Top 40 Orioles of All Time
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #1, Cal Ripken, Jr.
Who else would it be?
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #2, Brooks Robinson
Brooks Robinson is the greatest third baseman in baseball history. Anyone who tells you otherwise is kidding themselves. We are lucky to have him be a part of Orioles history too. He is our #2 greatest Oriole.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #3, Jim Palmer
The #3 Oriole on our top 40 list is Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, who has had three careers: pitcher, broadcaster, and underwear model.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #4, Eddie Murray
Our #4 Oriole didn't get to spend his whole career here, but he played his best decade-plus in Baltimore. His number is retired, his statue is out in Legends Plaza, and he had awesome sideburns. He is Eddie Murray.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time - #5, Frank Robinson
We've reached a point in the countdown where you know who the rest will be, if not their order. The fifth greatest Oriole of all time is one of the finest players to ever put on a baseball uniform, Mr. Frank Robinson.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #6, Mike Mussina
Mike Mussina is the greatest Oriole who's ever pitched in Camden Yards. He is our #6 greatest Oriole. The only players ahead of him are baseball Hall of Famers. Once the BBWAA comes to its senses, Mussina will be enshrined there, too.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #7, Boog Powell
Not only does he make a mean BBQ sandwich, but he was also a heck of a hitter.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #8, Mark Belanger
Mark Belanger, the Blade, couldn't hit a lick, but Earl Weaver said Belanger would be his shortstop even if he hit .0001. He was true to his word as Belanger went on to be an eight-time Gold Glove winner over seventeen seasons with the Orioles.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #9, Paul Blair
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #9, Paul Blair
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #10, Bobby Grich
The Orioles career of Bobby Grich was neither as long nor as championship-filled as some, but in those years he showed something special. The Baseball Hall of Fame never appreciated him, but we do - as the #10 Oriole of all time.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #11, Brady Anderson
From the sideburns to the leaping catches to the sexy scantily-clad poster, there are many things to love about the 11th best player in Orioles history.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #12, Ken Singleton
Though these days you hear him broadcasting games for a rival team, it was for the Orioles that Ken Singleton made his name. He's like Birdland's own double agent, and he comes in at #12 on our top Orioles countdown.
Top 40 Orioles of all time: #13, Brian Roberts
Brian Roberts was the face of the Orioles during the dark years, and he comes in at #13 on our list.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #14, Dave McNally
Dave McNally was part of the quartet of 20-game winners for the 1971 Orioles during a distinguished O's career in which he helped the team to two World Series titles. He is our #14 greatest Oriole of all time.
Top 40 Orioles of all time: #15, Melvin Mora
#15 on our list is old friend Melvin Mora.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #16, Mike Flanagan
Known more recently as a MASN broadcaster, our #16 Oriole was also one of the great Orioles pitchers, 1979 Cy Young winner Mike Flanagan. He will always be missed.
Top 40 Orioles of all time: #17, Chris Hoiles
Next on our countdown is the Tractor Mechanic, Chris Hoiles. One of my all-time favorites.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #18, Al Bumbry
Our #18 greatest Oriole is the only one who is also a war veteran. Al Bumbry was a solid outfielder for over a decade for the Orioles, and he did all of this after having his career interrupted by serving in Vietnam.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #19, Doug DeCinces
#19 on our top 40 list is a guy whose last name I always want to spell wrong. Doug DeCinces was the successor to Brooks Robinson at third base and the man credited for creating Orioles Magic.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #20, Rick Dempsey
You might laugh as he stumbles over words on MASN pre-game broadcasts, but long before that, Rick Dempsey was a great Oriole. He might be one of the most unlikely World Series MVP winners and he is #20 on our list.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #21, Rafael Palmeiro
Did he take those steroids on purpose? Had he been taking them all along? It's hard to know what to think about Rafael Palmeiro without a definitive answer to those questions, but he's our #21 greatest Oriole anyway.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #22, Nick Markakis
Current Orioles' right fielder Nick Markakis comes it at #22 on the Top 40 Orioles of All Time.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #23, Scott McGregor
Few, if any, are his equal for postseason performance and mustachioed glory. He is the great left-hander Scott McGregor, #23 on our Top 40 Greatest Orioles list.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #24, Milt Pappas
Milt Pappas is best known as being the guy who was traded for Frank Robinson. But he was a very good player in his own right.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #25, Davey Johnson
You might remember him better for managing back-to-back playoff teams in the 1990s, but Davey Johnson was one of the great Orioles players, too. He comes in at #25 on our Top 40 list.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #26, Mike Boddicker
#26 on our all-time top 40 Orioles is soft tossing righty Mike Boddicker.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #27, Mike Cuellar
Next on our Top 40 Orioles list is a one-time journeyman lefty who came to Baltimore and found glory - Mike Cuellar.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #28, Don Buford
After a few recent Orioles, we're back to the good old days with Don Buford.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #29, Adam Jones
#29 on our greatest Orioles countdown is one with us in the present day: Adam Jones, who was the Most Valuable Oriole on the magical 2012 playoff team. That we have years more of his career to look forward to is a nice thing indeed.
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #30, Miguel Tejada
#30 on our list is bound to be a bit controversial. But no matter what your thoughts on Miguel Tejada, he was a very good baseball player when he was in Baltimore (if you ignore 2010).
Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #31, B.J. Surhoff
A staple of the mid-late 1990s Orioles, B.J. Surhoff cried when he was traded in the 2000 fire sale. That's some, but not all, of why he appears at #31 on our Top 40 Orioles list.
Top 40 Orioles: #34, Roenicke and Lowenstein
They were platoon partners on the field and so they're sharing #34 on Camden Chat's Top 40 Orioles of all time list.