Fun-Time Baseball Hall: Baltimore Orioles

Complete rules of the Fun-Time Baseball Hall are at the bottom of this post. This is a franchise specific hall. Please keep in mind a player's body of work for the team and vote for no more than eight - fewer if you wish. 

It's your call whether key deciding factors are longevity and counting stats or a player's overall impact, even if accomplished in a relatively short time. 

Write-ups on the candidates for the Orioles / St. Louis Browns begin below the franchise records. 

Franchise Records

Wins: Jim Palmer (268), Dave McNally (181), Mike Mussina (147), Mike Cuellar (143), Mike Flanagan (141)
Strikeouts: Palmer (2,212), Mussina (1,535), McNally (1,476), Flanagan (1,297), Cuellar (1,011)
Home Runs: Cal Ripken (431), Eddie Murray (343), Boog Powell (303), Brooks Robinson (303)
Triples: George Sisler (145)
Doubles: Ripken (603), B. Robinson (482), Murray (363), Sisler (343)
Hits: Ripken (3,184), B. Robinson (2,848), Sisler (2,295), Murray (2,080)

Paul Blair (OF)

Played for the Orioles from 1964-76. Played for the Yankees from 1977-79, 1980. Spent part of 1979 with the Reds.

• Baltimore totals: .254, 126 home runs, 567 RBIs, 1,426 hits and 167 stolen bases
• Career totals: .250, 134 home runs, 620 RBIs, 1,513 hits and 171 stolen bases
• Two-time All Star (1969, 1973)
• Four-time World Series champion (1966 and 1970 with Orioles, 1977-78 with Yankees)
• Blair batted .400 in the 1969 ALCS and .474 in the 1970 World Series.
• Eight-time Gold Glove winner (1967, 1969-75)
• Starting CF for the Orioles when they won two World Series and four AL pennants from 1966-74. Considered one of best defensive players at his position.
• Career high .293 batting average in 1967 with 11 home runs and 64 RBIs, along with an AL leading 12 triples. After slumping to .211 in 1968, had perhaps his best season in 1969 when he hit .285 with career highs in home runs (26), RBIs (76) and runs (102).
• In 1966 World Series, played major role in Game Three's 1-0 win when he hit a 430-foot home run off Claude Osteen. Again played critical role in Game Four's 1-0 shutout win, robbing Jim Lefebvre of an 8th-inning home run.

 Mike Cuellar (SP)

Pitched for the Orioles from 1969-76. Started career in 1959 with the Reds then spent the next five years in the minors and Mexican leagues. He was acquired in 1964 by the Cardinals, where his record was 5–5, primarily as a reliever. Went to the 1964 World Series. Pitched for Houston from 1965-68 and California in 1977.

• Baltimore totals: 143-88, 3.18, 2,028 IPs, 1,011 strikeouts
• Career totals: 185-130, 3.14, 2,808 IPs, 1,632 strikeouts
• Four-time All Star (1967, 1970-71, 1974)
• Two-time World Series champion (1964, 1970)
• Cy Young winner (1969)
• Best years were spent with the Orioles, helping them capture five AL East titles, three consecutive AL pennants and the 1970 World Series. Shared the AL Cy Young award in 1969 and won 20 or more games four times from 1969 to 1974. 
• Cuellar ranks among Baltimore's top five career leaders in wins (143), strikeouts (1,011), shutouts (30) and IPs(2,028), and trails only Dave McNally among left-handers in wins and shutouts.
• In 1974, Cuellar finished 22–10, with a 3.11 ERA, but with just 106 strikeouts. He pitched 20 complete games, including five shutouts, yet earned just sixth place in the Cy Young voting that year. 

Mike Flanagan (SP)

Pitched for the Orioles from 1975-87, 1991-92. Pitched for the Blue Jays from 1987-90.

    •    Baltimore totals: 141-116, 3.89 ERA, 2,317 IPs, 1,297 strikeouts
    •    Career totals: 167–143, 3.90 ERA, 2,770 IPs, 1,491 strikeouts  
    •    AL Cy Young winner (1979) when he won 23 games with a 3.08 ERA.
    •    All-Star (1978)
    •    World Series champion (1983)
    •    Joined Orioles' starting rotation in 1977, finishing 15-10. 
    •    Flanagan suffered two major injuries during his tenure with the Orioles, a knee injury in 1983, and a torn achilles tendon from a pick-up basketball game.
    •    Returned to Baltimore as a free agent and pitched well in 1991 as a reliever. Retired after poor 1992 season.

Dave McNally (SP)

this card, i don't have, but it would be really cool if i did

Pitched for the Orioles from 1962-74. Pitched one more year (1975) for the Expos. He won more than 20 games for 4 consecutive seasons (1968-71)

• Baltimore totals: 181-113, 3.18 ERA, 2,652 IPs, 1,476 strikeouts
• Career totals: 184-119, 3.24 ERA, 2,730 IPs, 1,512 strikeouts
• Three-time All-Star (1969-70, 1972)
  Two-time World Series champion (1966, 1970)
• Only pitcher other than Roger Clemens to win 12 decisions in a row 3 times, including 17 consecutive at one time. After winning the last 2 decisions of the 1968 season, he opened the 1969 season with a 15-0 record.
• Was one of four 20-game winners for the 1971 Orioles (Pat Dobson, Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar were the others.)  
• Was in the rotation directly behind Jim Palmer for nine seasons. His numbers were similar to Palmer during those years. Both whiffed exactly five batters for every nine innings pitched. McNally actually had a better strikeout-to-walk ratio, 1.83 to 1.69.

Eddie Murray (1B)

Played for the Orioles from 1977-88, 1996. Played for the Dodgers (1989-91, 1997), Mets (1992-93), Indians (1994-96) and Angels (1997).

• Baltimore totals (13 seasons): .294, 2,080 hits, 343 home runs, 1,224 RBIs
• Career totals: .287, 3,255 hits, 504 home runs, 1,917 RBIs
• Between 1977-88, Murray averaged 28 home runs and 99 RBIs and was a perennial candidate for AL MVP, twice finishing second in the voting. His best season was 1983 with the Orioles when he hit .306, 110 RBI and a career-high 33 home runs. Known as one of the most reliable and productive hitters of his era. Is regarded as one of the best switch hitters ever.
• His, 1,917 RBIs rank him first among switch-hitters all-time.
• Eight-time All-Star, including seven as an Oriole (1978, 1981-86). Last AS appearance came in 1991.
• World Series champion (1983)
• Three-time Gold Glove (1982-84)
• Finished 2nd in AL MVP voting (1982-83). Finished 4th in AL MVP voting (1984). 5th in AL MVP voting (1981, 1985). Three other top 10 finishes.
• Three-time Silver Slugger (1983-84, 1990)
• 1977 AL Rookie of the Year when he hit .283, 27 home runs and 88 RBIs. Played 160 games that season.
• Played in three World Series (1979, 1983 - both with Orioles) and (1995 with Indians)

Mike "Funky Cole" Mussina (SP)

Pitched for the Orioles for 10 seasons, from 1991-2000. Pitched for the Yankees from 2001-08.

• Baltimore totals: 147-81, 3.53 ERA, 1.175 WHIP, 2,009 IP, 1,535 strikeouts
• Career totals: 270-153, 3.68 ERA, 1.192 WHIP, 3,562 IP, 2,813 strikeouts
• Five-time All-Star (1992-94, 1997, 1999 - all with Orioles)
• Seven-time Gold Glove winner (1996-99, 2001, 2003, 2008)
• Mussina, whose actual nickname was Moose (much less original than mine up there), of course spent his entire career in the high-scoring AL East. He won at least 11 games in 17 straight seasons - an AL record. The only other pitchers to match that are Cy Young, Steve Carlton, Warren Spahn, Don Sutton and Greg Maddux.
• His early-career arsenal included a four-seam fastball that topped out at 95 mph, a two-seam fastball, slider, change-up and knuckle-curve. He often was compared to Jim Palmer - and he was known for his ability to make in-game adjustments to compensate for off days.
• As career went on, he added a splitter and replaced his knuckle-curve with a more conventional curveball. He became more skilled at changing speeds with his breaking pitches and using different arm angles to confuse batters as well as to compensate for the diminishing speed of his fastball.
• Placed in the top five of voting for the Cy Young Award six times.
• One 20-win season (2008), two 19 win seasons, three 18 win seasons and two 17 win seasons.
• Career .638 winning percentage.
• Ranks 19th in career strikeouts.
• Ranks 33rd all-time in wins with 270.
• Ranks 33rd in games started.

Jim Palmer (SP)

Pitched entire career with the Orioles (1965-84).

• Career totals: 268-152, 2.86 ERA, 2,212 strikeouts, 521 games started, 211 complete games, 53 shutouts, 3,948 IPs
• Six-time All Star (1970-72, 1975, 1977-78)
• Three-time World Series champion (1966, 1970, 1983)
• Three-time AL Cy Young winner (1973, 1975, 1976)
• Four-time Gold Glove winner (1976-79)
• Pitched no-hitter on Aug. 13, 1969.
• Palmer was a mainstay in the rotation during Baltimore's six pennant-winning teams in the 1960s (1966 & 1969), 1970s (1970, 1971 & 1979) and 1980s (1983).
• Only pitcher in MLB history to win World Series games in three decades (1966, 1970–71, 1983). Retired in 1984 as a member of the defending World Champions. 
• Won 20 games in eight different seasons (1970-73, 1975-78) and in four other seasons went 15-10 (1966), 16-4 (1969), 16-10 (1980) and 15-5 (1982).
• He was one of four 20-game winners in the Orioles starting rotation in 1971, only the second rotation in major league history to include four 20-game winners.
• He led the AL in wins three times.
• Never allowed a grand slam nor did he ever allow back-to-back homers.
• Career ERA (2.86) is the third lowest among starting pitchers whose careers began after the advent of the "Live Ball Era" in 1920, behind only Whitey Ford (2.75) and Sandy Koufax (2.75). 

John Wesley "Boog" Powell (1B)

Played for the Orioles from 1961-74, then two years with the Indians and one with the Dodgers.

• Baltimore totals: .266, 303 home runs, 1,063 RBIs
• Career totals: .266, 339 home runs, 1,187 RBIs
• Four-time All Star with the Orioles (1968-71)
• Two-time World Series champion (1966, 1970)
• AL MVP (1970)
• Two-tie AL Comeback Player of the Year (1966, 1975)
• Besides World Series titles, was with Orioles' AL Champion teams in 1966, 1969, 1970 and 1971, and the American League East Division Champion teams in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973 and 1974.
• In 1964 posted a .606 slugging percentage to lead the American League. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, playing first base, outfield and DH.

Cal Ripken (SS/3B)

 

An Oriole for his entire career (1981-2001)

• Career totals: .276, 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, 1,695 RBIs
• Two-time AL MVP (1983, 1991)
• 1982 AL Rookie of the Year
• 19-time All Star
• World Series champion (1983)
• Two-time Gold Glove winner
• Eight-time Sliver Slugger winner
• Best known for breaking Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played, an "unbreakable" record. He hit a home run in the previous night's game that tied Gehrig's record and another home run in his 2,131st record-breaking game. Fans later voted his 2,131st game as Major League Baseball's "Most Memorable Moment" in MLB history. 
• Played in an additional 501 straight games over the next three years, and his streak ended at 2,632 games when he voluntarily removed his name from the lineup for the final Orioles home game of 1998.
• At 6 ft 4 in, 225 lb. Ripken pioneered the way for taller, larger shortstops to be successful. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, he was a first ballot inductee with the third highest voting percentage (98.53%) in history, behind Tom Seaver (98.84%) and Nolan Ryan (98.79%).

Brooks Robinson (3B)

Played entire 23-year career (1955-77) with the Orioles.

• Career totals: .267, 2,848 hits, 268 home runs, 1,357 RBIs
• 18-time All Star
• Two-time World Series champion
• 16-time Gold Glove winner. 16 consecutive seasons - 1960-75.
• 1964 AL MVP
• 1970 World Series MVP
• 1966 All-Star Game MVP
• Widely acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in MLB history.  
• Had best offensive year in 1964, hitting. 318, 28 home runs and leading the league with 118 RBIs. Received 18 of the 20 first-place votes, with Mickey Mantle finishing second.
• In 1970 post-season, hit .583 in ALCS. In World Series, against the Cincinnati Reds, hit .429 with two home runs. But it was his defensive prowess at third base that stood out, making several impressive plays during the series that robbed the Reds of apparent base hits.
• Led the AL in fielding percentage a record 11 times, and at the time of his retirement, his .971 career fielding average was the highest ever for a third baseman.
• His totals of 2,870 games played at third base, 2,697 putouts, 6,205 assists, 8,902 total chance and 618 double plays, were records for third basemen at the time of his retirement.
• His 23 seasons with one team set a new major league record. Only Yastrzemski (3,308), Hank Aaron (3,076) and Stan Musial (3,026) played more games for one franchise.

Frank Robinson (OF)

A superstar for the Cincinnati Reds from 1956-65, Robinson went to the Baltimore Orioles from 1966-71, continuing a stellar career. He ended his career (1972-76) with the Dodgers, Angels and Indians.

• Baltimore totals (6 seasons): .300, 179 home runs, 882 hits, 545 RBIs
• Career totals: .294, 586 home runs, 2,943 hits, 1,812 RBIs
• During his time in Baltimore, averaged 30 home runs, 92 RBIs, a .300 average, a .401 on-base percentage and a .543 slugging mark.
• While there, he won a triple crown, a World Series MVP award, a regular season MVP and finished third in two other seasons.
• 14-time All Star (including five of six seasons while in Baltimore)
• Two-time World Series champion (1966, 1970) both as an Oriole.
• 1956 NL Rookie of the Year (Cincinnati)
• 1961 NL MVP (Cincinnati)
• 1966 AL MVP (Baltimore): Became only player to be named MVP in both leagues.
• 1966 World Series MVP
• 1971 All-Star Game MVP
• Amassed the fourth-most career home runs at the time of his retirement (he is currently ninth).
• Was the first African-American hired to serve as manager in MLB history. He managed the Indians during the last two years of his playing career, compiling a 186–189 record. He then managed the Giants (1981-84), Orioles (1988-91) and Expos/Nationals (2002-06). 
• He won Triple Crown in first year in Baltimore, leading AL with a .316 batting average (the lowest ever by a Triple crown winner), 49 home runs (the most ever by a right-handed Triple crown winner) and 122 RBIs.
• On May 8, 1966, he became the only player ever to hit a home run completely out of Memorial Stadium. Until the Orioles' move to Camden Yards in 1991, a flag labeled "HERE" was flown at the spot where the ball left the stadium.

George Sisler (1B)

Played for St. Louis Browns (Orioles' forerunner) from 1915-22, 1924-27. Missed 1923 with severe attack of sinusitis that caused double vision. Played for Washington Senators (1928) and Boston Braves (1928-30). Managed Browns (1924-26).

• Career totals: .340, 102 home runs, 2,812 hits, 1,175 RBIs
• AL MVP (1922)
• AL batting champion (1920, 1922)
• Held the MLB record for most hits in a single season from 1920-2004, a mark that stills stands for a 154-game season. (Ichiro had 262 hits in 2004.)
• Hit .420 in 1922, including hits in a then-record 41 straight games. Led AL in hits (246), stolen bases (51), triples (18) and was generally considered the best fielding first baseman in the game. 
• His 1922 season is considered by many historians to be among the best individual all-around single-season performances in baseball history. His average was the third-highest of the 20th century, surpassed only by Rogers Hornsby's .424 in 1924 and Nap Lajoie's .426 in 1901.
• Led league in runs in 1922 (134). Led league in hits in 1920 (257) and 1922 (246).
• Led league in stolen bases in 1918 (45), 1921 (35), 1922 (51) and 1927 (27)
• Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939. In 1999, he received the eighth-largest number of first base-category votes in fan balloting for the MLB All-Century team and The Sporting News named him 33rd on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."
• In 1920, Sisler played every inning of each game, stole 42 bases, had 257 hits and batted .407. Ended the season by hitting .442 in August and .448 in September. Finished second in the AL in both doubles and triples, and second to Babe Ruth in RBIs and home runs.

More rules of the Fun-Time Baseball Hall (and some background).


The Hall was created to help me build my knowledge of the game's past. All franchises will be featured in 2012. Voting will continue annually. There is built-in exclusivity for first-ballot induction, described below. Percentage voting will come into play in subsequent years. 

For first-ballot induction:

• For teams in existence since 1920 or before, the top 7 will win first-ballot induction.
• For teams established between 1921-1940, the top 6. 
• For teams established between 1941-1960, the top 5.
• For teams established between 1961-1975, the top 4.
• For teams established between 1976-1990, the top 3.
• For newer expansion teams, ballots will be grouped and the top 3 total will be inducted.
• In 2013, a second ballot will be held. 
• Maximum of three more players will enter the Hall for each team in existence since 1960 or before. Maximum of two more for teams established between 1961 and 1990. Maximum of one more for combined teams established after 1990. 
• A secondary requirement for future ballots is players must earn at least 65% of the vote.