Baltimore Orioles: The best third-basemen in Orioles history

No. 1 – Brooks Robinson (1955-1977) – 78.4 bWAR

Brooks Robinson is unquestionably the second-best player to have ever put on a Baltimore Orioles uniform, behind only Cal Ripken Jr.

Brooks spent his entire 22-year career in Baltimore. He won an American League MVP award in 1964 and finished in the top-5 in MVP voting four different times.

He appeared in 15 consecutive All-Star games, is one of 6 players in Orioles history to have his number retired, and his 16 Gold Glove awards tie for the most all-time with former pitcher Jim Kaat.

Brooks won two World Series championships with the Baltimore Orioles, in 1966 and 1970. He earned the World Series MVP award in 1970 thanks to a 1.238 OPS, 2 homers and 6 RBI.

He was voted the Most Valuable Oriole four times, in 1960, 1962, 1964, and 1971, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, elected in 1983 along with Juan Marichal.

He finished his career in Baltimore with a .267/.322/.401 batting line and 268 career home-runs. His 2,848 hits, 482 doubles, 1,232 runs, and 1,357 RBI are all good for second in Orioles history in their respective categories, trailing just Ripken in each.

At the time of his retirement, Brooks’ .971 fielding percentage was the highest all-time among third-basemen. That record has since been surpassed, but his mark is still good for fourth all-time.

Brooks had the rare combination of having an exceptional peak, plus longevity. JAWS (Jaffe War Score) rates Brooks as the 8th best third-baseman of all-time. Not only is he one of the best players in Orioles history, but he’s undoubtedly one of the best in MLB history as well.

The Baltimore Orioles have a handful of third-base prospects in the organization right now with some upside, including Ryan Mountcastle, Rylan Bannon, and Jean Carlos Encarnacion. Will any of them be the next great Orioles’ third-baseman?