Brooks Robinson (1955-1977)
There may have been better hitters at third base, but no one has been as good defensively as Brooks Robinson.
It took some time before Robinson’s offense caught up to his glove. Eventually, he became a solid run producers, leading the league in RBI in 1964. Robinson had six seasons with 20 or more homers, and hit over .300 twice. He may never have been a threat the way some other players in the Orioles lineup were, but he became a decent hitter.
Yet, it was his defense that kept him in the lineup and made him a star. An 18 time All Star, Robinson won a record 16 Gold Glove awards at third. He ranks first in baseball history with 293 runs saved, 50 more than the second place Andruw Jones. Paired with Mark Belanger during the second half of his career, the duo gave the Orioles an incredible left side of the infield defensively.
During his 23 year career, Robinson put together some surprising career totals. He had a .267/.322/.401 career batting line, good for an OPS+ of only 104, but was able to compile some decent statistics. Robinson hit 268 homers and 482 doubles, driving in 1357 runs. He ended up with 2848 hits, the 48th most in baseball history.
Brooks Robinson was a star for the Baltimore Orioles due to his glove. But his bat was a little better than it is remembered as well.