Baltimore Orioles All-Time 25-Man Roster
Rick Dempsey (with Orioles from 1977-1986 & 1992)
.238/.319/.355, 1245 G, 4105 PA, 89 OPS+
Rick Dempsey was drafted in the 15th round of the 1967 amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins. He got a small taste of big league action as a 19-year-old in 1969, but didn’t get regular playing time until he was traded to the Yankees after the 1972 season. He spent three-plus seasons with the Yankees before making his way to Baltimore in a 10-player trade on June 15, 1976. In this deal, the Yankees sent Dempsey, Tippy Martinez, Rudy May, Scott McGregor, and Dave Pagan in exchange for Doyle Alexander, Jimmy Freeman, Elrod Hendricks, Ken Holtzman, and Grant Jackson. This trade worked out quite well for the Orioles.
After being traded to the Orioles, Dempsey established himself as the starting catcher. He was never known for his bat, but was well-regarded on defense. He had a strong throwing arm and good footwork behind the plate. Longtime Orioles’ manager Earl Weaver said of Dempsey, “He’s the best throwing catcher I’ve ever had. He gets rid of the ball so quick and he’s accurate . . . also amazing on pickoffs . . . I’ve never seen anybody throw better.” He was also considered a good handler of pitchers. His best offensive season was 1980, when he hit .262/.333/.425. This was one of the few times he slugged over .400 in his career.
The Orioles went to two World Series while Dempsey was on the roster. The 1979 team led the Pittsburgh Pirates three-games-to-one, but couldn’t hold the lead when Willie Stargell and the Lumber Company came back to win the final three games of the series. The 1983 Orioles beat the Philadelphia Phillies and Dempsey was named World Series MVP for hitting .385/.467/.923.
Dempsey became famous for his performance during rain delays, when he would come out of the dugout in his socks (and sometimes a pair of underwear over his uniform) and pretend to hit an inside-the-park home run. He often stuffed towels in his shirt to create a big belly, a la Babe Ruth, and at times pointed his bat to center field as if indicating where he would hit a home run.
Baltimore fans embraced Dempsey as their gritty backstop who could be counted on to put in a hard day’s work. He enjoyed mingling with fans and liked putting on a show when the rain started to fall. He is the all-time Orioles leader in games played at catcher and one of only four catchers in MLB history to play in four decades.