Go off, king: Orioles legend blasts MLB for whiffing on one Baltimore All-Star

Baltimore Orioles legend and Hall of Famer Jim Palmer let loose on Major League Baseball after Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel was left off the roster for the upcoming All-Star Game, and you know what? He's got a point.

Kimbrel has been a godsend for the AL East-leading O's. Since signing a one-year, $13 million contract this past offseason, he's already equaled his 2023 total of 23 saves, and he's only blown one save since April. He's given up just one hit and zero runs in his last seven appearances and is a big reason why Baltimore currently sits atop the American League and is just a game behind the Phillies for the best record in baseball.

The American League All-Star bullpen is stacked, but Kimbrel clearly belongs. While Mason Miller of the A's, Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians, and Kirby Yates of the Rangers have all earned their spots with phenomenal first halves, Kimbrel has clearly been better than Yankees closer Clay Holmes, who even admitted on Sunday that he was surprised to make the team.

Kimbrel has had a phenomenal, if nomadic, career, but even so, his 2.10 ERA thus far this year is his best since 2017. It's clearly superior to Holmes' 3.00, and while both closers have pitched a similar amount of innings (34.1 for Kimbrel compared to 36.0 for Holmes), Kimbrel has allowed 17 hits while striking out 52 batters. Holmes is well behind in both of those metrics, too, with 39 hits allowed and 37 strikeouts of his own.

The Orioles have a right to be upset about All-Star Game snubs

Kimbrel isn't the only Oriole that should take issue with being left off the All-Star roster. Baltimore has the most exciting young team in the league, yet are sending only three representatives (Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Corbin Burnes) to Texas next week. In the American League, only Aaron Judge and Henderson have more home runs than Anthony Santander, yet he's also staying home. Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle have been outstanding, too, but they also missed the cut.

Still, Kimbrel is the most egregious snub on the team, and it's not like he isn't a household name, as he has a great chance of one day joining Palmer in Cooperstown. He's also been a veteran presence on a team mostly made up of young phenoms, and he's only gotten better as the season has progressed.

Palmer's accusation of New York bias is a complicated one. On the one hand, Kimbrel does seem to have been passed over in favor of Holmes, while in the National League, the Diamondbacks' Christian Walker has a legit beef with being snubbed in favor of Mets first baseman Pete Alonso despite being better statistically in every category. On the other hand, though, Alonso's teammate Francisco Lindor was snubbed for the fourth straight year as a member of the Mets, and his omission is once again inexplicable when considering his statistical case and all-around game. Brandon Nimmo also had a case but was left off the team.

In the end, MLB just got it wrong, but if anything, the decision to choose Holmes over Kimbrel will just add fuel to the fire as the Orioles look to outlast the spiraling Yankees and improve upon last season's first-round playoff exit. All-Star appearances are nice, but all of the Orioles' goals are still within reach.