105.7 The Fan Facebook Followers Select Baltimore Orioles Ultimate Lineup
The Baltimore Orioles broke a lot of hearts when they fell short to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Wild Card Game. Orioles manager Buck Showalter faced much expected criticism for never putting in one of the best closers in baseball, Zach Britton, during the 11 inning game.
Following the season, we decided to take our questions to Facebook and have the Orioles fans select the ultimate lineup and here are the results.
1. JIM PALMER, RHP (1965-1984)
- Three-time AL Cy Young Winner
- Four-time Rawlings AL Gold Glove Award Winner
- Six-time All-Star
- Three-time World Series Champion
We know, there is no question that Palmer is the best Oriole to ever stand on the mound and that showed as he took 88 percent of fan votes. Palmer spent his entire 19 year career with the Orioles holding a 2.86 era. One of the most notable games took place on Oct. 9 1966, when the 20-year-old Palmer pitched a shutout against Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers to claim their first World Series title. Palmer is the only Orioles played that participated in all six of the Orioles' World Series appearances. In 1990, Palmer was forever etched in baseball as he entered the Hall of Fame.
2. Rick Dempsey, C (1976-86, 1992)
- 1983 World Series MVP
- 1983 Babe Ruth Award
- Two-time World Series Champion
Dempsey took 67 percent of the votes, easily beating out Chris Hoiles who grabbed 16 percent. Dempsey spent 12 of his 24 seasons with the Orioles. He wasn't know for his batting (.238) but for being a durable and excellent defensive catcher. Dempsey held a .988 fielding percentage at the end of his career and only saw the disabled list twice.
3. EDDIE MURRAY, 1B (1977-88, 1996)
- 1977 Rookie of the Year
- Seven-time Orioles All-Star
- 1983 World Series Champion
Murray was the obvious favorite taking 89 percent of the fan votes for the first base position. The 2003 Hall of Famer batted .294 during his two stints with the Orioles and totaled 363 home runs. In his career, Murray hit a total of 1,917 RBIs and 1,224 of those came while wearing black and orange.
4. ROBERTO ALOMAR, 2B (1996-1998)
Alomar took 67 percent of the votes followed by Brian Roberts with 28 percent. The second baseman only spent three years with the Orioles and never stayed on a team longer than five years in his 17 year career. In those three years, he was voted to the All-Star game twice and was named the 1998 All-Star MVP. He would go on to hit .312 with 50 home runs and 210 RBIs (Baltimore only). In 2011 he entered the Hall of Fame as a Toronto Blue Jay.
5. BROOKS ROBINSON, 3B (1955-1977)
- 16-time Rawlings AL Gold Glove Winner
- 18-time All-Star
- 1966 Lou Gehrig Award Winner
- 1970 babe Ruth Award Winner
- 1972 Roberto Clemente Award Winner
- 1970 World Seried MVP
- Two-time World Series Champion
No other player came close to Robinson — as you can tell from his awards — it's practically impossible to match his career. From the age of 18 to 40, Robinson only wore the black and orange. In 24 seasons, Robinson played in 140 games or more in 17 of those seasons. He compiled a .267 career batting average with 2,848 hits, 268 home runs and 1357 RBIs. Robinson led the American League in fielding percentage a record 11 times. In 1977 Baltimore retired the No. 5 and in 1983 Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
6. CAL RIPKEN JR., SS (1981-2001)
- 1982 Rookie of the Year
- 19-time All Star
- Eight-time AL Silver Slugger
- Two-time Rawlings AL Gold Glove Winner
- Two-time AL MVP
- 1983 World Series Champion
The "Iron Man" of baseball was the 88 percent favorite as no other player stood a chance. Ripken holds multiple records, has won numerous awards and has a championship ring but nothing compares to his consecutive games played. Once held by Lou Gehrig at 2,130 consecutive games played, Ripken over 16 years would surpass Gehrig, playing 2,130 consecutive games. The record stood for 56 years before the Orioles shortstop passed the New York Yankee. In 21 seasons Ripken batted .276 with with 431 home runs and 1,695 runs batted in. His number was retired in 2001 and in 2007 he made his way into Cooperstown.
7. BRADY ANDERSON, LF (1988-2001)
Anderson slid ahead of B.J. Surhoff 53 to 25 percent for the left field spot. The three-time All-Star batted .257 with 209 home runs, 1,614 hits and 744 RBIs while in Baltimore. Anderson was a nightmare for opposing teams as he stole 3,047 bases while playing for the Orioles. From 1992-2000, Anderson remained in the top 25 for stolen bases, putting up a career best (52) in 1992.
8. ADAM JONES, CF (2008-PRESENT)
- Five-time All-Star
- Four-time Rawlings AL Gold Glove Winner
- 2013 AL Silver Slugger Award Winner
- 2015 MLB Players Choice Man of the Year Award Winner
Jones grabbed 49 percent of the votes, just pulling past Paul Blair at 34 percent. Jones has spent eight of his 11 seasons with the Orioles, batting .278 with 22 home runs and 730 RBIs. Jones was a first-round draft pick taken by the Seattle Mariners in 2003. Thanks to a trade in 2008, sending Erik Bedard to the Mariners, the Orioles received one of the best center fielders in baseball.
9. FRANK ROBINSON, RF (1966-1971)
- Five-time Orioles All-Star
- 1966 Babe Ruth Award
- 1966 AL MVP
- 1966 World Series MVP
- Two-time World Series Champion
Robinson took 76 percent of the votes with Nick Markakis taking 16 percent. In 21 seasons, Robinson spend six years with the Orioles organization hitting .300 with 179 home runs and 545 RBIs. His number was retired in 1972 and he entered the Hall of Fame in in 1982. Robinson went on to coach the Orioles from 1988 to 1991 and was named the AL Manager of the Year in 1989.
Trevor Peele moved to New York City from a small town in East Texas. He is a die-hard Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia Eagles fan. He graduated from Tarleton State University in 2013, majoring in Broadcast Journalism.
Questions or comments? Feel free to follow Trevor on Twitter or send him an email.