AL East champion Orioles place 3 on All-MLB teams
Jake Rill
@JakeDRillBALTIMORE -- A special season for the Orioles has resulted in another accolade for a trio of players who were pivotal to the American League East champions¡¯ 101-win campaign.
The 2023 All-MLB teams presented by MGM Rewards were announced Saturday on MLB Network, and three Baltimore standouts received the honor. Catcher Adley Rutschman and closer Félix Bautista were named to the First Team, while starter Kyle Bradish made the Second Team.
Introduced in 2019, the All-MLB Teams recognize the best player at each position around the Majors. The selection process features 50 percent fan voting, with the other half coming from a decorated panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials. Voters are asked to consider only regular-season performance.
No Orioles player had previously received an All-MLB honor. That¡¯s not too surprising, considering the team was rebuilding from 2019-22 before it emerged as a contender.
Rutschman, Bautista and Bradish were second-year players this season. Each served a key role in Baltimore¡¯s success.
Rutschman -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft and essentially the face of the Orioles¡¯ rebuild -- built upon his impressive rookie campaign with another strong showing. The 25-year-old catcher earned his first All-Star nod and was an AL Silver Slugger Award winner, as he slashed .277/.374/.435 with 31 doubles, 20 homers and 80 RBIs in 154 games.
Rutschman, who finished ninth in the AL MVP Award voting, edged Rangers catcher Jonah Heim in All-MLB voting.
Bautista didn¡¯t pitch after Aug. 25, when he sustained a partial right UCL tear that was repaired via Tommy John surgery in October, but the 28-year-old right-hander was dominant up to that point. Bautista -- a first-time All-Star and the Mariano Rivera Award winner -- had a 1.48 ERA in 56 appearances while racking up 33 saves and 110 strikeouts over 61 innings.
Two relievers were named to the All-MLB First Team -- Bautista and Padres closer Josh Hader.
Bradish, one of five starting pitchers on the All-MLB Second Team, had one of the best years by an Orioles starter in recent memory. The 27-year-old right-hander recorded a 2.83 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 30 starts while collecting 168 strikeouts over 168 2/3 innings. He finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
No Baltimore starter had completed a season with a sub-3.00 ERA since Hall of Famer Mike Mussina had a 2.54 mark in 1992.
The Orioles may have been swept in the AL Division Series by the World Series champion Rangers, but they¡¯re poised for more success in the near future. They¡¯re also positioned for a potential repeat showing in the AL East.
Bautista will miss the 2024 season, which is why Baltimore signed veteran Craig Kimbrel to fill in at closer. However, Rutschman and Bradish will be among the many talented youngsters set to return, giving the Orioles plenty of reason for optimism when they report to Spring Training.