Orioles fans somehow disappointed with MLB All-Star roster reveal after early momentum

The 2024 MLB All Star rosters were finalized on Sunday evening, with the pitchers and reserve hitters being selected by the players and commissioners office.

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman had already punched their tickets, having won their races in the initial stage of voting. However, the Orioles had four other hitters advance into the final round of voting and none of them were selected to represent the American League.

Orioles' group of 4 finalists fall short of All Star nominations

The entire group of Ryan O'Hearn, Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg, and Anthony Santander fell short, turning what could have been a historic selection day into a rather drab one.

The group as a whole had put up numbers worthy of consideration. Westburg in particular has been exceptional, hitting .282/.329/.509, adding 14 homers and 6 steals. His 2.8 fWAR is on par with starting third baseman Jose Ramirez, who has posted 2.9 fWAR thus far.

However, Westburg was omitted in favor of Rays third baseman Issac Paredes, who was Tampa's lone All Star selection. The rules state that each team must have at least one representative and Paredes was the only viable candidate from the Rays.

Westburg could eventually get another chance at an All Star nomination down the road but we're not sure if the same can be said about the other Orioles on that list. O'Hearn is an amazing story but it's still unclear if he'll be able to play at this level moving forward.

Santander will be 30 next year and the group of AL outfielders is stacked, giving him an extremely tough path to consideration. And Mountcastle will have the same issue, as the group of top tier first basemen in the American League are all quite talented.

Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel snubbed in favor of division rival

On the pitching side, Corbin Burnes will join Henderson and Rutschman in Arlington next week. Burnes' inclusion was expected as the righty has been one of the best pitchers in the league based on a variety of metrics.

However, closer Craig Kimbrel wasn't able to turn a six-week hot streak into an All Star bid. In a bit of a joke, Kimbrel was passed over in favor of Yankees' closer Clay Holmes.

The two cases aren't all that close when you look at the numbers. Kimbrel has pitched to a 2.16 ERA with a 2.57 FIP, 22 saves, and the third highest strikeout rate among full time closers.

Holmes has an ERA of 3.00, almost a full run higher than Kimbrel. His 2.67 FIP is a touch worse, his 19 saves are fewer than Kimbrel's 22, and he has just 37 strikeouts compared to Kimbrel's 50.

No matter which way you slice it, Kimbrel was a better choice for this spot than Holmes. It's made worse by the fact that the O's closer was snubbed by a division rival.

Ultimately it's a great day for the Orioles and their three newly minted All Stars. But it's impossible to look past what could have been and think that a couple choices should have been made differently.