Phase 1 of MLB All Star Voting began this week, and the Baltimore Orioles have filed their names for the July 14 All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The team’s ballot lists Samuel Basallo as the designated hitter, Adley Rutschman at catcher, Pete Alonso at first base, Jeremiah Jackson at second, Gunnar Henderson at shortstop and Coby Mayo at third, with Dylan Beavers, Leody Taveras and Taylor Ward in the outfield.
Those choices put some familiar figures in front of the fan electorate: Rutschman has 26 starts behind the plate and arrives as a two-time All-Star, while Basallo has made 19 appearances as a designated hitter. The submission deadline for team ballots was the last week in May, and Phase 1 opens the public portion of the process that will determine who appears on later ballots and, ultimately, in Philadelphia on July 14.
The ballot also underscores how much the Orioles’ All-Star fortunes have shifted in a few years. The club sent four players to the Midsummer Classic in 2023 and five in 2024 — when Corbin Burnes was the starting pitcher — after enduring a stretch from 2017 through 2022 in which the team typically had only one representative (2020 excluded, when the game was cancelled). Last summer, Ryan O'Hearn was the Orioles’ lone representative at designated hitter.
Not every name on the club’s list is an uncomplicated pick. Dylan Beavers remains on the ballot even though he had not played since May 10 because of a strained right oblique. The inclusion of a player coming off the injured list is only one of several roster judgments teams make when assembling ballots; managers and front-office staffs must weigh wanting players honored against preserving them for the second-half push.
That balance shows up elsewhere on the roster page: Tyler O'Neill, who owns a.160 batting average and a.500 OPS in 38 games with a minus-0.6 bWAR, was left off the ballot, while Blaze Alexander’s versatility — starts at third, second, center, shortstop, left and right field — is reflected implicitly in the choices the team promoted.
Bench coach Craig Albernaz framed the priority plainly. "It’s extremely important," he said of getting Orioles onto All-Star ballots. He added a reminder of the vantage point he and the staff have: "I’m very biased of our group because I’m fortunate enough to work with these guys every single day and see their work ethic." And on the club’s hopes for the process: "The more guys we can get would be awesome."
Practical details matter as fans begin voting: Phase 1 is the opening round of the public vote that will narrow nominees toward final rosters for the July 14 All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. Teams handled the initial submissions, and those choices are now public as voting gets underway. What the Orioles put forward leaves several clear candidates — a veteran catcher, a power-hitting shortstop and everyday corner infields — but also at least one uncertain entry because of injury.
The unanswered question heading into Phase 1 is straightforward and consequential: which of the players the Orioles named will actually advance through the fan-driven process. Beavers’ absence since May 10 complicates his candidacy; Rutschman’s established profile and Henderson’s role on the roster give them obvious paths forward. Fans will have the next round of say, and the list Baltimore submitted this week is the only one they can vote on until Phase 1 narrows the field.
