Garceau: Which Orioles Are All-Star Worthy?
Let's make the All-Star game great again!
Here are four Orioles who've earned a trip to San Diego with their 2016 play:
Manny Machado: The fan vote has Manny in the lead at 3rd base; it's a joke that Mike Moustakis who's out for the season with a knee injury is second (nice job Royals fans!). Josh Donaldson is legit and third in the voting. Machado (17HR/41RBI, .308) is second in the AL in OPS and third in Wins Above Replacement and his glove at third or short is solid gold.
Mark Trumbo: He leads the league and is tied for the MLB lead with 20 Trum-bombs. He's currently fourth in the outfield voting behind Mike Trout, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Lorenzo Cain. Not saying he has to be a starter but Trumbo deserves his 2nd All-Star honor.
Chris Tillman: You don't have to call him an ace but he sure is pitching like one. A 9-1 record for a team that has issues with starting pitchers makes him one of the Orioles MVP's and an All-Star.
Zach Britton: This is a no-brainer; Britton with his 98 mph filthy sinker is the nastiest closer in baseball. He's got the numbers to prove it, how about allowing a total of 3 runs in the 27 games he's pitched. He leads the league with 20 saves in 20 opportunities. His ERA (0.96) and WHIP (0.61) tell you the chances of hitting him are slim and none. Welcome to San Diego Mr. Britton.
Brad Brach: Fans don't vote for pitchers and if they did Brach wouldn't be a sexy pick. He might be off the radar to fans but he's got a chance with baseball people. The hard-throwing right-hander has been lights out in the Orioles bullpen with 5 wins and 2 saves. He's only given up 5 runs in 29 games with a 1.26 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. His WAR is better than Wade Davis, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. Darren O'Day was rewarded with an All-Star selection last year; it might be Brad Brach's time this year.
Matt Wieters could be added he's a distant second in the voting to worthy Salvador Perez at catcher. Adam Jones has been great in June but his slow start might give him a real All-Star break.
