Baltimore Orioles: Top ten pitchers in franchise history

A look at the Baltimore Orioles’ top ten pitchers in their history.

When you look at the history of the Baltimore Orioles, it’s full of great pitchers – such as the great Jim Palmer. Without a doubt he’s the greatest pitcher that the franchise has ever seen, and possibly ever will see. Palmer’s a pitcher that might come around once in several generations for a team.

However the fact is that the franchise has had other great pitchers, and plenty of them at that. So I thought it might be fun to take a look through the history of the team and see which ones might qualify for a “top ten” of sorts. For what it’s worth, these pitchers are in no particular order, and they’re based almost entirely on my opinion!

And why might that be? Well, I’m the one writing the piece! Needless to say, the other three twenty-game winners in 1971 will be represented here, and maybe even a surprise or two. Who knows…but let’s get started!

Next: Jim Palmer

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Jim Palmer – I mentioned him above, and yes admittedly I said that these pitchers were in no particular order. However any list of the greatest pitchers in Orioles’ history begins and ends with the great Jim Palmer. A member of the MLB Hall of Fame class of 1990, Palmer pitched 19 years in the majors – all with the O’s. He started World Series games in three different decades, finished his career with a 2.86 ERA, and had a win percentage of .638.

When you think of the level of par by which we judge today’s pitchers in terms of success today, that 2.68 ERA looks pretty impressive. With Palmer, we’re dealing with one of the greatest pitchers of all-time in baseball history, not just with the O’s. One of his more impressive feats that you won’t see on paper is that throughout his entire career, he never threw a grand slam. Again, that’s a pretty impressive feat.

Palmer was drafted by the O’s in the first ever MLB draft in 1965, and was a member of the great 1971 rotation which featured four twenty-game winners (including him). Again, if there’s someone else in the history of the franchise who’s a better pitcher than Jim Palmer, I’d be interested in seeing him!

Next: Mike Cuellar

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Mike Cuellar – Again, all of this is in no particular order (after Palmer, that is). But you can throw Mike Cuellar in there as well, fairly close to the top. Unlike Palmer, Cuellar wasn’t a career Oriole. And mind you, playing for numerous teams wasn’t necessarily the norm back in his day.

Cuellar has a career win percentage of .587 over 15 seasons as a big league pitcher, and an ERA of 3.14. (So let’s call hi Pi!) Cuellar pitched for the Orioles from 1969-1976, during which time he won 143 games. Like Jim Palmer, Cuellar was one of four twenty-game winners in 1971.

He was nicknamed “Crazy Horse,” and he also pitched for St. Louis, Houston, and very briefly for the Califonia Angels in his last season before retiring. However he’s remembered mainly as an Oriole, and it was in Baltimore that his most productive years occurred. Cuellar sadly passed away in April of 2010 in Florida.

Next: Pat Dobson

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Pat Dobson – This one’s a bit strange in that Pat Dobson only pitched for the O’s for two seasons: 1971-72. So how exactly can he be considered one of the greatest pitchers in team history? Like Palmer and Cuellar, he’s one of the four twenty-game winners in 1971. Yeah, that kind of hits a note with me.

Dobson actually has a losing record throughout his entire career, at .486. However he has a respectable 3.54 ERA, and went 36-26 over his two seasons in Baltimore. Dobson also pitched for the NY Yankees, Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta, and San Diego. While perhaps many of his numbers were somewhat pedestrian, he won’t be forgotten in Baltimore and will always be considered one of the best pitchers to wear the Oriole uniform.

Dobson passed away in 2006, however prior to his death he also spent some time as a coach in the Orioles’ organization. He was always warmly welcomed in Baltimore, both at Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards.

Next: Dave McNally

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Dave McNally – Dave McNally is the last of the four twenty-game winners in 1971. He was drafted by the Orioles, and played all but one of his 14 seasons with the orange and black. He finished his career in Montreal, where he pitched for one season. However needless to say, he’s an Oriole through and through.

McNally has a career win percentage of 6.07, and an ERA of 3.24. He’s also a three-time all-star. The likes of McNally among others pitched at a time when pitching was starting to become less of an emphasis in games. Owners were slowly beginning to realize that people wanted to see long majestic home runs. And that’s partially why I suspect things such as four twenty-game winners are something we won’t see again.

After retiring McNally became a used car dealer in his hometown of Billings, MT. He passed away in 2002, however his memory lives on in the fans he left behind in Baltimore.

Next: Mike Flanagan

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Mike Flanagan – Perhaps the greatest southpaw to ever take the mound for the O’s was Mike Flanagan. With a career win percentage of .539 and an ERA of 3.90, Flanagan was your classic “wirey” left-handed starter. He pitched 18 years in the big leagues, 14 of which were with the Orioles.

More so perhaps than how great he was on the field, Flanagan was also what one might call the spirit of the team and of the fans. He LOVED the Orioles and everything about them. He loved Baltimore, loved raising his family here, and he loved the fans. Perhaps there’s no player that symbolized the spirit in Memorial Stadium in the late 1970’s and early 80’s than Mike Flanagan.

Flanagan was traded to Toronto partway through the 1987 season, and in essence became a reliever. However when his contract was up he re-signed…with the Orioles. And to me that shows people how much he loved this organization and the city. Flanagan of course has the distinction of being the final Oriole pitcher to pitch at Memorial Stadium, as he was brought in to pitch the top of the ninth in the last game there in 1991, representing past, present, and future.

Flanagan had two separate stints as Orioles’ pitching coach after retiring, along with two separate stints as a color commentator on Orioles’ television. He was also an executive with the team in between all of that, and thus in effect never left the Orioles’ organization after retiring. Flanagan tragically died in 2011 on his farm in Monkton, MD.

Next: Dennis Martinez

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Mike Mussina – This one will obviously be somewhat controversial, but you have to throw Mike Mussina into the conversation. Mussina of course was drafted by the Orioles, and spent ten great seasons with the orange and black. Over that time, he was 147-81, with an ERA of 3.53. For his entire 18-year career, Mussina has a win percentage of .638 and an ERA of 3.68.

Of course I say Mussina is somewhat controversial because he left the Orioles and signed with New York prior to the 2001 season. He was resented in Baltimore for years, although the Orioles certainly did have every opportunity to sign him. However keep in mind that Mussina had some great seasons in Baltimore. He was also a fan favorite, which made his departure all the more painful for fans.

But Mike Mussina should definitely be thought of as one of the greatest pitchers in team history. While he was an Oriole, he was great. And in fact, Orioles fans have gotten over it, and at this point have a kinder view of Mussina.

Next: Milt Pappas

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Milt Pappas – This one might come off as somewhat of a surprise. However mind you that Pappas was signed out of high school by the Orioles and spent nine great years in Baltimore. Over that period, he ammased a win percentage of .598, and an ERA of 3.24.

He was traded prior to the 1966 season to Cincinnatti, in exchange for future Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson. Mind you, aquiring Robinson is something that is largely credited with winning the Orioles’ first World Series. Pappas is a guy who typifies the idea of being worth more on the trade market than the roster. While he was a tough guy to part with for the Orioles, he yielded a big-time payment.

Next: Robin Roberts

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Robin Roberts – Robin Roberts is a guy that came to the Orioles in the twighlight of his career. While he’s most thought of as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, he spent four years in Baltimore. He had a win percentage of .538 with the Orioles, and an ERA of 3.09.

However perhaps the biggest impact the Hall of Famer had on the Orioles was tutoring another future Hall of Famer – Jim Palmer. Palmer credits Roberts with showing him the ropes of how to be a big league ballplayer. Palmer would later turn around and play that same role for Mike Flanagan when he came on the scene with the Orioles.

Next: Orioles Trade for Mark Trumbno

And that’s how life works, folks. You should always have one hand going forward to get a helping hand from those who were before you. But you should also have one hand behind you in order to help those who come next.

Next: mike boddicker

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Mike Boddicker – Perhaps one of the more unsung Oriole pitchers, Boddicker played in Baltimore for nine years. During that time he amassed a win percentage of .536, and a 3.80 ERA. Boddicker was drafted by the Orioles, and played for three other organizations.

Similar to Milt Papas above, Boddicker proved to be worth more to the franchise on the trade market more than anything else. Boddicker was traded in 1988 to Boston, and the Orioles got future superstar, Brady Anderson. Given what Anderson turned into with the Orioles, that’s a pretty decent return.