Paul Blair (with Orioles from 1964-1976)
.254/.306/.388, 1700 G, 6192 PA, 99 OPS+ (with Orioles)
Blair was part of the great Orioles teams from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s. Like Teammates Brooks Robinson and Mark Belanger, Blair was a wizard with the glove. According to Baseball-Reference, he got nearly half of his career value from his great defense in center field. He also earned eight Gold Glove Awards, including seven straight from 1969 to 1975.
The Orioles went to the World Series four times in Blair’s first eight years with the team, winning twice. Blair was at his best in the 1970 series against Cincinnati when he hit .474/.524/.526 with five runs scored and nine hits in five games. He missed out on the MVP award because teammate Brooks Robinson also had a spectacular series, particularly on defense.
Blair was well-known for playing a very shallow center field. He was able to steal hits that would normally drop in against other center fielders, but had the quickness and speed to make plays behind him as well. He once said, “In the outfield I felt there was no ball I couldn’t get to. I played the shallowest center field of anyone.”
The 1969 season was one of Blair’s best with the bat. He hit .285/.327/.477, and set career bests in runs (102), home runs (26), and RBI (76). He also stole 20 bases. The next season, he was hit in the face by a Ken Tatum fastball on May 31 that resulted in a broken nose and damage to his eye and face. The beaning didn’t seem to affect Blair that season. At the time he was hit by the pitch, his batting line was .264/.335/.451. After missing three weeks, he came back to hit .268/.350/.430 over the rest of the season.
According to multiple sources, Blair attempted to become a switch-hitter in 1971, perhaps as a result of being hit by the Ken Tatum pitch, but Baseball-Reference.com has no record of Blair hitting left-handed that season.
Blair was a regular in the outfield for the Orioles from 1966 to 1975, but he really struggled at the plate in his final two years with the team when he hit .209/.252/.283 in 900 plate appearances. His glove wasn’t good enough to make up for that awful production and he was traded to the New York Yankees in January of 1977. Despite the rough ending to his career in Baltimore, Blair is remembered for his great range in center field during a fun time to be a fan of the Orioles.