Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Slugger's Latest All-Star Snub Is Ridiculous

What will it take for this Baltimore Orioles slugger to finally make an All-Star team?

Tyler Maher

Jul 6, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) walks back to the dugout.
Jul 6, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) walks back to the dugout. / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Orioles are going to be well-represented at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game next week. The Orioles will send the trio of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Corbin Burnes to Arlington, Texas for the Midsummer Classic.

However, there should be at least one more Baltimore player joining them: Anthony Santander.

Barring a last-minute selection as an injury replacement, the slugging outfielder will not be making the trip to Globe Life Field with his teammates, which is nothing short of a travesty.

Santander propelled the Orioles to another win on Sunday, sparking them to a 6-3 victory over the Oakland A's with his first-inning home run. The long ball kicked off a four-run opening frame for Baltimore, giving Grayson Rodriguez all the run support he needed.

After finishing the game 2-for-5, Santander improved his season line to .235/.302/.502 with 23 homers and 57 RBI. His 23 dingers are tied with Jose Ramirez for fourth in MLB behind only Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Henderson -- all of whom are All-Stars. He's been one of the best sluggers in baseball this year, but apparently that wasn't enough to earn him his first All-Star selection.

Santander deserved it based on his incredible performance in June alone. With the Orioles facing a brutal schedule during their most critical stretch of the season, he shined all month long. The 29-year-old switch-hitter bashed 13 homers with 26 RBI and a .264/.314/.646 batting line in 28 games, helping Baltimore go 16-12 in those contests and overtake the slumping New York Yankees in the AL East standings.

Unfortunately for Santander, he's used to getting passed over for the All-Star Game by now. He wasn't chosen in 2022 or 2023 despite leading the Orioles in home runs and RBI both years and has now played eight seasons without an All-Star selection.

Santander's snub is especially egregious given that Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker was named as a reserve. Tucker hasn't played since June 3 due to injury, however, so he trails Santander in nearly every meaningful counting stat. He's also already been an All-Star twice before, so it would have been nice to reward Santander for his huge first half instead.

Maybe someday Santander will finally get the recognition he deserves, but for now he remains one of the most underrated and under-appreciated sluggers in the sport. Hopefully the snub motivates him to have an even bigger second half and prove his critics wrong.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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