Baltimore Orioles: Most Explosive Rookie Debuts In Franchise History

3) Third Baseman Cal Ripken Jr. 4.7 bWAR (1982)

What more can be said about Cal Ripken Jr. that hasn’t already been said over and over again? The Iron Man of baseball, two-time MVP winner, 19-time All-Star, 1982 Rookie of the Year, 1983 World Series champion, and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer comes in at number three on the list of top rookie performances by a Baltimore Oriole.

His 160 games played in 1982 would be the fewest number of games played in a season until the strike-shortened 1994 season and remains an Orioles’ record for games played by a rookie, sharing the honor with Eddie Murray. Ripken hit .264 with a .317 OBP in his rookie campaign, adding 28 home runs (Baltimore rookie record) and 32 doubles en route to capturing Rookie of the Year honors. The 21-year-old Ripken finished second on the team in home runs and RBIs (93) behind Eddie Murray (32 HR, 110 RBIs) and helped to lead Baltimore to a 94-68 record, falling just one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for a playoff birth.

All would be well in 1983 when a 22-year-old Ripken would win his first MVP award and lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-1 World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

2) Outfielder George Stone- 4.8 bWAR (1905)

Ever-so-slightly beating out Ripken for the number two spot here is George Stone. Stone had a short seven-year career in the majors but made the most of his time playing, accumulating 984 career-hits in just five and a half seasons worth of games. All but two of his games were in a Browns uniform, making his pro debut with the Boston Americans before being traded after the 1903 season.

The left-handed outfielder hit .296 (187 total hits in 632 at-bats) in his rookie season with the St. Louis Browns, hitting a career-high seven home runs and 25 doubles. “Silent George”, as his SABR bio calls him, brought a unique batting style with him, so unique in fact that it was the reason for the Boston Americans trading him to St. Louis.

"“Stone crouched down over the plate, with his bat tight against his shoulder, took two steps and soaked the ball for all he was worth…His explanation of the advantages of the crouch is that it gets the eyes in a better position to follow the ball, as they are almost on a direct line with any delivery that comes over the plate. Secondly, the crouch sets the muscles so that a quick chop can be taken at the ball instead of the longer swing employed by most players.”"

Stone holds the Orioles’ rookie record for plate appearances (691), at-bats (632), and hits (187).