Infielders
Manny Machado, 3B: So far, the Manny Magic has been unrelenting. He’s a human defensive highlight film and ranks in the top three on the team in every key offensive category. Legitimate American League Most Valuable Player candidate. Grade: A Jonathan Schoop, 2B: Watching Schoop grow into the player he is becoming has been a real joy for O’s fans. His terrific arm is a huge asset in the infield, and he has become a very productive hitter. Numbers project to 26 homers and 97 RBIs over a full season. Grade: A Friday, 7:10 p.m. TV: MASN2 Radio: 105.7 FM Chris Davis, 1B: Not on pace to defend his 2015 home run title, but is on pace to make a run at 41homers and108 RBIs this year. Leads the league in strikeouts, but has made up for that by playing Gold Glove defense all season. Grade: B+ J.J. Hardy, SS: Caught a tough break — literally — when he fouled a ball off his foot May 1 and missed the next seven weeks of the season. When healthy, he has been his usual steady self on defense and has delivered some clutch hits, including two big swings Sunday. Grade: B Pedro Alvarez, DH-3B: Took awhile to find his stroke at the plate but has displayed his power despite irregular playing time. Doesn’t provide a great option defensively at any position but has contributed when called upon. Grade: C Ryan Flaherty, IF: Solid utility guy who got off to a slow start at the plate this season but swung the bat well in June. Has committed just three errors in 47 games playing five positions, though most of them were at third base while Machado spelled Hardy at short. Grade: C Paul Janish, IF: Journeyman infielder came in handy when Hardy went down and lived up to his reputation as a slick fielder at third and short. Didn’t do much at the plate but wasn’t expected to. Grade: C
Outfielders
Hyun Soo Kim, LF: Truly surprising emergence as one of the Orioles’ best pure hitters has been one of the feel-good stories of the year. Everybody was wrong about him, and he has been very gracious while proving that. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring strain in the last game before the All-Star break. Grade: A Mark Trumbo, RF-DH: All you can really say about Trumbo is, “Wow.” The Orioles thought they were getting a good power bat when the Seattle Mariners traded him here for a song, but they didn’t know the half of it. Numbers project to 52 homers and127 RBIs over a full season. Grade: A Adam Jones, CF: Bounced back from a frustrating start to put up terrific numbers in June after manager Buck Showalter unexpectedly moved him into the leadoff role. Dramatic bounce-back has him on pace for 32 homers and 99 RBIs. Grade: B Nolan Reimold, OF: Reserve outfielder who is an asset defensively and a solid on-base guy. He’s healthy and could play more if everyone else in the outfield mix weren’t playing so well. Grade: B Joey Rickard, OF: Pleasantly surprising Rule 5 draft pick got off to a great start this season before stepping back into a regular reserve role when Kim emerged as one of the club’s most consistent on-base guys. Still, far exceeding expectations. Grade: B
Catchers
Matt Wieters, C: The Orioles didn’t think they would be able to keep Wieters last Starting pitcher Chris Tillman missed the cut for the All-Star Game, but he is 12-2 with a 3.41 ERA and is the standout in a shaky rotation. The Orioles have gone 16-3 in his starts. Left fielder Hyun Soo Kim has proved himself as one of the club’s best pure hitters. winter, but he stayed and has had a healthy and productive first half of the season. Ranks close third among AL catchers in RBIs despite fewer at-bats than Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals and Brian McCann of the New York Yankees. Grade: A- Francisco Pena, C: Called up when Caleb Joseph suffered a potentially serious groinarea injury, held his own in nine games behind the plate. Batted .219 with a home run and threw out three of six base stealers. Grade: C Caleb Joseph, C: Suffered a painful impact injury to his groin that kept him out of action for five weeks, but already was having trouble producing in limited playing time. Still a very solid backup catcher, but needs to hit more in the second half. Grade: D
Pitchers
Zach Britton, RP: Simply unhittable. Britton has converted every save opportunity this year to lead the AL (27) and has a sub-0.75 ERA that would be even lower if Utility man Ryan Flaherty has committed just three errors in 47 games. not for his one loss in a nonsave situation. It doesn’t get any better than this. Grade: A+ Brad Brach, RP: Still trying to figure out how Dan Duquette stole this guy from the San Diego Padres. Brach has evolved into one of the best setup relievers in the game and was rewarded with a richly deserved place on this year’s AL All-Star team. Grade: A Dylan Bundy, RP: The only bad thing you could say is that he isn’t quite ready to enter the starting rotation, but that could change in the second half of the season. Throwing very well in a middle-relief role right now, but still under a strict innings limit. Grade: A Chris Tillman, SP: Looked like a slamdunk All-Star two weeks ago, but three difficult starts (14 earned runs in 142⁄ innings) pumped up his ERA and dropped him out of the picture. Who cares? He has bounced back in his past two starts and is 12-2 with a 3.41 ERA, and he’s carrying a struggling rotation. The club is 16-3 in his starts. Grade: A- Mychal Givens, RP: Hard to believe that just a few years ago, Givens wasn’t even a pitcher. Now, he’s a big part of the bullpen, with a 6-1 record to prove it. Deceptive drop-down delivery makes him a very effective middle guy. Grade: B+ Darren O’Day, RP: It was a disappointing first half for O’Day, who has missed significant time with a hamstring injury after trying to pitch through it. That probably accounts for his relatively — for him — high ERA (3.15), but he’s still among the best setup guys in the business. Grade: B+ Vance Worley, RP: Veteran right-hander has showed up in all sorts of situations, making two spot starts and pitching effectively out of the bullpen. Ended the first half with a 2.98 ERA in 451⁄ innings. Grade: B+ Odrisamer Despaigne, RP: Acquired from the Padres in February and spent most of first half with Triple-A Norfolk, but has pitched well in a catch-all bullpen role at the major league level, giving up just four earned runs in 131⁄ innings (10 appearances). Pumped up his WHIP with eight walks, however. Grade: B Yovani Gallardo, SP: Signed as a free agent this spring to shore up a sketchy rotation, but a sore shoulder cost him two months of the first half. The Orioles have won four of his five starts since he returned from the disabled list and are 6-3 in his nine starts overall, but he still has a 5.82 ERA. Grade: C Kevin Gausman, SP: Top young pitcher in the organization has had a rocky first half, getting scant run support early and struggling to hold some starts together over the past two months. The 1-6 record is certainly deceptive considering he has given up more than four runs only twice and his ERA was sub-4.00 until his most recent start. But he has to be more consistent. Grade: C- T. J. McFarland, RP: Left-handed utility pitcher has made 15 appearances and allowed 30 hits in 24 innings on the way to a 2-2 record and 5.63 ERA. Because his job is to bounce back and forth between Baltimore and Norfolk and save the bullpen in thankless situations, he gets some slack here. Grade: C- Tyler Wilson, SP: Impressed Showalter with his presence on the mound and had six quality starts while he was in the rotation, but struggled badly in his last two starts of the first half to boost his ERA to 5.22. Grade: C- Mike Wright, SP: Delivered five solid starts in the first half but could not hold his place in the rotation. Needs to be more consistent with his command, but remains a prospect and a rotation option. Grade: D Ubaldo Jimenez, SP: Orioles fans have grown weary of his scary starts and his ugly numbers, but here’s a stat you might not believe: The Orioles are 26-23 in his starts since the beginning of last season (8-9 this year). Yes, really. Grade: D- Brian Matusz, RP: Once again, dogged by an injury in spring training and never really got into a rhythm on the mound. Made just seven appearances, allowing three homers and eight earned runs in six innings before being traded to the Atlanta Braves and immediately designated for assignment. Grade: F Oliver Drake, RP: Short-timer did not impress in four appearances. Allowed six runs in just 52⁄ innings. Grade: Incomplete Brian Duensing, RP: Signed as a free agent two days after the Orioles traded Matusz, but didn’t last long in middle-relief role before going on the DL long-term with an elbow injury. Grade: Incomplete Ashur Tolliver, RP: Came up and got a win in five appearances, but gave up three earned runs in just 42⁄ innings. Grade: Incomplete