Top 10 Best Baltimore Orioles Players of All Time

The Baltimore Orioles are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team that has been around since the late 19th century. In that time, they took home three World Series titles, in 1966, 1970, and 1983. Over the years, they have had plenty of talented players to help lead them to these high points. Keep reading to learn about the ten greatest Orioles of all time in greater detail.

Who Are the Best Baltimore Orioles Baseball Players of All Time?

1. Cal Ripken Jr.
2. Brooks Robinson
3. Eddie Murray
4. Jim Palmer
5. George Sisler
6. Mike Mussina
7. Boog Powell
8. Frank Robinson
9. Adam Jones
10. Dave McNally

1. Cal Ripken Jr.

• 1983 World Series champion
• 19-time All-Star
• Two-time Gold Glove Award winner
• Eight-time Silver Slugger Award winner
• 1992 Roberto Clemente Award winner
• MLB record for most consecutive games played (2,632)
• Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame inductee

One of the most durable players in MLB history, Cal Ripken Jr. is surely the greatest Oriole of all time. Ripken played all 21 of his professional seasons with the Orioles from 1981 to 2001. On the Orioles’ all-time leaderboards, Ripken is the all-time leader in several categories, including hits (3,184), runs scored (1,647), RBIs (1,695), walks (1,129), doubles (603), WAR (95.9), and home runs (431). Additionally, he holds the major league record for most consecutive games played, appearing in 2,632 straight games without taking a day off.

He won plenty of awards to fill a trophy case as well, making 19 straight All-Star teams (1983 to 2001), winning eight Silver Sluggers (1983 to 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994), two Gold Gloves (1991 and 1992), and two American League MVPs in 1983 and 1991. He even led Baltimore to their most recent World Series in 1983, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007. Clearly, Ripken is one of the most talented, consistent players of all time, and he certainly is a lot of Orioles fans’ favorite player.

2. Brooks Robinson

• Two-time World Series champion
• 18-time All-Star
• 1964 AL MVP
• 1972 Roberto Clemente Award winner
• 16-time Gold Glove Award winner
• Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame inductee

Before there was Cal Ripken, Brooks Robinson was the many Oriole fans loved and adored. Robinson also played his entire career for Baltimore, playing there from 1955 to 1977. In terms of the franchise’s all-time ranks, he ranks second in hits (2,848), second in RBIs (1,357), second in WAR (78.5), second in runs scored (1,232), second in doubles (484), and fourth in home runs (268).

Robinson also made the All-Star team 15 times (1960 to 1974), a major league record 16 gold gloves (1960 to 1975), and was the 1963 American League MVP. Moreover, he helped the Orioles win their first two World Series titles in team history in 1966 and 1970, winning the World Series MVP in the 1970 series. In 1983, the same year the orioles won the World Series, Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Just the simple fact alone that Robinson played 23 years in Baltimore made him legendary enough, and when you factor in his on-field production, he is without a doubt one of Baltimore’s all-time greats.

3. Eddie Murray

• 1983 World Series champion
• Eight-time All-Star
• Three-time Gold Glove Award winner
• Three-time Silver Slugger Award winner
• 1981 AL home run and RBI leader
• Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame inductee

The first player on this list who actually played for another team, Eddie Murray was an all-time Oriole great when he was there. Murray played 13 total seasons with the Orioles, playing there from 1977 to 1988 before returning for one final season with them in 1996. During his time with Baltimore, Murray made seven All-Star teams (1978, 1981 to 1986), won two Silver Sluggers (1983 and 1984), and won three Gold Gloves (1982 to 1984).

On the Orioles’ all-time lists, Murray has registered the fourth most hits with 2,080, the fourth most runs scored with  1,084, the second most home runs with 343, third most WAR with 56.6, third most doubles with 363, and third most total bases with 3,522. A teammate of Cal Ripken Jr., Murray also helped to lead the team to the 1983 World Series alongside his fellow Oriole legend. While he may have been in Ripken's shadow, Murray was still extremely important for the success of those 1980s Baltimore teams.

4. Jim Palmer

• Three-time World Series champion
• Six-time All-Star
• Four-time Gold Glove Award winner
• Three-time AL wins leader
• Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame inductee

Certainly the greatest pitcher in Oriole history, Jim Palmer comes in at number four on this overall all-time Baltimore list. He pitched all 19 major league seasons with the Orioles from 1965 to 1984 (he did not play in 1968). Palmer is number one in a number of pitching categories for the franchise, including wins (268), innings pitched (3,948), strikeouts (2,212), pitcher WAR (67.6), complete games (211), shutouts (53), and games pitched (558).

He also was selected to six All-Star teams (1970 to 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978), won three Cy Young Awards (1973, 1975, and 1976), and four Gold Glove awards (1976 to 1979). Furthermore, Palmer is the only player on this list who was a member of all three Oriole World Series teams in 1966, 1970, and 1983. Overall in the postseason, Palmer won eight postseason games and posted an ERA of 2.31, showing that he not only showed up in the regular season but in the postseason as well.

5. George Sisler

• 1922 AL MVP
• Two-time AL batting champion
• Most triples in franchise history (145)
• Most stolen bases in franchise history (351)

The oldest player on this list, George Sisler played for the Baltimore Orioles franchise before they were the Orioles. Prior to becoming the Orioles in 1954, the team was in St. Louis and known as the St. Louis Browns. Sisler was a member of the Browns for twelve seasons from 1915 to 1927 (he did not play in 1923). One of the fastest players in the league during his time, Sisler leads the franchise in career batting average (.340), triples (145), and stolen bases (351), as well as being third in hits (2,295), and fourth in WAR (52.4).

In terms of awards won, while there was not an All-Star game during his time, he did win the American League MVP in 1922, and he led the league in batting average on two occasions in 1920 and 1922. While he may not be that well known in the modern day, George Sisler was a star during his time, being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.

6. Mike Mussina

• 1995 MLB wins leader
• Five-time All-star
• Seven-time Gold Glove Award Winner
• Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame inductee

The second pitcher to appear on this list, Mike Mussina is one of the more modern players listed here. Mussina pitched the first ten years of his career for Baltimore from 1991 to 2000 before pitching the remainder of his career with the New York Yankees. He made the All-Star team in half of those ten seasons (1992 to 1994, 1997, 1999), and he won three Gold Glove awards (1996, 1997, and 1999).

In terms of all-time Oriole pitchers, Mussina recorded the second most wins in team history with 147, the second best win-loss percentage at 64.5%, the second most strikeouts with 1,535, second most accumulated WAR with 47.7, the fifth most games started with 288, and the seventh most innings pitched with 2,009 ⅔. His best postseason performance with the team came in 1997 when he won two of the Orioles’ three wins in the Division Series against the Seattle Mariners.

7. Boog Powell

• Two-time World Series champion
• Four-time All-Star
• 1970 AL MVP
• Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame inductee

One of the best sluggers ever for Baltimore, Boog Powell comes in at number seven on this list. Powell played 14 seasons with the Orioles from 1961 to 1974, and during that time, he made four All-Star teams (1968 to 1971) and won two World Series in 1966 and 1970. His most successful personal season was also in 1970 when he won the American League MVP batting .297 with 35 home runs and driving in 114 runs.

In terms of his all-time ranks, he hit the third most home runs (303), registered the seventh most hits (1,574), had the fourth most RBIs (1,063), scored the ninth most runs (796), and drew the fourth most walks (889). Even though he played in the 1960s and 70s, Powell is well known by Oriole fans of all generations due to his restaurant “Boog’s BBQ,” that is located in the Orioles ballpark in Camden Yards.

8. Frank Robinson

• Two-time World Series champion
• 14-time All-Star
• 1966 World Series MVP
• 1966 Triple Crown

Even though he only played six seasons for Baltimore, Frank Robinson still played well enough during that short time to earn a spot on this list. Since he only played from 1966 to 1971, his counting stats (hits, home runs, RBIs, etc.) did not quite reach the top of the leaderboards.

He did get near the top in other statistics, however, including having the third highest on-base percentage (.401), slugging percentage (543), and OPS (.944) in Oriole history. He won the American League MVP in his first season in 1966, and he made the All-Star team in five of his six seasons with the team. He was another important piece on the 1966 and 1970 World Series teams, recording ten hits, hitting three home runs, and driving in seven runs combined in the two series. In 1966, he was named the MVP of the series.

9. Adam Jones

• Five-time All-Star
• Four-time Gold Glove Award winner
• 2013 Silver Slugger Award winner

The most recent player on this list, Adam Jones is the penultimate player listed here. Jones spent most of his career in Baltimore, playing 11 seasons there from 2008-2018. In that time, he racked up the fifth most hits (1,781), the fifth most home runs (263), the sixth most RBIs (866), the seventh most runs scored (875), the fifth most total bases (2,929), and the eighth most doubles (305) in team history.

As for the awards that he won, he made the All-Star team five times in his Baltimore tenure (2009, 2012 to 2015), won three Gold Glove awards (2012 to 2014), and a Silver Slugger award in 2013. His best all-around season came in 2012, when he played in all 162 games, batting .287 with 32 home runs and 82 RBIs. He went on to finish sixth in the American League MVP voting that year, the best MVP voting result of his career.

10. Dave McNally

• Two-time World Series champion
• Three-time All-Star
• AL wins leader
• Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame inductee

The final player on this list and the third starting pitcher is Dave McNally. McNally pitched thirteen of his fourteen years in Baltimore from 1962 to 1974 before playing one final season for the Montreal Expos. He was selected to three All-Star teams during that time and was one of the key pitchers on the two World Series-winning teams in 1966 and 1970.

On the Orioles’ all-time pitching leaderboards, McNally has the second most wins (181), the third most strikeouts (1,476), the second most innings pitched (2,652 ⅔), the second most shutouts (33), and the second most games started (384). In the two World Series that the Orioles won, McNally started three games and won two, picking up ten strikeouts and giving up five total earned runs in 20 ⅓ innings pitched. While Jim Palmer stole all the headlines on these teams, McNally was an instrumental piece, and the orioles may not have won those titles without him.

Honorable Mentions

While the players listed below did not quite make the top ten, they still deserve recognition as honorable mentions. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

• Brady Anderson
• Mark Belanger
• Paul Blair
• Al Bumbry
• Mike Flanagan
• Bobby Grich
• Chris Hoiles
• Melvin Mora
• Brian Roberts
• Ken Singleton

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