![\"Cedric](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_98,w_5120,h_2880\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/11\/01jt8r6b2y7z1kfa0gd9.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe\u00a0Major League Baseball All-Star Game\u00a0is the summer spectacle for America’s Pastime.<\/p>\n
Baseball’s best gather on the same diamond to display their skills and dazzle the audience in the premier exhibition contest of North American sports.<\/p>\n
The Baltimore Orioles are no strangers to the Midsummer Classic in recent years.<\/p>\n
The O’s sent nine players to the MLB All-Star Game the past two seasons, five in 2024 and four in 2023.<\/p>\n
All nine featured in the games, with Adley Rutschman the lone constant, having earned a nod both years.<\/p>\n
Last year,\u00a0Corbin Burnes became the fifth Orioles pitcher\u00a0to start for the American League in the All-Star Game.<\/p>\n
The crop of All-Stars from Baltimore will likely be smaller in 2025. The O’s begin May in last place in the AL East. Despite a poor start, several players should be on the ballot and earn a few votes.<\/p>\n
Orioles’ 35-year-old MLB rookie is dialed in<\/h2>\n
Baltimore’s signing of veteran right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano was among the offseason’s most intriguing transactions.<\/p>\n
After his third MVP season in Japan’s Central League, Sugano carried heavy expectations into the Orioles rotation. He’s pitched rather effectively through his first month in the MLB.<\/p>\n
Sugano is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in six starts for the O’s. He hasn\u2019t allowed more than three runs in any outing, and threw a pair of quality starts in his last three appearances.<\/p>\n
His last start was arguably his best, as Sugano scattered five singles and struck out eight batters across\u00a0five scoreless innings against the New York Yankees.<\/p>\n
Sugano has never been a huge strikeout pitcher, so eight strikeouts against one of baseball’s best offenses is encouraging. The Orioles went 4-2 in his six starts and can hopefully ride the momentum of Sugano’s last game. He’ll be in the All-Star conversation this summer if his ERA hovers around 3.00.<\/p>\n
2021 All-Star leading Orioles offense<\/h2>\n
Where would the\u00a0Orioles be without Cedric Mullins? The team’s leader in hits, runs, home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases is putting together a strong All-Star campaign.<\/p>\n
His production dipped each of the last three seasons after making his first All-Star appearance in 2021, but Mullins is back to consistency at the plate.<\/p>\n
Mullins enters May with a .927 on-base plus slugging percentage. That ranks sixth in the American League and 14th in the MLB. He’s on pace for another 30-30 season, albeit by slim margins, with six home runs and five steals. He’s also making playing center field in the majors look too easy.<\/p>\n