Major League Baseball announced its All-MLB team nominees on Wednesday night. The five starters, two relievers, one DH, and one player from each defensive position (three outfielders) will be chosen to make up the fifth annual All-MLB team. Up to 1,040 players are on 40-man rosters, out of the 780 players on major league squads that are currently active (rosters grow in September). Who knows how many additional players will be added to major league rosters during the season?
Nine catchers, seven first basemen, eight second basemen, ten third basemen, nine shortstops, eight DHs, 26 starters, and 24 players were among the 121 players who got nominations for the All-MLB team out of all of those who were present. Shohei Ohtani was nominated as both a DH and a starter.
Six Orioles players have a chance to make the All-MLB team.
The players who were nominated are Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander, Kyle Bradish, Felix Bautista, and Yennier Cano; fans of the Birds can probably guess who they are. Henderson’s nomination as a shortstop was the only somewhat unexpected item on the list.
He played roughly equally at shortstop and third base, however he appeared in one more game and played ten more innings at third base than at shortstop. But as a shortstop, he has slightly superior numbers, so that might be a benefit.
Rutschman ought to be chosen since he has already established himself as one of baseball’s top all-around catchers, if not the best. Bradish was chosen to be