López was dealt to the Minnesota Twins last summer. The 6-foot-8, 285-pound right-hander has a 1.16 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 38.2 innings this year, piling up 22 saves along the way.
Cano, 29, was part of last summer’s López trade and has settled in as Bautista’s primary setup man this year. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound right-hander has a 1.12 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 40.1 innings, along with a 66.3 percent ground ball rate. Cano posted an 11.50 ERA in 18 major league innings in 2022, his first year at the highest level.
Hays, who turns 28 on July 5, is enjoying the best year of his major league career. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound outfielder is hitting .312/.352/.491 with 32 extra-base hits and is tasked with patrolling Baltimore’s expansive left field. However, Hays did have to leave the Orioles’ July 2 game against the Twins with a hip contusion after a collision at first base with Donovan Solano.
Rutschman, 25, is considered the catalyst for the Orioles’ turnaround dating back his big league promotion last May. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound catcher is hitting .268/.374/.415 with 22 extra-base hits. He has played in all but three of Baltimore’s games this season.
The Orioles close out the first half of the season with a seven-game road trip, with four coming against the New York Yankees and three against the Minnesota Twins.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen and Colin Murphy/PressBox