Baltimore Orioles: Ranking Rookie Of The Year Winners

6 of 7

OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 5: Cal Ripken Jr. #8 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the game against the Oakland Athletics on September 5, 2001 at the Network Associaties Colesium in Oakland, California. The Athletics won 12-6. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

The Baltimore Orioles have had six players win American League Rookie of the Year honors in franchise history. We rank all six based on how impressive their first seasons were.

For the first time since 2017, the Baltimore Orioles have a finalist in the race for American League Rookie of the Year honors. Trey Mancini finished third that season, with Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi finishing in second and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge running away with the award.

Named a finalist along with Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez and Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe, Orioles starting pitcher John Means isn’t likely to win the 2019 AL Rookie of the Year Award, but second place isn’t out of the question.

Pitching for an Orioles team that won just 54 games in 2019 and featured the worst pitching staff in the major leagues, John Means compiled a 12-11 record with a 3.60 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 131 strikeouts in 155 innings pitched. He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise long season in Birdland.

It’s been a long time since the Baltimore Orioles have had a Rookie of the Year winner. In fact, the only current members of the Orioles who were alive in 1989, when reliever Gregg Olson took home the award, were Chris Davis, Alex Cobb, Asher Wojciechowski, and Richard Bleier.

The 2019 winners and final votes will be announced on November 11. In the meantime, let’s take a look back and rank all six AL ROY winners who played for the Baltimore Orioles by how successful their debut seasons were.

One of the greatest things about this list is the fact that most players discussed here are still highly involved with the Baltimore Orioles today, just in case you needed any more proof about how special Birdland is.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: A general view during the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 22, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

1960- Ron Hansen, Shortstop

There weren’t a lot of shortstops who stood at 6’3″ back in the 1960s, which made Ron Hansen stand out during his time with the Baltimore Orioles. He may have played in just 393 games across five seasons in Baltimore, but Hansen made the most of his time, including becoming for the first Orioles player to take home Rookie of the Year honors.

Hansen slashed .255/.342/.440 with 22 home runs, 22 doubles, 86 RBI, and 72 runs scored in his first full season in the majors, leading an 89-win Orioles squad in home runs and forming a lock-down duo on the left side of the infield with the legendary Brooks Robinson. His 4.5 fWAR is the second-highest among all six Orioles ROY winners.

Unfortunately, Hansen hit just .248 with 12 home runs and a .667 OPS the following season in 1961 and appeared in 71 games in 1962 before being traded to the Chicago White Sox.

Hansen was traded along with a package of players for future Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio. Aparicio played the next five seasons in Baltimore, hitting .251 with 172 extra-base hits in 721 games. He swiped 166 of his 506 career bags and walked (193) almost as many times as he struck out (228). Aparicio also added two All-Star nods and two Gold Gloves to his resume.

SECAUCUS, NJ – JUNE 07: Team representative of the Baltimore Orioles Al Bumbry speaks with Hall of Famer Bob Watson during the MLB First Year Player Draft on June 7, 2010 held in Studio 42 at the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

1973- Al Bumbry, Outfielder

A Vietnam veteran, World Series champion, Baltimore Orioles Hall of Famer, Virginia Sports Hall of Famer, and someone who is always gracious with his time if you stop and say hello while at Camden Yards, Al Bumbry played his first full season in the majors back in 1973.

After hitting .337 with a .398 on-base percentage in 110 games, Bumbry took home 1973 American League Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the third player in Orioles franchise history to do so, at the time.

Bumbry chipped in seven home runs, 34 RBI, 73 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, and a 158 wRC+ during his rookie campaign. His .337 average, .398 OBP, and .500 slugging percentage were all career-highs and his wRC+ is the highest among all Orioles ROY winners.

Bumbry hit .283 across his 13 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and accumulated 24.7 Wins Above Replacement before electing free agency after the 1984 season. He would go on to sign a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres, where he appeared in 68 games and limped his way to a .200 average in 95 at-bats before calling it a career at 38 years of age.

1989- Gregg Olson, Reliever

Olson’s first full season in the major leagues was arguably his best season in the bigs, a career that spanned 14 seasons and nine different franchises.

The fourth overall pick in the 1988 draft out of Auburn, Olson was pitching for the Baltimore Orioles by the end of the season, appearing in 10 games. He walked 10 and struck out nine, giving up four runs on 10 hits across 11 innings. It didn’t take long for him to settle in and find success as a professional.

Olson was fantastic in his first full season in the majors, taking home Rookie of the Year honors, finishing sixth in Cy Young voting and 12th in MVP voting. Not bad for a closer. Logging 85 innings across 64 games, the former Auburn Tiger went 5-2 with a 1.69 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 27 saves. His 85 IP and 90 strikeouts were both career-highs.

After spending six seasons with the Orioles, he became a free agent and signed with the Atlanta Braves ahead of the 1994 season. He was unable to replicate his success in Baltimore at any of his future stops, due to a torn elbow ligament that derailed his once-promising career. Olson was worth 11.6 bWAR as an Oriole and a combined 1.2 bWAR from 1994-2001.

Armed with one of the more devastating curveballs in baseball, Olson remains the Orioles franchise leader in saves with 160. He was elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2008. Without that torn ligament early in his career, would we be talking about Gregg Olson the MLB Hall of Famer? Possibly.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: A general view of the concourse during the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 22, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

1965 Curt Blefary, Outfield

The 1965 Baltimore Orioles were full of exciting young talent, including that season’s Rookie of the Year winner, outfielder Curt Blefary. On a roster with other young studs such as Boog Powell (23), Paul Blair (21), Dave Mcnally (22), and Jim Palmer (19), Blefary rose above them all, leading the Orioles with 22 home runs, a .381 on-base percentage, and an .851 OPS.

Appearing in 144 games, Blefary added a .260 batting average, 23 doubles, 70 RBI, and more walks (88) than strikeouts (73.)

Blefary just barely edged out California Angels pitcher Marcelino Lopez for the ROY Award. Lopez won 14 games, posted a 2.93 ERA, and was worth 3.5 bWAR. Blefary was worth 3.6 bWAR and received 12 of the 20 first place votes.

The former Towson Tiger played his first four seasons in the majors with the Orioles, hitting 82 home runs, 64 doubles, and 13 triples with a .347 OBP. He struck out 289 times while walking 299 times. Wouldn’t it be nice to see numbers like that in Birdland again?

He was traded to the Houston Astros after the 1968 season, a trade that netted the Orioles starting pitcher Mike Cuellar. Cuellar went 143-88 with a 3.18 ERA in eight seasons with Baltimore after the trade.

2 Mar 1998: Bench coach Eddie Murray of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during a spring training game against the Montreal Expos at the Ft. Lauderdale Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The Orioles defeated the Expos 11-9. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /

1977- Eddie Murray, First Base

It’s hard to pick a top rookie season when your choice is between two of the more dominant players in franchise history.

A third-round pick back in 1973, Eddie Murray made his major league debut in 1977, playing in 160 games in what would be his first of 13 seasons in a Baltimore Orioles uniform. Murray slashed .283/.333/.470 with 27 home runs, 88 RBI, 29 doubles, and 81 runs scored. He was worth 3.2 Wins Above Replacement during his ’77 rookie season, a number he would not fall below until 1989, his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 1977 Rookie of the Year Award wasn’t a runaway for Murray who received 12 first-place votes. Oakland A’s slugger Mitchell Paige received nine votes after hitting .307 with a .405 OBP, 21 home runs, and 42 stolen bases. He was worth 6.2 bWAR that year.

“Steady Eddie” would finish his Orioles career with 343 home runs, 2080 total hits, 1, 224 RBI, and a .370 OBP. He would eventually make stops with the Dodgers, Mets, Indians, Angels, and a repeat stint with the Orioles at the age of 40 before hanging up the cleats at 41 with 504 career home runs.

2 Apr 2000: Cal Ripken #8 of the Baltimore Orioles practices with the team on the eve of opening day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Ripken has 2991 career hits and is in pursuit of his 3000th. <> Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger/ALLSPORT /

1982 Cal Ripken Jr. Third Base

While his teammate, Eddie Murray, powered his way to a second-place finish in the 1982 MVP race, Cal Ripken Jr.was just beginning one of the more iconic careers in the history of Major League Baseball.

From the streak, to his 19 All-Star games, two MVP Awards, a 1983 World Series title, eight Silver Sluggers, and eventual enshrinement into the Hall of Fame, it all started with one of the biggest rookie seasons in Baltimore Orioles franchise history.

More from Birds Watcher

Ripken’s 1982 season was his only full season in the majors in which he wasn’t named an All-Star, but being named AL Rookie of the Year will have to do. Playing in 160 games, Ripken slashed .264/.317/.475 with 28 home runs, 32 doubles, and a 116 wRC+. He was worth 4.6 fWAR, the highest among all Orioles ROY winners.

He may not have had the slash line that Eddie Murray did in his 1977 rookie season, but Ripken just nudged out Murray in a number of other statistical categories and featured the glovework to put him over the edge and into the top spot on this list.

Ripken received 24 of 28 first-place votes that season, edging out Minnesota Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek for the honor.

Next. Baltimore Orioles All-Decade Team. dark

The 2019 American League Rookie of the Year winner will be announced on November 11th. Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means is nominated along with Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez and Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe.

Home / Orioles History