Baltimore Orioles: The best player at every position

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Today we take a deep dive into one of the storied franchises in MLB history, the Baltimore Orioles. Here’s the team’s definitive all-time lineup, ranked.

Before officially becoming the Baltimore Orioles back in 1954, the team was one of the American League’s eight charter teams in 1901. Initially, the organization was known as the Milwaukee Brewers before becoming the St. Louis Browns from 1902 to 1953.

As the Brewers and the Browns, the team managed to make one World Series. It was 1944, and the Browns were taking on their crosstown rival St. Louis Cardinals.

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It only took the Cards 6-games to do away with the Browns, and as a result, 10-years later, the O’s were born.

Since then, the franchise has made it to six World Series matches, winning 50% of them. The first ring came in 1966, then in 1970, and finally in 1983.

Since then, the franchise has come close, but no cigar.

Currently, the team is in the midst of a rebuild. So what better time than now to take a look back at the organization’s greatest players?

To make our determinations, we averaged out each player’s bWAR and fWAR at every position. We then selected the player with the highest average WAR (aWAR).

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1. Pitcher – Jim Palmer (62.8 aWAR)

Hall of Famer Jim Palmer is hands down one of the greatest pitchers to ever live. Aside from his stacked resume, which includes SIX All-Star selections, FOUR Gold Gloves, THREE Cy Young Awards, and TWO ERA titles, Palmer is also a 2x World Series champion with the Baltimore Orioles.

Currently, Palmer holds the franchise record in each of the following categories:

Games Started: 515
Complete Games: 211
Wins: 263
Strikeouts: 2124

(Photo by John Reid III/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Baltimore Orioles: The Best Player at Every Position

Around the Horn

2. Catcher – Chris Hoiles (24.2 aWAR)

Talk to any O’s fan and they’ll know who Chris Hoiles is, but he might be the last person they ever expected to be on this list. The fact of the matter is, the Baltimore Orioles aren’t really known for having great depth at the catching position.

As a result, Hoiles not only carries the highest average WAR (aWAR) than any O’s catcher, he stands alone at the top of the list.

3. First Base – Eddie Murray (56.6 aWAR)

Eddie Murray played for a number of teams throughout his career, none more than the O’s (13 years). In his time in Baltimore, he amassed an incredible career as a slugger, putting together quite the impressive resume which includes:

1977 AL Rookie of the Year
7x All-Star
2x Silver Slugger
3x Gold Glove

Upon retiring, Eddie Murray was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. All-time, he is ranked 27th with 504 HR, 13th with 3255 H, and 11th with 1917 RBI.

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4. Second Base – Brian Roberts (29.1 aWAR)

Before Injuries derailed his career, Brian Roberts was on a Hall of Fame trajectory with the Baltimore Orioles. The two-time All-Star led the league in doubles twice in his career. Once in 2004 when he swatted 50 2B and then again in 2009 when he hit 56 2B. He also led the league in 2007 with 50 SB and was for a good stretch a .290 hitter with a .800+ OPS.

In the end, Roberts ended his career with the New York Yankees in 2014, where he only played in 91 games and was a complete shell of his former self.

5. Third Base – Brooks Robinson (79.3 aWAR)

Brooks Robinson’s career with the Baltimore Orioles spanned 23 years and three decades (the 50s, 60s, and 70s). In his illustrious career, Robinson earned 18 consecutive All-Star selections, 16 consecutive Gold Gloves, an MVP award, and TWO World Series titles.

He owns the second-best aWAR in the organization’s history and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983 with 92% of the vote.

Baltimore Orioles: The Best Player at Every Position

The Shortstop and the Outfield

6. Shortstop – Cal Ripken Jr. (94.2 aWAR)