Another Orioles veteran will take the field in Arlington, Texas, next week for the MLB All-Star Game.

Tyler Smith, who has been with the Orioles since 2019, has been selected by fans to be one of two ball crew members at the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday. Smith, a York, Pennsylvania, native, received support from across the region during the voting process, even getting an assist from owner David Rubenstein, who tweeted about it.

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“It shows you Birdland, right? It’s been incredible how many people reached out; our owner is tweeting about it,” Smith said. “The team we have here in Birdland is just amazing.”

Smith will join players Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Burnes and Jordan Westburg, in addition to athletic trainer Brian Ebel, at the events. The Orioles still have the possibility of more players joining them, because injury replacements can be announced at any point.

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“It shows you where we are at as a team right now,” Smith said. “We hopefully have the opportunity to build on that, to continue to have more players there, but it just shows from top to bottom across the organization that we have a great group of guys and ladies that get things done for the Orioles.”

For Smith, working for the Orioles, and now getting to represent them on the sport’s biggest stage, has been a dream. His father, a huge Cal Ripken Jr. fan, passed on his love of the team to his son.

In 2018, Smith went to an open ball boy tryout, where he fielded ground balls and proved he could do the “charge” cheer up to standards. He started in the 2019 season, working his schedule around his day job — he’s currently an interning assistant principal, giving him ample time in the summer and some fall and spring weekends to fit games in.

Stationed on the field for entire games, Smith has had a front row seat to some of the Orioles’ biggest moments over the past five seasons. He counts Thanks, Brooks Day — when the team honored “Mr. Oriole” Brooks Robinson on the 45th anniversary of his retirement — and getting to meet Ripken as his favorite memories.

Smith isn’t sure what his duties will look like at the All-Star Game, but he said he’s honored and excited to be selected.

“We have such a fun group that we work with, as well as the whole organization, and I’m just so thankful to be a part of it,” he said.