Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Slugger Has More Than Earned An All-Star Nod

The Baltimore Orioles slugger is making it hard to not consider him an All-Star.

Dylan Sanders

May 11, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg (11)
May 11, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg (11) / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Orioles roster is becoming one of the deadliest in the league, even outside of their Cy Young Winner, All-Stars and both a Rookie of the Year Winner and current favorite.

Star slugger Jordan Westburg is one of those very talented players that has yet to earn an accolade, but that should be changing very soon.

The latest notch in his belt for his 2024 breakout season was his second career walk-off hit, this time against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.

It was a career night for the 25-year-old, setting a new high with four hits in his five at-bats. He also drove in two runs and stole a base. Though he hasn't been terrible in the month of May, it was a much needed performance as just his second multi-hit game in the past two weeks.

His slashing line had gotten down to .282/.329/.504 but is now back up to .301/.345/.522 after just this game.

While he wasn't bad during his rookie year, no one expected him to become one of baseball's best third-baseman.

Entering the night, Westburg was already ranked within the top-five among AL third basemen in hits, RBIs, WAR and slugging, He isn't just getting it done at the plate, either, as he's also top-10 in defensive value.

"He's a special player. This guy's going to be really good, and it's his first full season in the big leagues," said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde after the game per MASN Sports. "He's just doing a little bit of everything. How much better he's gotten defensively at third base, second base, the at-bats he takes. He never takes a pitch off."

While he started the year as a feel-good breakout story, he's become someone that should be expected to make an All-Star team this year. He's been one of the best third basemen in the American league, if not in all of baseball.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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