Baltimore Orioles: Mixed Feelings about All-Star Games

Jul 11, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; American League outfielder Mark Trumbo (45) of the Baltimore Orioles at bat in the semifinals during the All Star Game home run derby at PetCo Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

There are two ways of looking at the participation of Baltimore Orioles players in the annual All-Star Game and MLB Home Run Derby.

On one hand it is an honor for the franchise to have such strong representation as five players, and it is a great experience for those players. On the other hand, how can it possibly help the Orioles in regular season play? And it exposes the players to injury that could affect the regular season.

The first positive: Orioles fans can be pleased to see our players being honored in this way. As Roch Kubatko wrote yesterday in his blog on MASN, only the St. Louis Cardinals have had more players in ASG recognition over the past five years than have the Orioles. The O’s have sent 20 players in that time and that is a legitimate reason for pride.

The second positive: It is a highly enjoyable event for the players involved. It has been fun in recent years to watch players like Adam Jones and Manny Machado yucking it up with famous players against whom they are usually doing battle. I remember them especially enjoying the sight of Prince Fielder hitting a triple and laughing at him having to leg it out. MLB works to make it a great experience for the participants, and it really is.

The third positive: If the Orioles players involved can contribute to an American League win, the result could positively affect the Birds for home field advantage were they to make it to the World Series. There are multiple “ifs” in that equation however.

The first negative: As Buck Showalter often alludes, everyone is playing with some nagging aches, pains, and injuries. Getting four or five games off to recover and refresh is of better value in the big picture of winning a division, pennant and World Series than having a good time with the studs of the sport.

The second negative: There is always the possibility of having an injury occur that would affect the second half of the season. Perhaps this is a hypochondriac sort of worry, but injury won’t happen if they aren’t playing. Exhibit “A” is of course the infamous 1970 Pete Rose drilling of Ray Fosse at the plate – causing an injury that never really resolved for the catcher.

It was 20 years ago that a freak accident in a photo session at the All-Star Game broke Cal Ripken’s nose and almost ended his career streak at 2,239, almost 400 short of his eventual number. Here is a Peter Schmuck article about the incident where Cal caught a forearm from a player who lost his balance.

The third negative: Players in the Home Run Derby are often said to not perform as well in the second half of the season. Some great players have refused to participate because of this concern. An example of this is an analysis from just a year ago where seven of the eight participants did not perform as well. However, a larger number of written analyses over the years have largely debunked this as a myth, an example being this SABR article from 2010. I will say that I do not see how participation could be a positive.

And that last thought represents my total view of the All-Star Game. While it is still a better event than the silliness seen in the NFL or NBA, it really is not much more than an exhibition. I know I’m in the minority on this subject by having this viewpoint. But like Showalter says so often, we need to keep the finish line in view.