Baltimore Orioles: The 5 best second basemen in Orioles history

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HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 03: Houston Astros owner Jim Crane presents retired first base coach Rich Dauer with his championship ring at Minute Maid Park on April 3, 2018 in Houston, Texas. Dauer almost died from a subdural hematoma during the championship parade. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

No. 4 – Rich Dauer

Rich Dauer spent his entire 10-year career with the Baltimore Orioles, from 1976-1985. While Dauer made almost 250 appearances at third for the Oriole, he played the majority of his games at second base.

Dauer was never a great hitter, generating much of his value on the defensive side. During his 10-year career, Dauer hit .257/.310/.343 with just 43 home-runs and 6 stolen bases. Despite his low totals, Dauer never struck out more than 36 times in a season and he finished his career with a 1.36 walk/strikeout rate.

Dauer generated 14.4 bWAR in his career, almost all of which was defensive value. He had a career .987 fielding percentage as a second baseman in over 7,700 innings. He was on the 1983 World Series championship team, working as a double-play partner with young shortstop Cal Ripken Jr and playing alongside Eddie Murray.

Dauer was elected into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2012. Since the end of his playing career, Dauer has spent 18 years coaching in the major leagues, most recently with the Houston Astros.

He was with the Astros in 2017 when they won the World Series, earning Dauer his second career World Series ring. At the Astros’ World Series parade, Dauer almost died after suffering a traumatic brain injury after falling the night before. Thankfully Dauer underwent a successful surgical procedure to resolve the issue and has since made a full recovery.

I unfortunately never got to see Dauer play, but by all accounts, he was an excellent defender who’s more than deserving of recognition.

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