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Orioles All-Time "Last Gasp" Team, Part 1 (C/IF)

TronBlaster

By TronBlaster
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TronBlaster
TronBlaster

In honor of "King" Felix Hernandez' spring fling with the Braves (a low-risk move I actually would've liked to see the Orioles make), I thought it would be fun to come up with an Orioles All-Time "Las

SteveA
SteveA

Rick Burleson has to at least be mentioned among the 2nd basemen!

Frobby
Frobby

Nobody disses Eddie when I’m around!   Not even Moose, who deserves a lot of slack.     

MGH5208 AAA

MGH5208

Posted
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I remember we had Pete Incaviglia toward the end of his career.  I went to look up his stats and found this article which I thought was funny:

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1997-06-25-1997176016-story.html

He and Shawn Boskie teamed up to beat the Brewers.  Part of the headline "BIT PLAYERS REBOUND WITH....." 

One of my all time favorite relievers, Arthur Rhodes, pitched 4 perfect innings to seal the win

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ChipTait Major Leaguer

ChipTait

Posted
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4 hours ago, SteveA said:

I hate him more than anyone that ever put on the Oriole uniform.   He collected his check, did nothing to help us in a great pennant run, and I believe he just didn't show up for the last game after we had been eliminated.   Good riddance.

He's a radio announcer for Texas Longhorns sports.  I think of 1989 every time I hear him work. Ugh.

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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17 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Vlad's gotta be one of the outfielders, along with Sammy Sosa and Fred Lynn.  

I think we could do better than Fred Lynn.  Lynn was 33 his first year in Baltimore, but coming off a year with an .840 OPS (pre-PED era, so 132 OPS+).  He wasn't a top-tier free agent, but he also wasn't trying to squeeze one last year out.  He played six more years in the majors, and netted the O's Chris Hoiles three-and-a-half years later.

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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15 hours ago, BRobinsonfan said:

Keith Moreland had some good years with the Cubbies before coming to Baltimore at age 35 in 1989.  

In 33 games for the O's, in what would be his last year, he "slashed" .215/.243/.280/.524 

 

It's not entirely implausible that if the O's hadn't traded for Moreland they win the division in '89. He was almost a win below replacement.  

15 hours ago, BRobinsonfan said:

Has anyone mentioned OF/DH Ron Kittle yet?  

Between 1983 and 1986 he averaged close to 29 HR's per year for the White Sox.  He ended up in Baltimore in 1990 at the age of 32 and banged just 22 games in which he hit .164/.203/.295/.498.  He went back to the White Sox in 1991and did just about as bad over 17 games before hanging it up.  

 

I still want to know the Phil Bradley backstory.  In less than three years he was traded three times.  The first time coming off a year with 40 steals and an .850 OPS for a package headlined by Glenn ".689 OPS" Wilson.  The second time the Orioles traded Ken Howell for him, at a time when Howell had thrown 67 innings, 5.19 ERA in the last two years combined.  And finally for a completely washed up Ron Kittle. 

I guess it was the 80s and teams still wildly undervalued OBP?  He was kind of out of the Nick Markakis mold, but while teams have been willing to let Nick play every day with .680-.740 OPSes, as soon as Bradley had an off year he was done.

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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17 hours ago, 24fps said:

I loved having Vlad on the team. He made a fairly dismal season a lot more watchable.  I agree that it wasn't too shabby for a last gasp.

I didn't.  It was very bitter losing the free agent bidding to the Angels when he was a HOFer in his prime, then getting him seven years later when he was done.

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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14 hours ago, Carllamy said:

Until Sid Fernandez came up (excluding Sammy Sosa, whose O's contract will forever be the worst expenditure of money by a baseball team EVER because of its obvious 100% chance of failure when the contract was offered and so can never be part of any list because he will always "win") no one comes close to

Todd Cruz

Came in to play for the O's because our 3B defense was sooo bad, and in 81 games for a World Series winning team, he posted in his 5th full year as a 27 year old major leaguer a .208 batting average and a whopping -0.4 WAR. Everyone forgets how bad he was because we won the Series.

Yes, he played another year of baseball for the O's, and actually improved to a robust 0.6 WAR in 84, but then his MLB career was over. He was bad, came here and was WORSE, and then was gone.

1983 was pre-metrics.  Rating defense was basically subjective, as was gauging the relative value of offense/defense/pitching.  The narrative at the time was that Cruz was really a shortstop playing third base, so he'd automatically be one of the best third basemen in the league. And that a great third baseman didn't really need to hit to be an asset.  For all we know they actually believed that.

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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17 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

1B, I'll also nominate Kevin Millar.  He was pretty terrible by the end.

And it's not like they had a Luis Terrero, JR House, Jon Knott, Oscar Salazar type player hanging out in AAA ready to give the team half a win for league minimum.  They had to sign Millar for four to six times as much. 

Plus, without Millar who headlines the circa 2008 remake of the Orioles Magic video?  Quality signing.

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24fps Hangout Grand Counsel

24fps

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1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I didn't.  It was very bitter losing the free agent bidding to the Angels when he was a HOFer in his prime, then getting him seven years later when he was done.

Looking for info on the Orioles/Angels competition for Vlad is what led me to the OH in the first place.  A lot of water under the bridge now.  I understand the bitterness, but by that point the O's were already six years into the fourteen-year losing streak and the two-headed monster was in the front office.  I remember reports of Vlad being desperate for an alternative and holding out until the Angels finally came to his rescue.  As an Orioles fan it sucked, but I can't say I blame him for his decision.

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Mendoza Line Major Leaguer

Mendoza Line

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1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

And it's not like they had a Luis Terrero, JR House, Jon Knott, Oscar Salazar type player hanging out in AAA ready to give the team half a win for league minimum.  They had to sign Millar for four to six times as much. 

Plus, without Millar who headlines the circa 2008 remake of the Orioles Magic video?  Quality signing.

Also Millar making that postseaon pep rally commercial for the Red Sox's while still being an Oriole I thought was pretty low.

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