The 40 Greatest Orioles of All-Time - No. 16 - Doug DeCinces

by SC on Mar 6, 2006 4:49 PM EST in News Comment 9 comments

16. Doug DeCinces, 3B (1973-1981)

Doug DeCinces was drafted in the third round in 1970 by the Orioles, and took over third base in 1976, when he was 25 years old, replacing the immortal Brooks Robinson. No easy task to be sure, but DeCinces did a great job succeeding a Hall of Famer. And at times in his career (as shown), he had an incredible moustache.

DeCinces was not a great athlete so much, a lot like Brooks wasn't really a great athlete. Neither were quick, but both had great hands and could hit enough to carry their share in the lineup. While Brooks Robinson is simply Brooks Robinson at third base, Doug DeCinces was a really good defensive third baseman in his own right. Over 440 at-bats that first season as a regular, DeCinces hit a light .234/.284/.357 with 11 homers, but the next year he got right about on line with what would be his career averages (.259/.329/.445), as he hit .259/.339/.433 in '77 with 19 homers and 69 RBI.

1978 was DeCinces' breakout season and arguably the best season ever by an Orioles third baseman. He hit .286/.346/.526 (adjusted OPS+ of 149) and had a superb defensive season. The fact that DeCinces got no accolades -- no All-Star appearance, no Gold Glove, no MVP votes -- for that season doesn't make it any less excellent than it was.

During his Oriole stay, DeCinces never quite got back to that season. He had some injuries in '79 and regressed to .230/.318/.412 with 16 homers, and had about the same line in 1980. In the strike shortened '81 season, he hit .263/.341/.454 with 13 homers and 55 RBI over 100 games. The Orioles then traded DeCinces and Jeff Schneider to the California Angels for Disco Dan Ford. Ford had had a nice season for the Angels in '79, but did almost nothing with the Orioles. DeCinces, on the other hand, continued to produce for the Angels. It was a bad trade for the Orioles no matter how you look at it, and no matter if you consider that even without DeCinces, the Orioles won the World Series in 1983 anyway, and even if you consider that he was traded because of Cal Ripken Jr., who started out as a third baseman.

DeCinces played out his career with the Angels until he was traded to St. Louis in 1987. He re-signed with them as a free agent on September 29, 1987, and was released on October 7 of the same year. He apparently went to Japan afterward, but I can't find any stats for him.

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Dougie...

was the Bobby Mercer of the O's.
When you take the place of a legend you will never live up to expectations in sports.
He could play with the best of them of his era, and made tons of sparkling defensive plays, but he will ALWAYS be remembered as the man that replaced number 5.
Number 17 is a fine tribute, SC.

"What's my secret for winning? That's easy. Pitching, defense, and three run homers" Earl Weaver

by elktonfan on Mar 6, 2006 7:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

my opinion

I personally think hes too high on this list. He only played 6 full years and only 4 were above average. I have no idea how he handled defense because I've never seen him play. Also in his 6 full years starting, the O's only made the playoffs once; not his fault, but still. Call me old school, but there are a lot of other players ranked below DeCinces that have played a lot longer and made better contributions. Dont get me wrong, he was a good player in his years here and did excellent considering the crap the fans gave him for replacing Brooks but Doug Decinces just doesn't scream "Oriole" to me.

by dtran2k3 on Mar 6, 2006 8:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Re:

This reminds me of the criticism Decinces heard throughout his career.

Decinces crime was not only following Brooks, but he was also blocking an up and coming Cal Ripken at 3B. If the O's had kept Ripken for SS, as they started him in the minor leagues, Decinces may have had a longer career in the black and orange. Bob Bonner was blocking absolutely no one at SS, and it didn't take long for Weaver to put Ripken in Bonner's slot to generate more offense. Ripken and Decinces would have been a decent left side infield.

I'll grant you one could argue about the placement on the list, but I certainly don't mind seeing his name here. I view the list more as collection of Oriole noteworthies more than some absolute ranking.

"Mike will be absolutely in charge." Peter Angelos

by drj on Mar 6, 2006 9:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

re:

I view the list more as collection of Oriole noteworthies more than some absolute ranking.

Me too, for the record. I figured some people would think I have him too high. That's OK.

"My best game plan is to sit on the bench and call out specific instructions like 'C'mon Boog,' 'Get ahold of one, Frank,' or 'Let's go, Brooks.'" - Earl Weaver

by SC on Mar 7, 2006 2:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"Brooks, Brooks, Brooks!"

Doug was a good defensive 3B with a bit of pop. Some people thought he was traded because the FO wanted to force Earl to play Cal Jr. at third, others-like myself-thought he was traded because a lot of union guys got traded or released at that time.

Some thought that the trade happened because Earl had wanted Dan Ford for so long (be careful what you wish for).

Doug would get the "Brooks!" chant thrown at him whenever the fans thought he messed up. It was sad, but expected.

One night in 1982, he came back with the Angels, made a nice stop behind the bag, came up and threw a little wide and a little late.

He had saved a double and the Orioles' fans chanted, "Brooks, Brooks, Brooks" one last time.

by howie14 on Mar 7, 2006 9:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was bummed...

when DeCinces was traded. I was too young to really remember Brooks (I have only the vaguest recollection of his last game), so DeCinces did not have that baggage for me. I always thought the trade was a big mistake. That was my first real introduction to the reality in pro sports that sometimes your favorite players get traded.

by rebop on Mar 7, 2006 11:11 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

re:bummed

Actually, Doug helped himself a lot with Orioles fans at "Thanks, Brooks" Day when he pulled third base out of the ground and gave it to number 5.

Everyone involved has always claimed it was spontaneous, but whether it was or not, the fans loved it.

by howie14 on Mar 8, 2006 10:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A Descinces Memory

Who remembers the June 22-24 '79 Tigers series?

The first game on June 22 was a 9th inning comeback on a Singleton HR followed by a Decinces 2 run HR to end the game. The following night Murray blasted a 3 run game ending HR in the bottom of the 9th. I listened to the June 22 game on the radio, but I don't recall listening to the June 23 game.

One can readily find accounts of how that series and Decinces blast started the '79 "Orioles Magic". I always had that memory. Looking back at the season, the O's had started 4-8 and went into that series 45-22. That's a tear, and the "Magic" had long been in place. I guess those HRs were not so much start the magic, but instead solidified it in our minds as a special season.

"Mike will be absolutely in charge." Peter Angelos

by drj on Mar 7, 2006 1:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I do...

that was part of the reason I was so attached to DeCinces at 10. Despite the collapse in the series, 1979 was really a great season. It seemed like the Orioles won every game from behind. It really did feel like there was something "magic" about that team--especially when you're 10.

by rebop on Mar 7, 2006 2:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs