The Orioles are 27-62 and trail the first-place New York Yankees by 30.5 games at the All-Star break. The record is not surprising for a team in the first-year of a complete rebuild and playing in the American League East. The Orioles have enjoyed some inspiring moments, but have also dealt with several challenges throughout the first half of the season.
Here are some midseason highs and lows:
First-Half MVP: Trey Mancini
Mancini has become the face of the franchise and is the team's most productive hitter. There were expectations that he would get the nod for the team's representative for the All-Star team. However, the American League is packed with talent in the outfield and Mancini was left out despite leading the Orioles in almost every offensive category for much of the year. Mancini is batting .291/.351/.517 with 17 homers and 40 RBIs. He has eight multi-RBI games and leads the team with 25 multi-hit games. Mancini also hit safely in 19 of 24 games in June. There has been speculation that Mancini might be traded later this month, and Orioles general manager Mike Elias said he would listen to all offers. But he added: "Who wouldn't want a player like him around for the long haul?"
