Your favorite bad Orioles

[Moose Milligan]

Instead of whining about the misery this team is currently mired in, I thought this could be a fun thread....

We all have had players that were bad that we liked. They didn't hit for a lot of power, have an awe inspiring OPS, maybe they weren't incredible with the glove or maybe they didn't bring much to the table at all...but you still liked them.

Pick a few and tell everyone why you liked 'em.

For me, Jack Voigt was one...and looking back on it, he was pretty good in 1993 for us with a .395 OBP in 152 at bats...the rest of his short career here was pretty lackluster, though.

The guy always hustled and played hard. Might not have been the most physically gifted guy around but he seemed to genuinely appreciate the shot he'd been given and any playing time he could get.

Leo Gomez was another one, but he wasn't that bad...decent amount of pop, led all rookies in HR in '91 and an .868 OPS in 1994.

I liked Jeff Tackett, too. Whack it, Tackett! Only problem was that he couldn't. Wasn't a great hitter, but he backed up Hoiles pretty well and I think he had a better throwing arm than Hoiles did...tough, gritty, he seemed to be another guy in the Voigt mold.

Nowadays my favorite bad Oriole has to be Patterson...he can't hit worth a lick but I'll never get tired of watching him bunt for a base hit. His speeds electric and he's a joy to watch in the outfield.

So lets hear your picks, past and present.

[JTrea81]

Jeff Manto, I'll always remember that year he hit 17 dingers for the O's...

Speaking of Manto he's running a baseball/softball academy, as well as being the Pirates' hitting coach (which surprised me):

http://www.jeffmanto.com/

[birdsfan4ever]

definitely Freddie Bynum

[Canti]

definitely Freddie Bynum

Gotta love Bynum:D
he seems like the kind of guy you'd want on the bench and i dont think he's all that bad, he gets alot of flak from guys around here but he's alright with me. honestly at this point id rather have him in LF than Gibbons if it came down to it.

aside from Freddie i gotta say it's Corey Patterson, he's a great fielder and has blazing speed.
edit: i just wish his hitting last year wasnt a fluke

[Rockbird]

Luis Lopez and Raul Chavez.

[Moose Milligan]

Bynum won me over when he took out that guy trying to turn the DP at 2nd base.

[jubbyjubb]

I had a liking for Stan Jefferson and his ability to make things happen. I can even remember that I was at OC and 15 years old when he got the call.

[scOtt]

I like Chris Gomez. Jeff Reboulet. Couple other backup utils. Guys who will do anything asked of them, without any lip. Bunt, hit behind runners, take pitches to let a guy steal, play any position on a moment's notice.

[JohnD]

Body by Manto.

[utvolzac]

I always liked Sal Fasano while he was here. He wasn't great, but I'd take him over Bako right now.

[Cowabunga Dude]

That would have to be Pete Incaviglia

[Mackus]

I forget if it was Jack Voight or Chris Smith, but one of them had the best interview line ever.

Following an 0-5 with 5 K's, an interviewer asked this:

Q: So, if 0-4 with 4 K's is a Golden Sombrero, what is an 0-5 with 5 K's?
A: 5 strike outs is a plane ticket back to Rochester.

[mataug21]

Joe Orsulak and Mickey Tettleton .... also enjoyed Bordick when he was here

[IHeartMASN]

Gordon Dillard, who was a pitcher for about 30 seconds in 1988.

Whenever I need to make up a name thats the one I use.

[Mr Baseball]

Jim Fuller

Hit a bunch of HRs in the minors...declared he could easily hit .300 in the bigs, but he was paid to hit HRs.

He got 11 total...for his career.

[Dr. FLK]

Joe Orsulak and Mickey Tettleton .... also enjoyed Bordick when he was here

Did someone just put FruitLoopKid on the bad Oriole list???:eek:

[Dr. FLK]

I always liked Tim Hulett as one of my favorites. And, I guess Billy Ripken fits on this list, and he was always one of my favorite guys too. I played infield as a kid, so I always liked the Os infielders. These 2 were probably at the top of my Bad Os list.

[baltfan]

I always liked Tim Hulett as one of my favorites. And, I guess Billy Ripken fits on this list, and he was always one of my favorite guys too. I played infield as a kid, so I always liked the Os infielders. These 2 were probably at the top of my Bad Os list.

Todd Cruz - absolute gun for an arm. Unfortunately, a lot of his throws ended up in the stands.

Jeff Stone - you think Patterson is fast, Stone was faster and surely dumber.

[OldNewGuy]

Can't forget Willy Miranda. 284/271/555 in over 800 major league games! 580 games as an O. Just an unbelievable offensive weapon. :) 6 homers in over 2000 plate appearences!

[Deanbird]

Enos Cabell -- one of many third basemen who inherited the job from Brooks.

[RavensNTerps]

Curtis Goodwin.

[Mark Carver]

Gonna show my age... but my first favorite Oriole was -

Curt Blefary (http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/blefacu01.shtml). 1965 AL ROY at the age of 21. Great at the ages of 21, 22, 23 and out of the game at the age of 29. Huh?!?! According to The Baseball Biography Project (http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=88&pid=1179)... it was alcohol and anger that done him in. Well that's not the first time that has happened in MLB so, too bad, because he was a looking real good...


The Orioles traded him and minor leaguer John Mason went to the Astros for Mike Cuellar, prospect Enzo Hernandez, and minor leaguer Elijah Johnson. After the trade -

[B]The Sporting News (12/21/68) reported that Curt said, "Weaver and I don't see eye-to-eye, period. He was a decent guy in the minors, but now he's speaking out of turn. He's a coach half a year and then he becomes a manager and crucifies me." He added, "So I had a bad year...I had three good ones before this."

BTW - kudos to bioproj.sabr.org (http://bioproj.sabr.org) for some info for this.

[Pushmonkey]

Instead of whining about the misery this team is currently mired in, I thought this could be a fun thread....

We all have had players that were bad that we liked. They didn't hit for a lot of power, have an awe inspiring OPS, maybe they weren't incredible with the glove or maybe they didn't bring much to the table at all...but you still liked them.

Pick a few and tell everyone why you liked 'em.

For me, Jack Voigt was one...and looking back on it, he was pretty good in 1993 for us with a .395 OBP in 152 at bats...the rest of his short career here was pretty lackluster, though.

The guy always hustled and played hard. Might not have been the most physically gifted guy around but he seemed to genuinely appreciate the shot he'd been given and any playing time he could get.

Leo Gomez was another one, but he wasn't that bad...decent amount of pop, led all rookies in HR in '91 and an .868 OPS in 1994.

I liked Jeff Tackett, too. Whack it, Tackett! Only problem was that he couldn't. Wasn't a great hitter, but he backed up Hoiles pretty well and I think he had a better throwing arm than Hoiles did...tough, gritty, he seemed to be another guy in the Voigt mold.

Nowadays my favorite bad Oriole has to be Patterson...he can't hit worth a lick but I'll never get tired of watching him bunt for a base hit. His speeds electric and he's a joy to watch in the outfield.

So lets hear your picks, past and present.

That catch tonight was nothing short of amazing!

[ChaosLex]

No love for Jack Cust? ;)

[scOtt]

I always liked Tim Hulett as one of my favorites. And, I guess Billy Ripken fits on this list, and he was always one of my favorite guys too. I played infield as a kid, so I always liked the Os infielders. These 2 were probably at the top of my Bad Os list.
Hulett is the other one I couldn't remember.

[rbrhett]

Where do you start? That is what makes baseball great. The terrible role players that everyone likes.

Rene Gonzales, #88: You have got to love a guy who has to wear 88 because Cal has 8. He was a scrapy guy who didn't hit much, but always seemed to show heart.

Jim Traber: The next "big" hitter in Baltimore in 86. The problem was that only his stomach got bigger and not his HR total.

Jamie Quirk: A guy who I think would be a great manager. He played 18 seasons but never had more than 296 ABs in a single season.

Jose "Can I Give Up Another Home Run" Bautista: It seemed like everytime this guy came in the game in 89 and 90, he gave up a game winning HR. Remind anyone of someone on the 07 Os...?

Bob Melvin: See Jamie Quirk, and I think a guy who is a good manager.

Mike Devereaux: The best bucket hitter in baseball, at least for one year.

"Smokin' Joe O": One of the worst fan favorites in Os history.

Finally...Sam Horn: Along with Mendoza, the only guy in baseball who has an infamous feat named after him: The Horn, 4 SOs in one game. You could feel the breeze from his swings at home watching on TV.

[SteveA]

I concur on Leo Gomez.

You can't forget what Todd Cruz, a below average player, contributed to our 1983 World Championship. He filled a gaping hole in the lineup, made some plays on defense, and came through just often enough with the bat that he wasn't an easy out.

Lenn Sakata was nver good enough to be a fulltime starter for us, but he fielded well at 2nd and adequately at short, and for a little guy (in terms of height, not in terms of muscularity!), he had some serious pop in his bat.

Joe Nolan and Dan Graham -- backup/platoon catchers who can hit. (Note to some of you younger folks: it is possible to have a backup catcher who can actually hit. I know you may find that hard to believe!)

[SteveA]

Where do you start? That is what makes baseball great. The terrible role players that everyone likes.

Rene Gonzales, #88: You have got to love a guy who has to wear 88 because Cal has 8. He was a scrapy guy who didn't hit much, but always seemed to show heart.

Jim Traber: The next "big" hitter in Baltimore in 86. The problem was that only his stomach got bigger and not his HR total.

Jamie Quirk: A guy who I think would be a great manager. He played 18 seasons but never had more than 296 ABs in a single season.

Jose "Can I Give Up Another Home Run" Bautista: It seemed like everytime this guy came in the game in 89 and 90, he gave up a game winning HR. Remind anyone of someone on the 07 Os...?

Bob Melvin: See Jamie Quirk, and I think a guy who is a good manager.

Mike Devereaux: The best bucket hitter in baseball, at least for one year.

"Smokin' Joe O": One of the worst fan favorites in Os history.

Finally...Sam Horn: Along with Mendoza, the only guy in baseball who has an infamous feat named after him: The Horn, 4 SOs in one game. You could feel the breeze from his swings at home watching on TV.


Some great names on your list. Have to agree with Melvin, Devo, Orsulak, Sam Horn, and especially Gonzalez.

Sorry, though. I can NEVER forgive Quirk for the passed ball in 1989. You can call it petty if you want, but hey, I'm a fan and that's my right. As for Traber, I had friends in high school who knew Traber from middle school and said he was a jerk, so I was biased against him from the start. And Bautista? Bad pitcher, but you gotta love those Gheri Curls.

[Chito]

Chito Martinez. National hero in Belize.

We'll always have '91, Chito.

[gallden]

Tony Tarasco. Or was it Carasco??

[Camden_yardbird]

Tarasco was his name...shoulda climbed up the wall and jacked that Maier kid...

Sam Horn was my favorite. Man he would hit some clutch homeruns...and thats all. How can you have 23 homeruns and only 61 RBI???? Its just not possible.

[SteveA]

Tarasco was his name...shoulda climbed up the wall and jacked that Maier kid...

Sam Horn was my favorite. Man he would hit some clutch homeruns...and thats all. How can you have 23 homeruns and only 61 RBI???? Its just not possible.

That's a ratio of 2.65 RBIs to HR. Chris Hoiles had:
1992 20 HRs, 40 RBIs...ratio 2.00

He also had 4 other years that weren't quite as bad as Horn's 2.65 but were
under 3.00. And his career RBI/HR ratio was 2.97. Horn's was 2.88, so Sam does win the title!

[Webley Webster]

Tom Shopay and Clay Dalrymple. People complain about our carrying Freddie Bynum--we had TWO Freddie Bynums on that Orioles team!

[CrazyTrain]

Jose Leon, not sure why, but god I loved him.

[crstrobel]

Allen Wiggins- Of the "hidden ball trick" fame.

ENOUGH SAID!

[KLINE]

Allen Wiggins- Of the "hidden ball trick" fame.

ENOUGH SAID!

I loved Wiggins, I was sad to hear when he died.

[Tony-OH]

I have to go with Lenn Sakata. He always seemed to do the little things well and of course he was the main player in the famous Tippy Martinez three pickoff game. I'll never forget when he hit that three-run homer... Great moment in O's history..

[Brady9Fan]

-John Stefero

-Rene Gonzalez...I always remembered he got a lot of playing time when he was batting in the .200s...

-Sam Horn...man, could he hit the snot out of a ball!

[RHall31]

Jeff Stone. He was so bad in left field...my bud and I used to bust a gut laughing at him trying to field.

[DrungoHazewood]

There are a lot of players in this thread who don't meet my definition of bad. Tettleton, Orsulak, Hulett, Horn... those guys all had good years, productive times with the O's.

My kind of bad players are really, really bad. Contributed almost nothing.

Karim Garcia. 0-for-16 in his first stint in Baltimore, then followed it up with the last 69 dying at bats of a forgettable career. Still don't believe Mazilli thought he could play center.

Jeff Stone was terrible, and almost unintelligible. I once heard an interview with him where I didn't understand a single word he said.

Alan Wiggins wasn't just bad, but actively harmful. The man picked a fight with Cal Senior. To be fair, he had a lot of off-field problems that interfered with his on-field performance.

Keith Osik. His entire Oriole career consisted of 2-for-25 with 7 Ks and his presence on the roster forced the team to cut Jack Cust.

Ken Gerhart. Goofy looking, career OPS+ of 79, and fundamentally terrible. Played center out of desperation quite a bit.

Keith Hughes. I always liked him. Big, strappin' player. 6'3", 210, sweet lefty swing. And he hit .194.

Wade Rowden. 3-for-30 as an O. Last 30 at bats of his career. How many players can you say that about? Dozens, seems like. We're a repository for players who give it one last go before retirement.

Dickie Noles. Had a fairly long, sometimes successful career. With the O's - 3.3 innings, 10 runs.

Jose Mesa. Sure, he's had a good career. Or an off-and-on good career. But with the O's he was a starter with an ERA+ of about 75 and a 1:1 K:BB ratio. And jerrycurls.

1987 Ken Dixon. How many other pitchers can brag about having a positive HR:BB ratio. He gave up 31 gopherballs in 105 innings in '87, while only issuing 27 free passes. Apparently he didn't get the memo that walks are less harmful than 440-ft shots.

Jackie Gutierrez. 146 at bats of a .412 OPS. Yikes.

Tom Dodd. A poor man's Jack Cust of the '80s. His 28 homers at Charlotte in '86, with an OPS that had to be about 1.000. Got 13 wonderful at bats in Baltimore as a reward.

[Leitch]

No love for Tito Landrum?

[Big Al]

I wouldn't consider Orsulak bad, far from it. While he wasn't great at anything, he was good at everything. He could hit anywhere in the lineup and play all three outfield spots and firstbase well. What would we give for someone like him on the roster this year?

[lynseyskye]

Billy Ripken
The man never got any respect but I stand behind him being the best defensive second baseman. What great plays he would make. After getting hit in the face at the plate he lost his confidence and could never get his batting average above .250

I loved watching him play second.

[lynseyskye]

I wouldn't consider Orsulak bad, far from it. While he wasn't great at anything, he was good at everything. He could hit anywhere in the lineup and play all three outfield spots and firstbase well. What would we give for someone like him on the roster this year?

Great utility player and the most consistant player when we got rid of him.

[lynseyskye]

The player I hated the most "Brad Pennington" I also grew to dislike Johhny Oats for putting the guy in.

[Frobby]

Dave Skaggs, the backup catcher from 1977 to 1979. I just love the name. I think of it every time I pass Skaggsville on I-95.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/skaggda01.shtml