Baltimore Orioles Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was characterized

by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until

the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run records

leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The Baltimore Orioles were initially known as the St. Louis Browns

before relocating to Baltimore in 1954. Since that time, the franchise

has three World Series titles (1966, 1970, 1983) and seven

American League pennants. The Orioles have won nine division

titles and have three more postseason appearances as a wild card

team. 

Today, I formed an Orioles Dream Team in a 26-man roster format.

For openers, to make this roster, four years as an Oriole are required.

No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen

this roster with 1-3 year rentals. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For

position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best

regardless of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with

versatility being heavily considered. Merit achievements such as

Hall of Fame, All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves are considered

but not guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also

considered.

Generational reminders

If you played on a playoff team, there is no guarantee of landing on

this roster. If you played during a bad season, that does not deter

you from being on this roster. Off-the-field baggage is not a deterrent

to landing on this team, nor is any Steroid Era affiliation. This is

baseball, not the Boys Scouts. We don’t do morality clauses. 

Starting pitchers

Jim Palmer, Mike Mussina, Mike Boddicker, Dave McNalley, Mike

Flanagan

Palmer is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and still holds franchise records

and almost every major pitching category. Palmer spent all 20 of his

Major League seasons with the Orioles. He was a six-time All-Star,

four-time Gold Glove Award winner, three-time Cy Young winner and

three-time American League wins leader. He led the American

League in ERA twice and also helped deliver three World

Series championships. Mussina's 18-year career was spent almost

evenly between the Orioles and the Yankees but his best seasons

statistically came as an Oriole. Mussina was inducted into the Hall of

Fame and though he never won a Cy Young Award he was in the

Top 5 in the voting on six occasions. Mussina was a seven-time

Gold Glove Award winner and five-time All-Star. Boddicker was not

long on accolades but no Oriole pitcher has led the American League

in ERA since Boddicker in 1984. Boddicker was the ALCS MVP in

helping deliver a World Series championship. 

McNalley remains the Orioles all-time leader in wins, starts, shutouts

and strikeouts among left-handed pitchers. He was a three-time All-

Star and led the American League in wins in 1970. McNalley helped

the franchise deliver their 1966 and 1970 World Series titles. Flanagan

still ranks in the Top 5 in franchise history in wins, starts, innings,

complete games and strikeouts. Flanagan led the Major Leagues in

wins in 1979 and won the Cy Young award that year. He was an All-

Star in 1978 and helped deliver the 1983 World Series title. 

Bullpen

Closer -- Gregg Olson

Zack Britton, Tippy Martinez, Darren O’Day, Stu Miller, Hoyt Wilhelm,

Dick Hall

Olson turned into a journeyman pitcher after a spectacular start to

his six-year career in Baltimore. Olson, however, remains the

franchise leader with 160 saves. He was Rookie of the Year in 1989

and an All-Star in 1990. Britton pitched eight seasons with the

Orioles and converted an American League record 60 consecutive

saves between 2015-2017. Britton was an All-Star twice and led the

American League in saves in 2016. Martinez is best known for

picking off three runners in one inning but in his 11-year career with

the Orioles he appeared in 499 games which is second in franchise

history among pitchers, starters or relievers. O'Day is third in franchise

history in both appearances. He was an All-Star in 2015.

Miller was small in stature but had an overpowering fastball. Miller

played a significant role in the Orioles winning their 1966 World Series.

On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Wilhelm played five seasons

with the Orioles and was a three-time All-Star. He led the American

League in ERA in 1959. Hall may have lacked All Star accolades but

he played a significant role in the Orioles winning the World Series in

1966 and 1970 along with American League pennants in 1969 and

1971. 

Infield

Catcher -- Rick Dempsey; First base -- Eddie Murray; Second base

-- Bobby Grich; Third base -- Brooks Robinson; Shortstop -- Cal

Ripken

Dempsey played in the Major Leagues for 25 years. Though offense

was not his strong suit he was a solid defensive player and handled

the pitching staff in adept fashion. He was the Orioles starting catcher

for 11 seasons and was a key point to them winning their 1983 World

Series and was the World Series MVP.  Murray's nickname was

“Steady Eddie.” On the way to a Hall of Fame career, he was one of

the best switch hitters in the history of baseball. He is a member of

the 3,000 hit and 500 homerun club. Murray was an eight-time All-

Star, three-time Gold Glove, three-time Silver Slugger Award winner

and World Series champion in 1983 along with American League

Rookie of the Year in 1977. Grich and Mark Belanger formed an

outstanding double-play tandem. Grich was an Oriole for seven

seasons and was an All-Star in three of them and a Silver Slugger

Award in four of them. 

You would be hard-pressed to find a better left side of the infield

then Robinson and Ripken. Robinson spent all 23 years of his Hall

of Fame career with the Orioles and is the best third baseman of

all time. Robinson was an 18-time All Star and 16-time Gold Glove

Award winner. He helped the Orioles win two World Series titles and

was the World Series MVP in 1970 and American League MVP in

1964. Ripken is best known for his consecutive game streak that

broke Lou Gehrig's record, which was deemed unbreakable.

However, there is much more to Ripken because he is arguably

the best shortstop over the last century. Ripkin is a member of the

3,000 hit club. He was a 19-time All Star, eight-time Silver Slugger

Award winner, two-time Gold Glove Award winner, two-time

American League MVP and American League Rookie of the Year

in 1982. He also was a vital cog in the Orioles 1983 World Series

team. 

Outfield

Leftfield -- Brady Anderson; Centerfield -- Adam Jones; Rightfield

-- Frank Robinson

Anderson is the subject of fan cynicism in that hit 50 home runs in

1996 during the course of a 15-year career in which he hit 210.

Anderson, however, established enough of a body of work in his 14

years as an Oriole to earn a spot in this starting lineup. He was also

a three-time All-Star who stole 307 bases as an Oriole. Jones is not

only one of the best Oriole players of all time but one of the best

Baltimore athletes regardless of sport. He leads the franchise in hits,

runs, home runs and RBIs by a significant margin. Jones was a five-

time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner. Robinson was

an Oriole for six years and helped the franchise to two World Series

titles but made this team on his 1966 season alone when he was a

triple crown winner, MVP and World Series MVP.

Bench

Chris Hoiles, Boog Powell, Manny Machado, Mark Belanger, Dan

Buford, Ken Singleton

Hoiles is the franchise leader in home runs among catchers with

151. Hoiles spent all 10 of his seasons with the Orioles and also

compiled 451 career RBIs. Powell is one of the most synonymous

players associated with the Orioles in playing 14 years with the

franchise. He was a centerpiece for an Orioles dynasty that won

four American League pennants and two World Series titles

between 1966 and 1971. He was a two-time All-Star and American

League MVP in 1970.

You would be hard-pressed to find a better home run talent in

recent memory than Machado. He played seven seasons with the

Orioles and is now a San Diego Padre. Three of his four All-Star

appearances came with the Orioles as did both of his Gold Glove

Awards. Belanger was not long on offense as a .228 career hitter

but he was an outstanding middle infield partner to the

aforementioned Grich. Belannger was an eight-time Gold Glove

Award winner and helped the Orioles to their 1970 World Series

team and was an All-Star in 1976. Buford was a very important

piece for the Orioles during their golden age. In his six seasons as

an Oriole, he had double-digit home run and stolen base seasons

on four occasions. He was an All-Star in 1971 and helped the 1970

Orioles win the World Series. Singleton's .388 on-base percentage

is second-best in Orioles history. He was a three-time All-Star and

vital member of the 1983 World Series championship. 

Manager

Earl Weaver

You would have to look long and hard to find a more colorful character

in the history of Major League Baseball managers than Weaver. He

was not one to make many friends with umpires, this choice is not

even debatable. Weaver's philosophy could be summed up by pitching

defense and the three-run homer. He had no use for small-ball and

was one of those the first managers to utilize analytical data, which

is popularized today. On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Weaver

won a franchise-record 1480 games, five 100 win seasons, four

World Series appearances and one World Series title.

Team

1970

Though one argument could be made for the 1969 team that lost

the World Series to the New York Mets, the 1970 team gets the nod

because they reached the mountaintop. The Orioles avenged the

previous year's World Series upset by running roughshod through

the American League on the way to winning 108 games with largely

the same cast of characters. The Orioles won the American League

East by 15 games over their closest pursuer, the New York Yankees.

The Orioles finished the season with an 11-game winning streak

going into the playoffs. They swept the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS

and defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games to win their second

World Series title in five years. Brooks Robinson was the World

Series MVP. Boog Powell was the American League MVP.