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The Baltimore Orioles have an impressive core of young stars, many of which are so talented despite their youth that they can be expected to thrive in Baltimore for a very long time. Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Jackson Holliday fit the bill in that regard. The Orioles have an extensive history, though, so check out the gallery to see the 10 greatest Orioles players of all time.
The baseball team in Baltimore has been known as the Orioles since 1954, but they were called the St. Louis Browns from 1902-53. Even before that, from 1894-1901, the team owned the Milwaukee Brewers' history. Every era of Orioles baseball will be taken into account in this article.
1. Cal Ripken Jr, 1981-2001
Wilt Chamberlain had a 100-point NBA game. Wayne Gretzky racked up 2,857 career points in the NHL, and Pete Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game over his collegiate basketball career. These are all considered unbreakable records. Perhaps the most unbreakable record of all is Cal Ripken Jr.'s Iron Man streak.
The lifelong Oriole played in 2,632 straight games. Ripken simply never took a day off. In fact, the third and fourth-longest streaks for consecutive games played don't even add up to Ripken's 2,632 games. The shortstop/third baseman never sat from 1982 to 1998. Ripken wasn't just out there to be out there, either.
Ripken made 19 straight All-Star appearances to go with eight Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. He even won two MVPs and the 1983 World Series. During Ripken's Iron Man streak, he played alongside 150 different position players and had eight different managers. All in all, Ripken is one of only 10 players to surpass the 3,000-game mark. He also leads the Orioles record books in almost every stat, including WAR (95.9), home runs (431), RBIs (1,695), and walks (1,129).
2. Brooks Robinson, 1955-77
Somehow, Brooks Robinson played in even more total seasons for the Orioles than Ripken did. Ripken's career spanned 21 seasons, but Robinson lasted 23 years in MLB, all of which came in Baltimore. Robinson joined the team during the year after they left St. Louis. While the Orioles have history from before they became the Orioles, Robinson is technically the first star of the team after the name/city change. He then played in Baltimore until the year before Ripken was drafted.
Robinson still has claim to being the best defensive third baseman ever. He collected 16 Gold Gloves throughout his career, a number surpassed by no position players and only outdone by Greg Maddux, a pitcher. It was next to impossible for batters to get anything past Robinson on the hot corner.
The 1964 AL MVP won two World Series, and he was named the World Series MVP during the latter of those two. While he was most known for his defense, he was able to collect 2,848 hits over the course of his career.
3. Jim Palmer, 1965-67, 1969-84
The best pitcher in Orioles history is Jim Palmer. While the record books are filled with Ripken's name when it comes to hitting, and Robinson was arguably the greatest fielder ever, it is Palmer who stood out on the bump. Yet another career Oriole, Palmer played all 19 of his seasons with the team, and he would have played even more had it not been for early-career arm injuries.
Throughout his career, Palmer collected 268 wins, 3,948 total innings, 2,212 strikeouts, 211 complete games, and 53 shutouts, all of which top the Orioles record books. The three-time Cy Young winner led the AL in wins three straight times, and he also had two ERA titles.
4. Eddie Murray, 1977-88, 1996
Another all-time legend, Eddie Murray, is one of the best switch-hitters the game of baseball has ever seen. He had immense power, evidenced by 343 of his 504 career home runs coming in an Orioles uniform. He also batted for average, way better than your normal first baseman.
Murray regularly batted above .300 in Baltimore, and his OBP was even a league-leading .410 in 1984. The eight-time All-Star – seven came in Baltimore – never won the MVP, but he finished as the runner-up for the award twice. Being that he was feared as a hitter during his entire career, he is one of the best players to never win the MVP.
5. Mike Mussina, 1991-2000
The star power of New York has made Mike Mussina remembered as a member of the Yankees by many baseball fans. He was even better with the Orioles, though. In Baltimore, Mussina had a 3.53 ERA and 2,009.2 innings pitched. He never won the Cy Young, but he was also in the top five in voting five times.
Baltimore has always been known for great defense, and that extended to the pitching position. Mussina was a Gold Glover seven times, five of which came with the Orioles.
6. Frank Robinson, 1966-71
Frank Robinson is most known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds, but it can be argued that his best days actually came in Baltimore. Robinson, who is one of the best MLB players in history, had his best season ever as a member of the Orioles. In his 1966 MVP-winning campaign, Robinson had career-bests in home runs (49) and batting average (.316).
He also led the league in RBIs (122), OBP (.410), and OPS (1.047) that season. That was Robinson's first season in Baltimore, and the next five to come were pretty darn good, too. Robinson is one of three players to win the Triple Crown since the '50s, and he did it not with the Reds but with the Orioles.
7. Boog Powell, 1961-74
From Little League World Series legend to MLB World Series legend, Boog Powell won two World Series, went to four straight All-Star games, and was the 1970 AL MVP. Powell's prime might not have lasted as long as some of the other players on this list, but he was on top of the baseball world at his peak.
Even in the years when he wasn't going to the All-Star game, Powell was still severely underrated. Powell hit 303 home runs during his Orioles tenure. The 1966 championship team he played on was so stacked that he finished third place in MVP voting only behind his teammates, Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson.
8. Mark Belanger, 1965-81
Before Ripken manned the shortstop position in Baltimore, Belanger was the star at the six spot. Like Ripken, Belanger was ahead of his time as a defensive ace at shortstop. While he only went to one All-Star game because of mediocre offensive play, he won eight Gold Gloves during his career.
Belanger only hit one home run in his All-Star season, and he only hit it over the fence 20 times in total. His defense was truly next level, though, and elite defensive play at shortstop has been coveted league-wide ever since his playing days.
9. Paul Blair, 1964-76
The '60s and '70s were the golden era of Orioles baseball. Paul Blair is another player who was on those teams and was a key figure in the Orioles winning two championships. Blair, like Belanger, was a premier defensive player, which was Baltimore's bread and butter. He won eight Glove Gloves as well, but he did it in centerfield. Blair's offensive numbers were a little better than Belanger's, but Blair didn't play as long in Baltimore as Belanger did, hence his ranking a spot lower here.
10. Adam Jones, 2008-18
With so many old-school legends being a part of the Orioles' history, it wasn't going to be easy for a modern-day player to make this list. Adam Jones was good enough and played for long enough to do just that, though. Jones went to five All-Star games and won the Golf Glove four times.
Jones ranks within the top five in franchise history in hits (1,781) and home runs (263). He was acquired in a blockbuster deal involving Erik Bedard, and the Orioles clearly came out on top in that deal.
