The Baltimore Orioles have been surprisingly good in 2022.
They are still not quite a .500 team, but they are inching closer and closer.
Before Wednesday’s games, they were 35-41, just six games away: they have been better than the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Washington Nationals, two teams in the AL Central, and the Oakland Athletics, just to name a few.
They even have the same record as the Seattle Mariners.
A large part of that success can be attributed to outfielder Austin Hays.
When discussing the Orioles, everyone talks about Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, and even rookie Adley Rutschman.
But Hays has been the best and most consistent of them this year.
The O’s Want To Get Hays Into The All-Star Game
The 27-year-old slugger is making a bid for a spot in the All-Star Game, to be played in Los Angeles on July 19.
The Orioles are helping their star get some votes with a Twitter campaign, asking their fans to dedicate a few minutes of their time and select Hays’ name five times today.
🗣 Get this man to LA!
Vote Hays 5x today ⭐️ https://t.co/9gHRRl3w4V pic.twitter.com/qM3dTNOLAz
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) June 29, 2022
Hays is hitting .283/.340/.482 with 11 home runs, 39 runs, and 45 RBI: he is certainly deserving of a spot among the game’s brightest stars.
His .822 OPS is comfortably above-average, and shows us he has both power and on-base ability.
Without his contributions and timely hits, the Orioles would probably have fewer wins to this point.
Not only does he deserve to be an All-Star: he is also a key cog in the Orioles’ plans for the future, as they try to return to relevancy after several dark years occupying the AL East’s cellar.
Hopefully, he will get the recognition he deserves.
NEXT: Top Orioles Prospect Adley Rutschman Is Heating Up