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The All Time Team: Baltimore Orioles

I began writing the intro, the same thing you are reading right now. It commenced with me saying, “It is now 78 days away from Opening Day … ” I continued to explain that we are in baseball limbo, inbetween the time of the hot stove and the start of the season. I also explained that as Orioles fans, we have not seen significant moves this offseason to get inspiration to my fingers.

Right now, as we stand set on the night of February 8^th, it is 56 days until Opening Day and we are still in baseball limbo. However, since then, we have signed Miguel Tejada – someone who got Baltimore excited; but that was about it. Yes, I’ve been working for this very hard for the past 22 days – a very extended period of time for me to work on a project.

However, let me throw this back to myself, a 22 days younger self, to explain where I am going with all this …

As I looked for a way to bring something more of substance to the Orioles page, I realized something. There isn’t a consensus all time Orioles team. There isn’t a solid list of players that everyone can agree on. I already did an all decade team, so why not expand the time.

Here’s the all time Orioles team to end all conversations. I am disqualifying the St. Louis Browns from this conversation. Want to complain about it? Don’t. Do you consider any Baltimore Colt player an Indianapolis Colt? No, you don’t. Don’t be a hypocrite. Also, the stats that are counted are the ones logged as an Oriole, not the players’ full major league careers.

So here it is, a full active roster of the Orioles all time team.

Now here is my recommendation to you: I got pretty into this as I got into the heart of the team. Take it slow, guys. Read one section at a time. You can divide it down to one a day, one an hour, one every few hours, or just look at this intro and think its crap. Fact – 80% of you will choose the last option.

The Starting Position Players

Catcher – Rick Dempsey – 1976-1986, 1992

Intangibles. Rick Dempsey may not have the numbers to be recognized as a great of all time around the league, but his intangibles out weigh everything else. It all starts with his 1983 World Series MVP trophy that was earned with a .385 average during the series that accounted for four doubles, a homerun, and two RBIs. His OPS was at 1.390.

Then there was his personality that infected the clubhouse and the team. He lead the Orioles Magic years with his antics and loose view upon life and the game. You can see old videos of him pretending to be Babe Ruth during rain delays and sliding around on the soaking wet tarp. Sometimes, he even slipped on a pair of white Jockey underwear over his uniform to mock Jim Palmer’s famous advertisements. Why? Because he was an entertainer. What else was he going to do during the delay?

For his tangibles, he has played the most games in Orioles history as a catcher with 1,245. He is also first amongst Oriole catchers in hits and doubles. He batted an unspectacular .238 with a .319 on-base percentage to go along with it. He only hit 75 balls out of the park and drove in 355 runs. But if you ask an fan past or present to name an Orioles catcher, the first name out of their mouth is Rick Dempsey. If not, you have a faux Orioles fan.

First Base – Eddie Murray – 1977-1988, 1996

Edd – ie, Edd – ie, Edd – ie. You heard it rumble throughout the stadium, whether it be Memorial Stadium or that one season in Camden Yards, for the entirety of Murray’s career with Baltimore.

With Dempsey, we talked about intangibles. With Eddie Murray, he had the numbers that made the stadiums chant his name. Oh, and the afro; but I don’t think that counts as an intangible.

Murray has played the most games as an Oriole first baseman with 1,660 and produced in every single one of them. He logged 1,848 hits, 306 homeruns, 1,102 RBIs, 322 doubles, batted .296, and slugged .503. He is one of few Oriole players to take home a Rookie of the Year award and one of even fewer to hit 300+ homeruns.

In the rankings, you can see Murray’s name everywhere. Here are his rankings all time as an Oriole:

At Bats: 3^rd (7,075)

Plate Appearances: 3^rd (8,053)

Runs Scored: 3^rd (2,080)

Total Bases: 3^rd (3,522)

Doubles: 3^rd (363)

Homeruns: 2^nd (343)

RBIs: 3^rd (1,224)

Walks: 5^th (884)

Singles: 3^rd (1,349)

Runs Created: 3^rd (1,307)

Intentional Walks: 1^st (135)

He makes his name known everywhere in the Orioles all time encyclopedia. His name appears along side greats like Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken in the top three of nearly every category imaginable.

But remember, most importantly, that afro. Ahhh… yes, that afro.

Second Base – Brian Roberts – 2001-Present

I have already written two articles about Brian Roberts and do not feel like being redundant. So here are the links to the other posts, they say it all about Brian:

http://isportsweb.com/2009/12/17/question-for-espn-com-where-is-he/

http://isportsweb.com/2009/12/24/the-2000s-os-all-decade-team/

Shortstop – Cal Ripken, Jr. – 1981-2001

You name an offensive category and Cal Ripken leads it. He is the face of the franchise and it seems like that won’t be changing for a long time.

He is forever immortalized in Baltimore in many different ways. Whether it be his aluminum number 8 that sits outside the gates on Eutaw Street (yes, some jerkoffs stole it, but thats besides the point), his orange seat in left field commemorating his homerun that gave him the most all time as a shortstop, or just everyone’s memory of the banner flipping to 2,131 on the Warehouse and him taking his lap around the ballpark.

How about this for a lasting effect. Ripken leads the franchise all time in games played, at bats, plate appearances, runs scored, hits, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks, strikeouts, singles, runs created, extra base hits, times on base, sacrifice flies, no hitters, and complete game shut outs. Okay, maybe I was just kidding about the last two, but everything else was legit.

He is the only player in Orioles history to have 3,000+ hits, 400+ homeruns, or 1,500+ RBIs.

Keep in mind, he wasn’t only loved by Oriole fans. He leads all time in All Star Game votes.

Third Base – Brooks Robinson – 1955-1977

The shortstop and third base positions are the easiest to call on this team. In whatever Cal is first in, Brooksie is a sure second. He is forever immortalized in Baltimore sports history. He stands along side Johnny Unitas (For sure. You can add the other two.) on the Baltimore Sports Mt. Rushmore.

He is the greatest defensive third baseman of all time. How can you deny sixteen straight Gold Glove wins? Those sixteen straight Gold Gloves are the most all time won consecutively. Also, it is tied for the most all time for one player (with Jim Kaat).

You can’t just look at Brooks’ fielding percentage or other numbers to see how great of a fielder he was; even though his .971 fielding percentage at the hot corner is pretty great. Also, 94% of the balls he fielded over his career resulted in an out. The MLB average for a third baseman is 89%.

The one thing you do need to look at to see his defensive dominance is the 1970 World Series. This is where Brooks made his name as the best in history. His plays made the series for the Orioles as they marched to the second World Series win in their history.

“I watch baseball today and a third baseman makes a great play, they say ‘That’s a Brooks Robinson play.’ and I ask myself, ‘Did I ever do that?’”

He combined amazing fielding with a solid bat, as well. He hit over 250 homeruns through his 23 year career to go along with a solid .267 batting average. He also raked 482 doubles on over 2800 hits.

He was a postseason wizard, as well. In 39 post season games, Brooks batted .303 with a .785 OPS. He added five homeruns and eight doubles as well. That ’70 World Series was also amazing for him on the offensive side. He had 17 total bases, a then record, on two doubles, two homeruns, and nine hits.

“I could field as long as I can remember, but hitting has been a struggle all my life.”

Maybe the best of all, Brooks is one of the nicest men of all time. He is always willing to stop for an autograph and absolutely loves it.

Forever will Brooks be remembered in Baltimore. He will be materialized in spring of 2011 when a statue is put up in his honor much like the statue of Johnny U at M&T Bank. Brooks will live forever at Camden Yards.

Left Field – Brady Anderson – 1988-2001

When thinking best homerun hitters in Orioles history, Brady Anderson certainly doesn’t come to mind right away. Well, it certainly shouldn’t with players like Boog Powell, Eddie Murray, and Frank Robinson having played for this franchise. But, Brady Anderson did produce the power and deserves the spot in left field with all his other talents taken into account.

Two-hundred and nine. Two hundred and nine baseballs Brady Anderson hit out of the park during his 14 seasons in Baltimore – an average of around 19 homeruns per 162 games. However, the most important part of his homerun total to remember is that he is the Orioles all time leader in single season homeruns with 50 in 1996.

To see the peak of Anderson’s game, you must look at 1996. As mentioned, his 50 homeruns is still an Orioles single season record. Since 1996, only one player has hit 40+ homeruns (Palmeiro in 1998) and only four players have hit 30+. He didn’t only produce the long ball that year, either. He also batted .297, had an OPS of 1.034, drove in 110 runs, crossed the plate himself 117 times, and had 172 hits. All of those were career highs. Amongst the non-career highs, Anderson had an on-base percentage of .396, stole 21 bases, hit 37 doubles, and was hit by a pitch 22 times. It is one of the best single seasons for an Orioles player in history.

We all know that the 1996 season for Anderson is in question because of PEDs. A player just doesn’t go from hitting 16 homeruns the year before and having a high of 21 for his career to hitting 50 in one season. It just doesn’t happen … usually. However, Anderson was not named in the Mitchell Report nor is made mention of anywhere on baseballssteroidera.com.

Let me throw it over to wikipedia to round this one out:

“Anderson still ranks among the top ten in Orioles career batting leaders for games (1759), at-bats (6,271), runs (1.044), total bases (2,698), hits (1,614), doubles (329), triples (64), home runs (209), RBI (744), extra base hits (602), stolen bases (307), and walks (927). He holds the single-season records for total bases (369 in 1996), home runs (50 in 1996), extra base hits (92 in 1996), and hit by pitch (24 in 1999).

As of 2010, Anderson is one of only two players (the other being Barry Bonds) to have stolen 50 or more bases in a season (53 in 1992) and hit 50 or more home runs in a season (50 in 1996).”

Center Field – Al Bumbry – 1972-1984

As one of the best table-setters in Baltimore history, Al Bumbry used his speed, contact, and refusal to strikeout to become the best center fielder in the history of the O’s.

In a 13-year career with Baltimore, The Bee swatted 217 doubles, stole 252 bases, and hit .283 overall. Even more impressive are these two stats.

The first is his triples total. Over 13 seasons, Bumbry hit 52 three-baggers. It was an average of six triples per 162 games. His greatest season for triples, and for that matter, overall, was in his rookie year of 1973. Al knocked 11 triples to lead the league. He also had three in one game on September 22^nd against the Brewers. To go along with those triples, he had a .337 batting average, 23 steals, a .398 OBP, .898 OPS, and 120 hits all in only 110 games.

His second impressive stat is his on-base percentage. Al was a .283 career hitter as an Oriole. However, batting average is a baby stat. The stat to look at is on-base percentage. Al’s Oriole career OBP stands at .343. Thats pretty great considering his batting average.

Now, we all know Paul Blair is considered the best fielding center fielder in Baltimore history. However, if you look at Bumbry’s numbers, he could be better. Bumbry was a career .989 fielder in center while Blair fielded .988. Difference is, Blair won eight Gold Gloves (seven in a row and all eight with Baltimore) and Bumbry didn’t win any.

Give me Bumbry here. But, trust me, Blair will be showing up on this team.

Oh, and by the way, if you ever have the chance to hear Al Bumbry speak on his playing career, trust me, it’s extremely worth it.

Right Field – Frank Robinson – 1966-1971

The greatest trade in the history of Baltimore sports brought a 30-year old Frank Robinson, deemed old by the Cincinnati Reds, to the Orioles in exchange for a 27-year old Milt Pappas. Frank Robinson went on to hit 286 homeruns, win a MVP, and win the triple crown all after the trade. Milt Pappas went on to have a 99-90 record with a 3.57 ERA. The Reds traded him halfway through the 1968 season.

Without Frank Robinson, the Orioles definitely don’t win the World Series in 1966. I don’t have to stress how important a triple crown victory (49 HRs, 122 RBIs, and a .316) was in propelling the team to their first World Series title ever.

And how about in 1970? He may not have had as amazing numbers as he did in ’66, but he certainly helped in winning the team’s second World Series title.

Frank is the Orioles’ all time leader in slugging percentage and OPS. If he had played more than six seasons in Baltimore, we would be talking about him as the all time leader in everything – not Cal – and possibly more World Series titles.

Designated Hitter – Harold Baines – 1993-1995, 1997-1999, 2000

When thinking of Harold Baines, you probably immediately think of his sure fire bat while wearing a Chicago White Sox uniform. You wouldn’t be wrong if that was your first image. Harold did play a part of 14 seasons with Chicago over his 22 year career. However, something should be noted, something that is little known. Heck, I didn’t even realize it.

In 666 games over the course of seven seasons as a Baltimore Oriole, Harold Baines had 638 hits, 107 homeruns, a .301 batting average, and a .881 OPS. As a White Sock, he of course had more hits and homeruns with 1,773 hits and 221 bombs in 1,670 games; but, Baines only had a .288 average and a .809 OPS during that time. His numbers were drastically better with Baltimore.

I always remembered my uncle saying when I was younger that Harold Baines “could hit with the lights out.” You ever tried playing baseball in a dark room?

And, of course, for the designated hitter role, I wanted a pure designated hitter. Harold Baines is the best designated hitter in Baltimore’s history.

The Starting Rotation

Jim Palmer – 1965-1967, 1969-1984

What Cal Ripken is to the offensive numbers, Jim Palmer is to the pitching numbers. You name a category – wins, innings, strikeouts – and Jim Palmer leads it. As well he should.

Over his 19 year career with the Orioles, Palmer won 268 games while losing 152. Through nearly 4,000 innings, Palmer struck out 2,212 batters and finished with a 2.86 ERA. He brought the Orioles 211 complete games and 53 shutouts. He lead the league in shutouts once and complete games once, in ERA twice, and wins three years in a row from 1975 to 1977. He won three Cy Young awards in his Oriole career.

There are two very interesting stats that capture Palmer’s abilities over his career.

In 213 plate appearances against him with the bases loaded, the batters were 36 for 184 – a batting average of .196. Even better, his strikeout ratio in those situations was higher than three to one. However, the best stat that comes from that split is the goose egg Palmer threw in the homerun category. In nearly four-thousand innings, Palmer never tossed a grand slam.

And how about this for a stat, Palmer is the only pitcher in MLB history to win a World Series game in three different decades. He did it in the 1966 World Series against the Dodgers, the 1970 World Series against the Reds, and the 1983 World Series against the Phillies.

It is no secret that this man was a great pitcher, one of the best of the decade in the 70′s, and one of the best of all time. He was voted to the Hall of Fame in 1990 and for great reason.

And trust me, Palmer will never hesitate to tell you any of that, either.

He may be a guy that likes to talk about his prior accomplishments (whether it be in the booth during games, during fan forums, or even during private conversations) and turn you down for autographs (citing the weather as a reason); but, he seems to be a class act deep down.

I have a personal story with Mr. Palmer that will serve me as a great memory for years to come. On mattwietersfacts.com, a great website dedicated to the arrival of sure fire Hall of Fame catcher Matt Wieters and whimsical facts about him, they sold t-shirts with various facts printed on them. One shirt read “He is so good that even Palmer stopped talking about himself.” I, always looking for confrontation and a good laugh, wore my shirt to one Orioles game knowing I was going to see Palmer while getting autographs before the game. One of the ushers who worked on field saw my shirt, found it hilarious himself, and decided to call Jim over to see. Mr. Palmer came up close, read it, chuckled, then said to me, “He isn’t THAT good.” Afterwards, he graciously signed the shirt.

It was a great reaction and memory from the greatest pitcher in Oriole history and one of the greatest ever.

(Side note, Ryan Zimmerman also thought that shirt was hilarious.)

Dave McNally – 1962-1974

From the Oriole glory years in the late 60′s and early 70′s, Jim Palmer gets the most credit out of all the starting pitchers. Yes, he rightfully deserves it. However, Dave McNally could be considered one of the most underrated pitchers from the time.

Let’s take a group of years and compare them. Let’s make the years in focus 1968 to 1974, six seasons.

Dave McNally through that time period started 256 games, had a 133-75 record, an ERA of 3.00, 98 complete games, 962 strikeouts and a 1.151 WHIP. During the time, he did not win a single award. He finished in the top four in Cy Young voting three times, top 20 in MVP voting four times (including a 5^th place finish in 1968), and only went to one All Star Game. His best season came in 1968 when he received not one vote for Cy Young (Denny McClain got all of them) yet pitched to a 22-10 record with a 1.95 ERA and a league leading .842 WHIP.

During the same stretch, Jim Palmer put up similar numbers. In those six seasons, Palmer pitched in only five. He started 198 games, had a 106-54 record, an ERA of 2.55, 90 complete games, 932 strikeouts, and a 1.165 WHIP. During that time, Palmer took home a Cy Young Award, finished in the top five two other times, was a three time All Star, and finished in the top 25 in MVP voting four years including second place in 1973.

Stats from the Years 1968 to 1974
Stat	Jim Palmer	Dave McNally
Record	106-54	133-75
ERA	2.55	3.00
CGs	90	98
K’s	932	962
WHIP	1.165	1.151
Starts	198	256

You can’t hold the fact that McNally pitched in more games against him. You can’t blame him for being healthier than Palmer. Jim had to miss the entire 1968 season because he had arm issues. He had to go play in the Instructional League to get his form back after surgery. That never happened to McNally. I am not arguing McNally as better than Palmer for their careers, but I am arguing for more respect for McNally during the glory years.

Think of how big he was in the 1970 World Series. He was able to come away with a win against The Big Red Machine in game three. He pitched all nine innings, allowed three runs, struck out five, and, most impressively, struck a grand slam in the 6^th inning with two outs after an intentional walk to Dave Johnson two batters before. Adding a strong complete game and four RBIs in a World Series game is amazing.

Where would the Orioles be without McNally? Probably sitting on two World Series wins (at the most) and back-to-back-to-back losses in the ’69 , ’70, ’71 series. We probably wouldn’t be celebrating the 40^th anniversary of our 2^nd world title this season.

McNally retired after the 1975 season because he disliked the direction of baseball. At the age of 31, he walked away from the game because of the newly implanted free agency rules. Rather admirable, he must have seen what was to come down the line and wanted no part of it.

It’s amazing how McNally never got serious consideration for the Hall of Fame. Once again, not saying he should be in the Hall, but he should have gotten more votes. He received only 1.2% of the votes in ’81, 1.2% in ’82, 1.8% in ’85, and 2.8% in 1986.

Overall in his Oriole career, McNally was 181-113 with 1,476 strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA. He is second all time for Baltimore in wins, second in innings, third in strikeouts, and second in shutouts.

It’s a shame that Dave couldn’t be around to see the 40^th anniversary celebrations of that ’70 World Series. His death at the age of 60 in 2001 from the hands of lung cancer was way too soon.

Mike Cuellar – 1969-1976

Mike Cuellar appears in this rotation in the third spot as the only starting pitcher to not pitch with Baltimore in their 20′s. Pitching from 1969 to 1976 (ages 32 to 39), Cuellar collected 143 wins and 88 losses off a 3.18 ERA. He also struck out over one-thousand batters, had a 1.188 WHIP, and opponents were held to a .244 batting average against him.

In eight Oriole seasons, Cuellar finished above .500 in seven of them. The only one in which he did not was 1976 where he only started 19 games. If you exclude that ’76 season, Cuellar’s lowest win total in a single-season as an Oriole is 14 in ’75 and he never finished below .500.

He won 20+ games in four of the eight seasons (as well as 18 in two more). That includes a strand of three straight 20+ wins from 1969 to 1971. Do you know what else happed from 1969 to 1971? The Orioles won three straight AL Pennants. Coincidence? Not really.

Cuellar ranks in the top four of many Oriole pitching categories. His name can be seen on leader boards with Palmer, McNally, and Mussina.

Mike Mussina – 1991-2000

Mike Mussina was caught in a bad time. He didn’t have the benefits that Palmer, McNally, or Cuellar had in the 60′s, 70′s, and 80′s. Mussina was pitching in the 90′s – a decade now infamous for use of performance enhancers and a decade known for horrible Baltimore baseball teams. Mussina pitched on only five teams that were over .500 and only two teams that made the playoffs in ten years. Meanwhile, McNally and Cuellar pitched in three World Series and Palmer pitched in all six in team history.

Despite the downward spiral of the ball club from juggernaut to bottom dweller, a young Mike Mussina stepped into the starting rotation and made a huge impact.

When he started his first full pitching season in the major leagues in 1992, there was no looking back. He went 18-5 while leading the AL in win percentage. His ERA was at 2.54, his WHIP was a great 1.079, and he pitched four shutouts. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting developing a trend throughout his career.

After that breakout year, the Moose, as named by fans, followed it up with eight more great seasons. He won 19 games twice in 1995 and 1996 as well as another 18 win year in 1999, another trend throughout his career. Overall, Mussina finished his Oriole career with a 147-81 record, a 3.53 ERA, a 1.175 WHIP, 15 shutouts, 1,535 K’s, and only 467 walks. He did all this while only averaging 5.3 runs of support per start in an era dominated by further homeruns and artificial muscles.

Mussina leaving after the 2000 season was as much symbolic as it was devastating. Mussina said there was no way he would return to Baltimore and take lower pay. The blame for losing Mussina to the rivaled Yankees can be placed on the shoulder of cheap owner Peter Angelos. It set sail for more moves like this for years to come and it is still continuing in 2010.

Last season was rough for some Oriole fans with the O’s finishing in last place by nearly losing 100 games and the New York Yankees winning the World Series. But, if you want to get anything out of last season, remember this: Mike Mussina finally got a 20 win season after 18 years of trying and two 17 win seasons, three 18 win seasons, and two 19 win seasons.

There is a very good chance that Mussina makes the Hall of Fame in 2014 when he is eligible. It will be tough on that first ballot since it will also be the first for Maddux and Glavine. Another question is if he goes in as a Yankee or as an Oriole. We all want him to go in as an Oriole (I would assume. Unless you are a Yankee fan reading this. If so, then thank you for your view, but the door is to the right.).

Mike Mussina’s Career
Stat	As Oriole	As Yankee
Games	288	249
W/L	147-81	123-72
Win%	.645	.631
ERA	3.53	3.88
WHIP	1.175	1.212
K’s	1,535	1,278
Awards*	9	3

* Awards equate to Gold Gloves and All Star Games

As you can see, all of Mussina’s stats are better as an Oriole and the hat that he will be wearing in the hall absolutely needs to feature a bird.

Scott McGregor – 1976-1988

Its hard to imagine some of the Orioles’ successes in the late 70′s and early 80′s without Scott McGregor in the rotation.

With a Jim Palmer toward the end of his career and Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally both long gone, the integrity of Baltimore’s rotation fell onto the shoulders of a young man named Mike Flanagan and another youngster by the name of Scott McGregor.

While Flanagan won 23 games as well as the AL Cy Young award, it is tough to say that Baltimore would have found themselves in the 1979 World Series without McGregor. His game four shutout against the Angels in California in the ALCS sent Baltimore to the World Series with a 3-1 series win over the Halos. Without that win, the O’s would have to stay in California for another game – a place they would have already lost two straight. It would have been tough for Baltimore to battle back in games 6 and 7 in Memorial if they had dropped three straight in Cali. In that same ALCS, Flanagan got lucky with an ample amount of run support. His Orioles offense gave him 9 runs in the first three innings as he allowed four in seven innings.

In that year’s World Series, Baltimore may have lost it four games to three, but one huge reason why they were kept in that series is Scott McGregor. McGregor’s game three performance swung the momentum back to Baltimore after Don Stanhouse blew an Oriole win in the 9^th inning of game two. Not only did McGregor get the win, he did it in definitive fashion pitching 9 innings and only allowing four runs. Three of those four runs came in the first two innings. The win gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead in the series and the momentum to take a 3-1 lead. With the series knotted up after a Pirates’ comeback, McGregor once again took the hill; but this time, it was the biggest stage in baseball – game seven of the World Series. McGregor was once again dominant with 8 innings of two run baseball. However, the Orioles were not able to put runs on the board against the pitching of the Pirates and the Orioles’ bullpen were unable to keep the game within a run after McGregor’s exit to begin the 9^th.

One of those pitchers that was unable to keep it within in a run was Mike Flanagan who gave up a one out single to lead off hitter Omar Moreno to allow the Pirates to take a 3-1 lead. That was the only batter Flanagan would face that game. One batter faced, one hit, one run.

McGregor may have lost the last game of the magical Orioles’ 70′s to lose the World Series, but he had another shot to redeem himself in 1983. After tanking in the ALCS, McGregor was given the opening game in the ’83 Series against the Phillies. He pitched great that game as well allowing two runs in eight innings of work. His offense was only able to score one run as the squad fell to the John Denny-led Phillies. However, McGregor was once again given the opportunity to pitch as he took Game 5 with the Orioles’ series lead at 3-1. McGregor did not disappoint. He pitched 9 innings of shutout baseball for the Orioles’ 3^rd World Series title.

With a little run support in Game 7 of 1979 and Game 1 of 1983, the Orioles could have four World Series titles and Scott McGregor would probably have two World Series MVP trophies. But it happens. McGregor is still a top five starting pitcher in Orioles’ history.

Now, why? Why was I comparing him to Mike Flanagan a good amount of the time? The reason is this – I think this spot will be the most disputed amongst readers. Many would say “take out McGregor and add in Flanagan.” I thought I should tackle it early.

Stats as an Oriole
Stat	McGregor	Flanagan
W/L	138/108	141/116
Win%	.561	.549
ERA	3.99	3.89
WHIP	1.291	1.323
K’s	904	1,294

For one, give me a better WHIP over a better ERA any day of the week. Also, Flanagan had 94 more games to have 390 more strikeouts. On top of that, McGregor wasn’t a strikeout pitcher.

The Bullpen

Here, I want players who actually worked out of the bullpen for the majority of their Orioles careers. Some players may have been thrown into some save situations as an Oriole, but may not have been the closer for a wide margin of their Baltimore career. I tried to keep closers in the closer category.

Long Man – Arthur Rhodes (LHP) – 1991-1999

It’s hard to find a quality long reliever. A quality long reliever is called a starting pitcher. If you have a quality long reliever in your bullpen, that means you have five pretty damn good starters in your rotation and there is absolutely no need for said long reliever.

For the Orioles all time team, I present you Arthur Rhodes. I’m sorry, try not to cry or choke on anything you may be eating or drinking.

I originally had good ole Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm in this spot; but, after looking at numbers, its pretty safe to say its unfair to place him as the long man. It just wasn’t his job in Baltimore.

Being the long reliever was what Arthur Rhodes did, however, for a good chunk of time over nine seasons.

His job as a long reliever started in mid July of 1995 as he struggled mightily as a starter. In nine starts, he had a 7.16 ERA with a .807 OPS against. Baltimore thought it would be good to pitch him in long relief. You could say that worked. In ten games that year out of the pen, Rhodes had an ERA of 4.88 and an OPS against of .728. Still nothing to brag about, but it was certainly an improvement.

The best year, by far, for Author Rhodes in his career was the magical Baltimore year of 1997. Rhodes’ role was undefined as he saw time as the long man, 6^th inning man, 7^th inning man, 8^th inning man, and even, on rare occasions, the closer. He saw time in 53 games for Baltimore, finished with a 3.02 ERA, and a 1.059 WHIP. Then in the playoffs, he pitched a total of 4.2 innings without allowing a single run.

In his long relief years, roughly from 1995 to 1999, Rhodes collected a 4.33 ERA with a 1.343 WHIP. He had a record of 28-17 with a 9.7 strikeouts per nine inning ratio.

Like I said, its hard to find a quality long man; but for this team, Arthur Rhodes will do. How many times will you need a long man with Palmer, McNally, Cuellar, Mussina, and McGregor in your rotation?

The great part is that you can literally use Arthur anywhere.

Middle Relief – Eddie Watt (RHP) – 1966-1973

Palmer exits game four of the 1970 World Series with a 5-3 lead in the 8^th inning. He leaves Tony Perez on third after a walk and Johnny Bench on first after a single to left. Earl calls for Eddie Watt out of the bullpen to get three more outs and get the team out of the inning still up by two or at least throw a double play ball and let Perez score.

What Weaver did not want was Watt to serve one up to Lee May for him to crank one to left field. The scored turned to 6-5 Reds and ended that way after a Don Buford strikeout to Clay Carroll.

Watt may have got the loss and blown save in that game four, but the Orioles won the Series the next game.

We can put that all behind us for Eddie Watt. His one bad pitch in the 70 World Series just meant that Baltimore couldn’t sweep the Big Red Machine. The trophy still is in Baltimore.

What we can attribute to Watt, however, is eight seasons of great pitching out of the bullpen in Memorial Stadium.

His 2.74 ERA and 1.133 WHIP was perfect for keeping Baltimore in games and for turning the ball over to the flame throwers in the late innings.

Middle Relief – Dick Hall (RHP) – 1961-1966, 1969-1971

I doubt the moniker of “Best Non-Closing or Set-Up Reliever in Orioles History” means anything to you; even if you are an Orioles’ fan. But that is what Dick Hall is – The Best Non-Closing or Set-up Reliever in Orioles History. You can put that on a marble plaque if you’d like.

Over his nine year career with Baltimore spread throughout two stints, Hall pitched in 342 games while collecting a 2.89 ERA. His WHIP was a great 1.005 and he had a K’s to walks ratio of nearly four.

But let’s forget about the regular season for a moment and glance into the magic of the postseason. Foremost, looking at Dick Hall’s World Series play, its hard to imagine the title in ’70 without him. In a total of three World Series games from ’69, ’70, and ’71, Hall pitched in three games and faced 13 batters through 3.1 innings. He allowed only three of those batters to reach base and one was an intentional walk. Dick Hall never allowed an earned run in the Fall Classic and his career Series ERA is 0.00.

In total, in five playoff games, Hall faced 29 batters, allowed four to reach base (one the intentional walk to Al Weis in the 10^th inning of the fourth game of the 1969 World Series), and still had a career playoff ERA of 0.00.

Middle Relief – Pete Richert (LHP) – 1967-1971

His name isn’t brought up much in Baltimore baseball banter let alone in collective baseball banter. He is probably known the most in Baltimore for being the man traded with Frank Robinson to the Dodgers for a group in return. That is, of course, if he is even known for that. But, he should definitely be known for more.

By just looking at his regular season numbers in Baltimore, you can tell he was dominant. His 2.83 ERA in 343 innings can be exhibit A with his 1.093 WHIP being exhibit B.

Exhibit C should probably be a littler larger. It would be his 1970 season that aided Baltimore to a championship. In the great Baltimore season that is now on its 40^th anniversary, Richert pitched his way to a 7-2 record out of the bullpen. His ERA was a microscopic 1.98, the best of his career. His WHIP was up a little at 1.098, but still great nonetheless. His 54.2 innings of work, including 13 saves, propelled Baltimore into the playoffs with 108 total wins.

Furthermore, in the 1970 World Series, Richert added a save – perhaps a cheap one – in .1 innings pitched. Overall, in one World Series inning over three different seasons, his ERA is 0.00.

7^th Inning – Grant Jackson (LHP) – 1971-1976

Its kind of funny how Grant Jackson went from being a huge help in Oriole success to being a huge help in another way to being a killer of World Series dreams.

When the Orioles got him in 1971, he came for next to nothing. They traded prospect Roger Freed who never panned out for Jackson and a pair of two other players from the Phillies. This was mainly because Jackson, despite being a former All Star, was just 5-15 in 23 starts with an ERA over five in 1970. Baltimore had no plans to keep him in the rotation as they already had Cuellar, Dobson, Palmer, and McNally all ready to go in a four man rotation that ended up with each man having 20 win seasons.

They shoved Jackson into the bullpen in a role that primarily saw his appearances in the 6^th and 7^th innings. For five and a half years to come, Jackson saw great success out of the role. He peaked in 1973 as he had a remarkable year for a reliever. His record was 8-0 with a 1.90 ERA and a .971 ERA – both career lows.

He continued with much of the same success in the years after in orange. In total, Grant was 24-12 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.119 WHIP.

He helped Baltimore greatly in three playoff series as well by pitching a combined four innings of work without allowing an earned run.

In the middle of the 1976 season, however, Jackson was dealt along with Elrod Hendricks and two other players to the Yankees for five players including three (McGregor, Dempsey, and Martinez) that are on this all-time team.

But, once Jackson found his to the Pittsburgh Pirates, he bit Baltimore where the sun doesn’t shine. Baltimore had to face the Pirates in the 1979 World Series and ultimately lost a 3-1 series lead to a “We Are Family” Pirates team led by Roberto Clemente. Grant Jackson had a lot to do with it, too. He appeared in four games, pitched 4.2 innings, faced 16 batters, and only allowed three to reach base. In all, he allowed one hit and no earned runs. That was an absolute killer for a Baltimore team that had lost a huge offensive spark since game four.

However, Jackson still deserves his recognition on this list.

8^th Inning – Tippy Martinez (LHP) – 1977-1986

Through 11 years of service to the Baltimore Orioles, Tippy Martinez became a fan favorite with an uncanny ability to get the crowd excited like no one else. We’ll get back to that later.

Right now, let’s talk career stats. Tippy Martinez finished his Baltimore career with a 52-40 record out of the bullpen and a 3.46 ERA. His WHIP was a decent 1.387 while his K’s to walk ratio was at 1.49. Tippy also saw some seasons as the closer as he collected 105 saves in his Baltimore years. One of those closer years was the championship season of 1983 as Tippy was an All Star and 27^th in MVP voting. Tippy finished 51 games that season and had 21 saves on a 2.35 ERA.

Now, Tippy had some great numbers and surely helped Baltimore to some great seasons in the process. But, we still have not accounted from the greatest talent Tippy had – the pick off move. He most likely had the best lefty pick-off move to first base that there has ever been. He picked off 19 batters in his 11 year Baltimore career.

A story that will forever live in baseball lure is when on August 24, 1983, Tippy Martinez picked off three Toronto Blue Jays players … in one inning. Think about that. It is unlikely to see a pitcher pick off a player in MLB today, let alone three in one game or even three in one inning.

Closer – Gregg Olson (RHP) – 1988-1993

It is only necessary for the Orioles’ all time leader in saves to be the team’s closer. The 1989 season’s Rookie of the Year went on to save 160 games in his six year Baltimore career. To get those 160 saves, he was given 194 chances and converted at a 82% rate. Olson also had a 2.26 ERA and a 1.253 WHIP that certainly got the job done.

Olson’s main mentality was to strike you out. In his rookie year of 1989, Olson struck out 90 batters in 85 innings. He averaged 9.5 K’s per nine for that year. Over his entire Oriole career, he had 347 K’s over 350.1 innings for 8.9 K’s per nine.

The closer position is one that is much criticized. They are seen as players who come in to pitch one inning of work, maybe even just one out, and get a save. However, Gregg Olson was different. Olson averaged 3.3 outs per appearance during his time with Baltimore. Also, 78 of his 320 games saw him record more than one out while only 71 saw him record less. He pitched in more than one inning 80 times.

You must also keep in mind that from 1989 (I’ll exclude 1988 since Olson pitched only 10 games that year) the Orioles were 404-405. Therefore, Olson had less save opportunities than players who pitched for the teams in the early 80′s or late 70′s.

The Bench

Back-Up Catcher – Gus Triandos – 1955-1962

While Rick Dempsey had the intangibles, Gus Triandos had the stats from the catcher position. His 142 homeruns over the course of 953 games makes him one of the better power hitters in Baltimore history. However, his batting average is still a little sour at .249. But, his OBP is a little better as it stands at .326.

Off the bench, Triandos provides a power pinch hitter in those desperate situations. More importantly, he is a very solid player on those Sunday afternoon games to fill in for Rick Dempsey behind the plate.

Back-up Corner Infielder – Boog Powell – 1961-1974

What is an all time Baltimore Orioles team without Boog Powell? Even if I didn’t have him on my bench, he would be out on my main concourse selling barbecue.

Boog is better served in the batter box, however, as he has had the most raw power of anyone the Orioles have ever seen. Over the course of 1,763 games in Baltimore, Boog put out 303 balls including some that may have gone out of Memorial Stadium entirely. His .465 slugging percentage doesn’t even do his power justice.

To go along with the homers and slugging, Boog batted .266 with a .362 OBP and a .826 OPS. He drove in over a thousand runs and had over 1,500 hits. He also knocked 243 doubles and saw time in four Baltimore World Series.

Boog won the AL MVP in 1970 as he batted .297 with a .412 OBP and 35 homeruns. He drove in 114 runs and hit 28 doubles in route to a Baltimore World Series win. In that series, he batted .294 with two homeruns and five RBIs.

Boog also finished 2^nd in MVP voting in 1969 and 3^rd in 1966. At one time, Boog could be argued as the best player in the majors.

Off the bench, Boog is an obvious power threat and a great fill in for Eddie Murray at first or Harold Baines at the DH position.

Back-Up Middle Infielder – Mark Belanger – 1965-1981

At the shortstop position, I’d take glovely defense over superstar hitting almost any day of the week. In the case of Mark Belanger, he was the absolutely gloveliest.

Belanger, from ’65 to ’81, won eight Gold Gloves. Very impressive; however, it still probably doesn’t do his defense justice. Belanger was a .977 career fielder at shortstop which is better than Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepcion, and Derek Jeter; just to name a few. He had a knack for sensational plays, a Brooks Robinson of the shortstop position. We all thought Cal Ripken was a great fielder, but he had absolutely nothing on Mark Belanger.

Mark may not have been a great hitter as proven by his .229 career average and .582 career OPS. However, judging by his first full year he could have been much worse. In 1968, his first year playing a wide majority of the season in the big leagues, he batted .208 and struck out 114 times in 472 at bats.

Jump ahead to his next season, 1969. Belanger plays a full season and bats .287 and strikes out 54 times in 530 at bats. Even better, he finished 29^th in the MVP voting that year.

Over his 17 year Oriole career, Belanger finished with votes in the MVP race three times. Its amazing how a career .229 hitter could finish with MVP votes in three season. Really, its just a compliment to his defense.

Back-Up Outfielder – Paul Blair – 1964-1976

Having two eight-time Gold Glove award winners on your bench is a luxury and absolutely … well … glovely (If I use the term again, I give you the permission to stop reading. That is, of course, if you haven’t already.).

What Paul Blair brings to this team is immense. His defense in centerfield has always been bragged about. At Orioles Fanfest, he joked that the reason why Frank Robinson hit the Triple Crown in 1966 was because he [Blair] was able to cover so much ground in the field that Frank could just concentrate on offense. He was being facetious, but sure, it holds some water.

Blair didn’t win eight Gold Gloves for nothing. His defense was outstanding throughout his Baltimore career.

In addition, Blair was pretty good at stealing bases. He stole 167 bases in 13 years in Baltimore. It may not be blinding speed, but its enough off the bench to go 1^st to 3^rd or 2^nd to home in clutch situations.

I felt like I have built the perfectly balanced bench with Boog and Gus for power in pinch hitting opportunities and Blair and Belanger for speed and defense. There isn’t really a hole that I haven’t covered.

The Batting Order

1 – Brian Roberts (S)- 2B
As always, you want your best table setter batting in the lead-off spot. You want your best base stealer and contact hitter batting before everyone else. Brian Roberts has perfected the art of getting on base. His great speed makes it easy for him to go first to third on a base hit or first to home in one in the gap. Also, with his knack for hitting doubles, he is often on second to start with giving the team three outs to drive him in. Then don’t forget, his supernatural talent for stealing third base is an invaluable asset.

2 – Brady Anderson (L)- LF

Brady may not have been the best contact hitter on this team (.257 average), but his speed and power make him perfect for the second spot. Also, he has a .364 OBP in his O’s career. With Brian Roberts on base and then him behind, it gives the team a great chance to score. Also, it is the best opportunity for the double-steal. Hell, the double-steal-hit-and-run can be in effect with the players you have behind them.

3 – Harold Baines (L) – DH

His .300 average and ability to hit 20 homeruns a season makes Harold Baines perfect for the third spot. A base hit scores a run with the players ahead of him. I like our chances in scoring a run with Roberts and Anderson on the bases and Baines at the plate. Heck, I like our chances to score two.

4 – Eddie Murray (S)- 1B

While Baines is batting .300 and hitting 20 homeruns, Eddie Murray is batting near the same and knocking 30 homeruns. It makes him perfect for the fourth spot. With a team like this, the clean-up batter isn’t only cleaning up the bases ahead of him, but is setting it up for the sluggers he has behind him.

5 – Frank Robinson (R)- RF

The best power hitter on the team deserves the fifth spot in this line-up. He has the benefit of two great speed/contact hitters ahead of him as well as two great contact/power guys. He can step into the batter’s box and swing away while racking up the RBIs.

6 – Brooks Robinson (R)- 3B

Brooks may not have been the best hitter, but he was better than most. The man can still hit even with his .267 average. He drove in over 90 runs in a season four times and also hit 15+ homeruns nine times. One of the better 6^th hole hitters you will find outside of the Yankees.

7 – Cal Ripken, Jr (R)- SS

Don’t complain. Cal Ripken was a .276 hitter over his career with a .340 OBP. I’m sure many of you want him higher, but he would simply be a rally killer. He is, also, one of the best 7^th spot hitters around and sets it up nicely for the bottom two and then the top again.

8 – Rick Dempsey (R) – C

Not much to say about Rick. He batted a career .238 with little to no speed. He is best suited in the 8^th spot, the least productive spot in the line-up.

9 – Al Bumbry (L)- CF

Al Bumbry could have been the lead-off batter with his insane speed and .281 average. However, Brian Roberts tops him there so The Bee has to settle for the 9^th spot. He is the Brian Roberts to Brian Roberts. Oh the runs!

Conclusion

That concludes the full Orioles all time team as of 2010. If you have any issues or things to discuss, please leave a comment. I will address any and all issues. But remember, play nice. I may even come back with a list of players who nearly missed making the cuts. I hope you enjoyed.

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