The Baltimore Orioles have a long history of power hitters gracing their lineup. Here’s the list of top ten home run hitters in franchise history.
After a season in which home run records across major league baseball were shattered, we’re paying homage to the top ten greatest home run hitters in Baltimore Orioles franchise history.
This list includes only home runs hit in a Baltimore Orioles uniform, so the number you see for many of these players is not their career total. Despite their rich history, no one on this list has accumulated more than 500 home runs with the franchise and only one has eclipsed the 400 mark.
Seven players have hit more than 40 home runs in a single season, two of whom do not appear on the top ten all-time list. Chris Davis and his 53 home runs in 2013 are a franchise-high for a single season (also hit 47 in 2015), while Mark Trumbo (47 in 2016) and Nelson Cruz (40 in 2014) do not appear on the all-time list.
10. Frank Robinson– 179 home runs
One of the greatest players the game of baseball has ever seen, Frank Robinson amassed 586 home runs across his 21 seasons of major league ball, hitting 179 of them in his six seasons with the Orioles.
There isn’t much that can be said about the legend that hasn’t already been said. A two-time World Series champion, 14-time All-Star, 1956 Rookie of the Year, a World Series MVP, Triple Crown Winner, Manager of the Year, MLB Hall of Famer, and a beloved teammate only begin to describe one of the most impressive careers in MLB history.
Robinson hit at least 25 home runs in each of his six seasons in Baltimore, except for his 1968 season in which he hit just 15. He led the league with 49 home runs, a .316 average, and .410 OBP in his MVP season of 1966, his first season in Baltimore.
All it took to acquire Robinson from the Cininnati Reds was Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun, and Dick Simpson. I think it’s safe to say the Orioles won that trade.