The starting catcher, though I am EXTREMELY tempted to put Matt Wieters, comes down to two deserving candidates: Chris Hoiles and Gus Triandos. While Triandos was certainly a good catcher, I have to go with Hoiles. Hoiles was terrific working with pitchers and had terrific game-calling abilities. Not to mention he was a huge part of the 1996 and 1997 teams, and provided countless clutch hits for them. His career, sadly was cut short by a bad hip in 1999. More impressive is the fact that he played on that bad hip for about 2 years. For my backup catcher, I’d want no one else but Rick Dempsey. A mediocre hitter, to say the least, but his defense and leadership cannot be denied. I could put Gus Triandos here, but Dempsey’s leadership and ability to work with pitchers makes him the perfect backup catcher. Honorable mentions include Gus Triandos, Andy Etchebarren, and Charles Johnson.

At first base, there are quite a few options. You could go with Rafael Palmeiro, Jim Gentile, or perhaps fan favorite Boog Powell. However, I have to go with the master of consistency, Eddie Murray. Not only was he great with the bat, he was also a very good fielder. He doesn’t have the power of Gentile or Powell, but any Orioles fan could tell you that an all-time Orioles team without #33 at first is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without peanut butter.

At second base, it comes down to Roberto Alomar and Brian Roberts. Alomar had better stats, but Roberts has quickly become a fan favorite and has stuck around for longer. My heart says go with B-Rob, but I’m going to follow my head and say Roberto Alomar, who was a 5-tool player at second. Honorable mention goes to Davey Johnson, who will always be beloved by Orioles fans.

At shortstop, I can’t go with anyone BUT Cal Ripken, probably the greatest player to ever wear an Orioles uniform. He will always be my favorite player of all-time. If I couldn’t go with Ripken, I’d go with either Miguel Tejada or fan favorite Mike Bordick.

At third base, it’s another easy decision: Brooks Robinson. His glove and arm were, and still are, second to none. Everyone forgets that Brooks was a pretty good hitter because he was so good at fielding. When he retired, he had the most home runs of any AL third baseman. Honorable mention goes to fan favorite Melvin Mora.

In the outfield, I could go a lot of different directions. All of them, though, include Paul Blair in center field. Blair is arguably one of the best defensive outfielders of all time, and his bat was nothing to sneeze at either. In right field, I’m very tempted to put Nick Markakis, but I have to go with Frank Robinson. Frank Robinson is the best power hitter to ever wear an Orioles uniform. In left field, I could go several directions. I could go with Brady Anderson, arguably the second best lead off hitter the Orioles have ever had, or I could go with Ken Singleton, or I could go with Reggie Jackson (yes he did play ONE season with the Orioles). I’ll follow my heart on this one and go with Ken Singleton.

I’m very grateful that I’m allowed to choose a DH, because no all-time Orioles team would be complete without the multi-talented Boog Powell. Not only was he a hulking home run hitter and a fan favorite, he also knows good BBQ. He also was a pain for opposing fans: How do you express displeasure for a guy named BOOg? You obviously can’t boo him, he’ll think you’re cheering him. Honorable mention goes to fan favorite Harold Baines, a career DH who somehow kept finding his way back to Baltimore. 

Now, I’d need to fill out my four-man bench. I already have Dempsey as my backup catcher, so I have three spots left. For my fourth outfielder, I’d have to go with Don Buford. Very reliable fielder, fast, and swings a decent bat. He beats out Al Bumbry and Brady Anderson for that role. I’d like to have a good power bat coming off the bench, and I think that Lee May fits that description pretty darn well. He’s also a reliable first baseman who could spell Eddie Murray. Last spot would have to go with Mark Belanger, the infamous all-glove-no-bat infielder. Because of his great instincts, I’d feel confident with him playing second, shortstop, or even third base. Just not for an extended period of time, thanks to his horrendous bat. His glove, however, cannot be denied.

14 spots down, 11 to go. Now to fill out the starting rotation. This is where the Orioles team gets impressive. The obvious staff ace is the incomparable Jim Palmer. The fact that Earl Weaver put up with his hothead and smart-*** remarks proves how great he was. Mike Mussina deserves to be on the team too. He’ll always be beloved in Baltimore, and nothing will ever beat the O’s fans chanting “MOOOOOOOOOSE” during a huge at bat. Dave McNally was an underrated star for the Orioles during the late 60’s and early 70’s. Finished with a career 3.18 ERA. His claim to fame was his performance in the post season. Mike Cuellar and Milt Pappas round out the rotation. That’s one heck of a rotation.

19 spots down, 6 relievers to go. The obvious choice for closer is none other than fan favorite Gregg Olson. Tippy Martinez, due to his reliability and his rubber arm, would be the workhorse. Stu Miller, the same pitcher who Earl Weaver once could not stand to watch (whenever he sent Miller in, Weaver would run into the clubhouse and ask one of the coaches to tell him when it’s over), despite his wildness, was a very good reliever and I would trust him in a setup man role. Hoyt Wilhelm is the obvious choice for long reliever. Dick Hall is another obvious choice, due to his consistency and reliability. Earl Weaver tended to use him in the same way that Joe Torre has used Scott Proctor. And for the lefty specialist, I’ve got to go with a personal favorite, Jesse Orosco. He could only face one or two hitters, but by God he would get those one or two hitters out. Weaver would have loved to have him in the pen.

Manager? Not even close, Earl Weaver. Every manager in baseball today should personally thank Weaver for much of modern-baseball strategy. The platoon system? Weaver perfected it. He was also one of the first managers to emphasize OBP (he once told Don Buford, “As long as you get on base 2 out of 5 times, I’ll keep you in the lineup. Buford always had a place in the lineup because of this). 

Starting Lineup would look something like this:

Alomar- 2B

Singleton- LF

Murray- 1B

Powell- DH

Robinson- RF

Ripken- SS

Robinson- 3B

Hoiles- C

Blair- CF

The Orioles, despite the last 12 years, are a storied franchise, and this all-time team proves that.