Baltimore Orioles: 3 players who could be first-time All-Stars

The Baltimore Orioles, in the midst of one of the longest rebuilds in baseball, dating back to 2016’s Wild Card game failure, have had many players walk through the clubhouse doors to play on the field at Camden Yards. Many of those players have not seen much success with the Orioles, only playing a few games and then leaving again to be sent down to the minor leagues, or cut entirely to make room for prospects.

In the 2022 season, the Baltimore Orioles are sitting at 21-30 following their June 1 win over the Seattle Mariners. However, there have been many bright spots/surprises for the team, and there are quite a few players that could make their first appearance in this year’s All-Star Game.

Let’s take a look at three members of the Baltimore Orioles who could earn their first-ever All-Star Game honor

Outfielder Austin Hays

Austin Hays has been quietly having a great age-26 season, batting just below .300 through May 31, with five home runs, 22 RBI, and some amazing defense as well. Offensively, he has a 138 wRC+, with a 1.7 WAR, and also 3 Defensive Runs Saved while playing left field. Hays is having a great season, and has been one of the most consistent Orioles offensively, and has been playing incredible defense in left field. With all of these factors combined, he has a chance to make the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.

Left-handed pitcher Keegan Akin

Keegan Akin, a starter turned reliever for this year, has been having an incredible season out of the Orioles’ bullpen. Through 31.2 innings pitched, he has a 1.71 ERA, a WHIP of 0.853, and has career highs/lows in nearly every stat imaginable. Akin has been a part of a much-improved Orioles bullpen in 2022. Hopefully he can get the recognition he deserves as he’s having the best year of his career easily.

First baseman/designated hitter Trey Mancini

Trey Mancini has been having one of the best years of his career so far in 2022, batting .303 so far, with an expected batting average of .317. Mancini, who is the current longest-tenured Oriole, has surprisingly not yet made an All-Star game, yet he was in the 2021 Home Run Derby. Mancini has had his power numbers hurt by the changes made to left field at Camden Yards (he only has three home runs through 47 games), but he still has been a huge part of Baltimore’s success through 2022.

Honorable Mentions

While this list is three people long, there are still a few players that deserve some recognition for having great years. Cionel Perez, a LHP, has a 0.60 ERA out of the bullpen through 15 innings pitched. Jorge Lopez has a 1.16 ERA through 23.1 innings pitched, including six saves on the season. Lopez is in the same boat as Keegan Akin, being a starter turned reliever, and is having incredible success out of the Orioles bullpen.