6 Orioles nominated for All-MLB Team honoring top players at each position

The Orioles’ depth led them to 101 victories and the American League East title. It was also on display in nominations for the All-MLB Team.

Six Orioles were among the nominees for an honor that recognizes the top players by position across the majors, rather than separating between the American and National Leagues, as most other honors do.

There will be first- and second-team honorees, with one player selected at each infield spot and designated hitter along with three outfielders, five starting pitchers and two relievers for each team. Determination of the All-MLB Team is split between a fan vote and a media panel, with winners announced Dec. 16.

Here are the Orioles’ All-MLB Team nominees.

Catcher Adley Rutschman

Baltimore’s second-year backstop was also a finalist for the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. He led all qualified primary catchers in games played (154), walk rate (13.4%), strikeout rate (14.7%), weighted runs created plus (127), on-base percentage (.374), hits (163), walks (92) and RBIs (80) while ranking second in doubles (31), average (.277) and OPS (.809).

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson

Henderson split his standout rookie season between shortstop and third, and he finds himself nominated at the former. Henderson’s 28 home runs, .489 slugging percentage and .814 OPS put him among the top five shortstops this season. The 22-year-old is the frontrunner to be AL Rookie of the Year, having won similar honors from the Major League Baseball Players Association, Sporting News and Baseball Digest.

Outfielder Anthony Santander

Santander led all Orioles with 95 RBIs and tied Henderson for the team lead with 28 home runs, while his .472 slugging percentage trailed only the star rookie among Baltimore’s qualified hitters. But the switch-hitter’s numbers pale in comparison with most of the game’s other top outfielders. Santander’s 41 doubles led all qualified outfielders, and he ranked 10th among qualified outfielders in RBIs, but those were the only major metrics he cracked the top 10.

Starting pitcher Kyle Bradish

In his second major league season, Bradish blossomed into the Orioles’ top starter and one of the best in baseball. He ranked fourth among qualified starters with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.043 WHIP. He also ranked seventh with a .213 batting average allowed, and only two pitchers allowed fewer home runs per inning than the Baltimore right-hander. AL Cy Young Award frontrunner Gerrit Cole was the only pitcher with more starts of at least six innings with fewer runs allowed than Bradish’s 17.

Reliever Félix Bautista

Bautista was putting together one of the sport’s most dominant seasons before suffering a season-ending elbow injury in late August, one that required Tommy John elbow reconstruction and will force him to miss 2024, as well. Before, Bautista had a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves with 110 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched. His 46.4% strikeout rate was the sixth highest for any qualified reliever in major league history.

Reliever Yennier Cano

Cano didn’t make the Orioles’ opening day roster. Now, after making the AL All-Star roster, he could make an All-MLB Team, too. Cano emerged as a key reliever for Baltimore, tying a franchise record by retiring his first 24 batters faced. That set the tone for his season, in which he posted a 2.11 ERA over 72 2/3 innings as Bautista’s primary setup man. Cano’s 1.7 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs, were the third most of any pitcher who recorded fewer than 10 saves.

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