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American League All-Star Voting: Five Baltimore Orioles Who Belong on the Team

By Mike Smith |
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Jul 15, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; American League players celebrate on the field after defeating the National League 5-3 in the 2014 MLB All Star Game at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, MLB released the first update for American League All-Star voting for the 2015 All-Star Game. This was the first of six updates ahead of the announcement which will take place in July.

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When looking at the leaderboard, which lists the top five vote-getters at each position, and top 15 in the outfield, multiple things stand out.

It’s easy to see which fan bases aren’t messing around in stuffing the ballots for their team (I’m looking at you, Kansas City), and it’s always interesting to see how lesser-known players fare after getting off to a great start.

Let’s take a look at five members of the Baltimore Orioles who belong on the AL All-Star team this year.

Next: The Star Player

May 26, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones (10) catches a fly ball hit by by Houston Astros right fielder George Springer (4) (not pictured) in the sixth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

1. Adam Jones

This is the obvious one.

Currently, Adam Jones sits fourth amongst outfielders, behind Lorenzo Cain (Kansas City Royals), Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels), and Alex Gordon (Royals). Jones is only about 10,000 votes behind Gordon.

Jones’ .310 batting average, six home runs and 25 RBI’s have kept Baltimore’s offense afloat, even in this season where they have struggled to hang around .500.

He is also a phenomenal defensive player, and would surely be in the MVP conversation at the end of the year, if only he didn’t play in the same league as Trout and Miguel Cabrera.

Next: The Young Gun

May 23, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) hits a single during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

2. Manny Machado

Manny Machado got the year off to a really rough start, as he didn’t get his batting average above .200 until the 16th game of the year.

However, Machado really picked things up in the month of May. He is hitting .298 this month and is now hitting .280 on the year with six home runs and 11 doubles.

Machado trails Mike Moustakas (Royals), Josh Donaldson (Toronto Blue Jays), and Pablo Sandoval (Boston Red Sox) in the voting. I’d peg Donaldson as this year’s starter, but Machado has certainly made a case for himself to be one of the first men off the AL bench.

Next: The Pleasant Surprise

May 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph (36) hits a two RBI double in the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

3. Caleb Joseph

There was a lot of talk before the season about when Matt Wieters would be ready to return. We are now nearing the end of May, and he’s still not back yet, but that has hardly shown itself to be an issue for the Orioles due to the performance of Caleb Joseph.

Joseph is hitting .274 this year, and almost a third of his hits have gone for extra bases.

Joseph has the fifth-most votes amongst AL catchers. Though he doesn’t have any real shot at starting, it’s nice to see his name on the leaderboard because he deserves it, despite not having the typical name recognition.

There is some stiff competition at his position, but with the job Joseph has done, he deserves a spot.

Next: The Healed Hitter

May 27, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Jimmy Paredes (38) waits on deck during the game against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

4. Jimmy Paredes

It is hard to believe what the Orioles have gotten from Jimmy Paredes, especially since his season had a delayed start due to injury.

Paredes has hit at a stunning .348 clip, mixing in an already career-best six homers, and 25 RBI’s. In fact, he’s been such a strong hitter, that Buck Showalter has left him in the lineup to play second base in NL parks, despite the fact that Paredes’ glove does not match his bat.

Unfortunately for Paredes, his name doesn’t even appear on the fan ballot, due to Steve Pearce being Baltimore’s ballot representative at first, and Chris Davis taking over Baltimore’s DH spot. However, that can’t stop manager Ned Yost from taking one of this year’s best, and most surprising bats in the American League.

Next: The Unexpected Ace

May 24, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez (50) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

5. Miguel Gonzalez

Fans don’t vote for pitchers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about the All-Star season that Miguel Gonzalez is having.

Coming into this year, Baltimore looked to be counting on Chris Tillman to be the ace, with high hopes for Wei-Yin Chen and Bud Norris, and dreams of a resurgence from Ubaldo Jimenez. Meanwhile, Gonzalez was just kind of there.

When the season started, he was more than just there, he’s been the only one there. Tillman and Norris have struggled mightily, while Chen and Jimenez have been inconsistent, but Gonzalez has been the Orioles’ best starter and has given them a chance to win almost every time he’s taken the mound.

Gonzalez has had four stars this year in which he’s given up 4+ runs, but he has offset that with four starts of 1 run or fewer. He’s also had four starts in which he has gone 7+ innings, something Baltimore has sorely needed in this season where their starters have had trouble giving them any sort of length.

When the season ends, Gonzalez will not be in the Cy Young conversation, but his work in the first half has at least earned him the opportunity to have his name announced for the All-Star Game.

Do you agree with our list of All-Star Orioles? Think we left somebody off? Join the conversation in the comments section below.

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