Of the many encouraging signs from a young Athletics squad that improved upon its 2023 win total by 19 games last season, few shined brighter than Mason Miller.

• All-time winners of All-MLB Awards

Shifting from the rotation to the bullpen due to elbow concerns, the rookie was more than adequate in his transition. In fact, he transformed into a flat-out dominant All-Star closer. On Thursday the flame-throwing right-hander added another accolade to his mantle by being named to the All-MLB Second Team presented by MGM Rewards.

Miller was the only A¡¯s player to make an All-MLB Team this season, earning Second Team honors along with Rangers closer Kirby Yates. The two finished behind First Teamers Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians and Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals.

¡°I think we were all totally uncertain of what this season would look like for him,¡± general manager David Forst said. ¡°Our goal was to keep him healthy. ¡­ Other than a fluke injury in the middle of the year, our medical staff did an outstanding job with him. [Manager Mark Kotsay and pitching coach Scott Emerson] did a great job with his workload, and we would not have won nearly as many games as we did without Mason.

¡°I'm thrilled with how he did and excited to have him in that role going forward.¡±

Equipped with an overpowering fastball that averaged 100.9 mph and a wipeout slider, Miller notched 28 saves while posting a 2.49 ERA in 55 appearances. Miller¡¯s 14.40 strikeouts per nine innings (104 K¡¯s in 65 IP) rate ranked as the highest among qualified Major League relievers, while his 2.3 fWAR was tied for third highest.

Atop the list of impressive highlights put together by Miller this season was his appearance in the All-Star Game at Globe Life Field. During his perfect inning of relief, Miller struck out Shohei Ohtani and Trea Turner consecutively and produced the fastest pitch in the All-Star Game since pitch-tracking began in 2008 with a 103.6 mph fastball. He went on to earn the win for the American League, becoming just the third rookie to do so in an All-Star Game and the first since the Nationals¡¯ Dean Stone in 1954.

Fans account for 50% of the voting for the All-MLB Team, with a panel of experts handling the other 50%. Fans and panelists vote for catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, outfielders (three, without regard for left/center/right), designated hitter, five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers for each of the first and second teams. All choices are based on the 2024 regular season, without regard for American League or National League affiliation.

Here is the history of A¡¯s players in All-MLB voting, dating back to the honor¡¯s inception in 2019:

2019
Second Team: Marcus Semien, Liam Hendriks

2020
First Team: Liam Hendriks?

2021-23: No selections

2024
Second Team: Mason Miller

The A¡¯s had another nominee this year in DH Brent Rooker; Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was named to the First Team and Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez to the Second Team.