All-time best starting lineup of Orioles based on WAR

6: All time best Orioles starting lineup: Rick Dempsey, C

Catcher was a toss-up between Dempsey and Chris Hoiles, but ultimately Dempsey gets the nod. Hoiles had the higher bWAR with Baltimore, but played 10 years. Dempsey has a higher career bWAR between all the teams he played for, but he played in Baltimore for 12 years.

Dempsey had a .238/.319/.355 slash line with the Orioles, hitting 75 home runs with 355 RBIs, but his .674 OPS and 89 OPS+ leaves something to be desired. But, catchers are more important for their defensive abilities, so underwhelming hitting stats are easier to flush when catchers are being discussed.

The shining moment for Dempsey in an Orioles uniform was their World Series run in 1983. He hit .385 with one home run and a 1.390 OPS in their World Series win against the Philadelphia Phillies, resulting in him being named World Series MVP.

The Orioles haven't had any real flashy catchers in their history, except for Adley Rutschman and possibly Matt Wieters. But Dempsey was someone who got the job done, and his 21.2 bWAR in an Orioles uniform signifies that.