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Baltimore Orioles: Darren O’Day is a Deserving All-Star

By Joe Serpico

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The Baltimore Orioles had four players selected to the American League All-Star team. Adam Jones and Manny Machado have each made All-Star appearances before, but it is the first for Zach Britton and Darren O’Day. It is the fourth consecutive season that the Orioles will send three or more players to the Mid Summer Classic. 

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I predicted Machado, Jones and Britton to make team last week, but was skeptical all three would get in. Machado is arguably one of the best players in baseball right now. He hits for average and power, steals bases and is a Platinum Glove winner. Jones will be making his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance and also one of the best at his position. Britton has saved 23 games in 2015, good for second-best in the AL, and 60 saves since taking over the closer role last May.

But Darren O’Day?! That shocked everyone. Well, everyone who does not follow the Orioles and the game of baseball. O’Day has been the unsung, late-inning firearm for Buck Showalter in his four years in Baltimore who is finally getting the glory he deserves.

Britton gets a lot of the credit for the Orioles because he earns the statistic for an earned save in most of his work. The 23 saves, 1.82 ERA and 1.01 WHIP are phenomenal numbers for Britton, and certainly All-Star worthy. They just do not compete with what O’Day has done for the Orioles.

O’Day has given up just four runs and has struck out 43 batters in 32.2 innings of work, while issuing just eight walks for a WHIP of .0796 and a 1.10 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .151 against the 32-year-old who is 5-0 on the season and has a couple of saves to his credit as well.

The numbers are even more astonishing over the course of his tenure with the Birds. The submarine pitcher has compiled a 22-6 record while striking out 244 batters, and is sporting a ridiculous .092 WHIP and 1.91 ERA in 230.1 innings of work since being claimed off waivers from the Rangers in 2011. He could be the best setup man in baseball.

If O’Day is not the best setup man in baseball, Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost knows two damn good ones pretty well. It is not often that non-closer relief pitchers get recognition, but Yost has three of the best in baseball at his disposal in O’Day and fellow Royals Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera. Davis was selected by the players, while Herrera and O’Day were manager’s decisions. That is a great deal of respect from a manager that is supposedly going for the win to secure home field advantage in the World Series.

The 2015 MLB All-Star Game will be played exactly a week from today at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 14.

For the casual baseball fan that will tune in to watch the All-Star Game, once they see his side-arm delivery used to perfection, they are sure to remember who Darren O’Day is. He has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, and it is about time he got some recognition for his pitching, and not his Solowheel.

Next: Orioles Position by Position Rankings in A.L.

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