Baltimore Orioles: The Best Player at Every Position
The Shortstop and the Outfield
6. Shortstop – Cal Ripken Jr. (94.2 aWAR)
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Cal Ripken isn’t just the Baltimore Orioles’ best shortstop, he’s the best player in the franchise’s history. He not only has the team’s highest aWAR, but Ripken also boasts the team’s most impressive resume, which includes a Rookie of the Year award, 19 consecutive All-Star selections, 8 Silver Sluggers, 2 Gold Gloves, 2 MVP awards, and a World Series title.
Most impressively, however, Ripken holds the record for most consecutive games played in the history of the game with 2632, which translates to 16+ consecutive seasons played.
In 2007, Ripken was elected to the Hall of Fame with 98.5% of the vote, which currently ranks as the 5th highest percentage of votes a player has ever received.
7. Left Field – Ken Williams (39.5 aWAR)
Ken Williams was one of those rare power hitters of the early 20th century. In fact, he led the league with 39 HR and 155 RBI in 1922 as a member of the St. Louis Browns.
Other than that, however, Williams’ career is nothing to write home about. Other OF considered:
- Boog Powell (37.8 aWAR)
- Frank Robinson (32.9 aWAR)
- Adam Jones (30.9 aWAR)
- Ken Singleton (30.8 aWAR)
- Melvin Mora (28.3 aWAR)
- Baby Doll Jacobson (26.9 aWAR)
8. Center Field – Paul Blair (38.1 aWAR)
Paul Blair played 17 seasons across three different teams. Aside from the Baltimore Orioles, Blair also played with the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds.
As an O, Blair was a part of two World Series titles (1966 and 1970). He also won 8 Gold Glove awards and was selected to 2 All-Star selections.
9. Right Field – Brady Anderson (33.9 aWAR)
Finally, we have come to Brady Anderson, one of the most puzzling figures in MLB history. Before and after his career-year in 1996, a season in which he swatted 50 HR and 110 RBI, Anderson was a singles hitter with plus speed and an elite glove.
Though an argument can be made for Boog Powell instead of Anderson. unfortunately, Powell was primarily a 1B in his career, playing only parts of 5 seasons in the outfield.
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