Fastest Orioles of All Time

[larrytt]

Jorge Mateo is one of the fastest runners in baseball, and Cedric Mullins and Ryan McKenna are also pretty fast. I remember Al Bumbry as being super fast. Luis Aparicio, Brady Anderson, and Brian Roberts were also fast, but probably not Mateo fast. If you lined up all the fastest Orioles since 1954 for a 100 meter sprint, who would win or finish in the top five?

[Can_of_corn]

Mateo.

As a general guideline the overall level of athletic ability goes up over time.

If a player is one the fastest players in the modern game it is safe to assume they are faster than someone who was one of the fastest in the game in a previous era.

If you want to look at fastest in their era, don't sleep on someone like Jeff Stone, who stole 123 bases in the minors in 1981. 

 

[jdwilde1]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

Mateo.

As a general guideline the overall level of athletic ability goes up over time.

If a player is one the fastest players in the modern game it is safe to assume they are faster than someone who was one of the fastest in the game in a previous era.

If you want to look at fastest in their era, don't sleep on someone like Jeff Stone, who stole 123 bases in the minors in 1981. 

 

[Can_of_corn]

What's that for?

Did you not actually read what I wrote?

Do you disagree with the premise?

[Il BuonO]

Paul Blair certainly played so shallow you had to think he was fast to turn his back and track down balls the way he did. No idea where he would rank on the list. 

[jdwilde1]

7 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

What's that for?

Did you not actually read what I wrote?

Do you disagree with the premise?

Maybe I misunderstood what you meant by “the modern game.”  I agree with most of your take. In general, players are more physically fit than players of yesteryear.  But I do not think its safe to assume that Jorge Mateo is the faster than someone else simply because that person played 20 or 30 years ago.  For example, I do not believe anyone in MLB is as fast as either Bo Jackson or Deon Sanders were even though they played in the 80s and early 90s. And that’s not old man back in my day nonsense.  Bo Jackson’s pre-draft 40 yard time was 4.13.

Likewise, I do not assume that Mateo is faster than someone like Alan Wiggins, who is the fastest Oriole that I remember other than Mateo.  They are/were both lightning fast and any difference is likely negligible.

 

 

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, jdwilde1 said:

Maybe I misunderstood what you meant by “the modern game.”  I agree with most of your take. In general, players are more physically fit than players of yesteryear.  But I do not think its safe to assume that Jorge Mateo is the faster than someone else simply because that person played 20 or 30 years ago.  For example, I do not believe anyone in MLB is as fast as either Bo Jackson or Deon Sanders were even though they played in the 80s and early 90s. And that’s not old man back in my day nonsense.  Bo Jackson’s pre-draft 40 yard time was 4.13.

Likewise, I do not assume that Mateo is faster than someone like Alan Wiggins, who is the fastest Oriole that I remember other than Mateo.  They are/were both lightning fast and any difference is likely negligible.

 

 

Oh that.

I expected that.

Jackson's supposed 40 time, yes I've seen the interview.

It's funny, since 2013 only 11 players at the NFL combine, the actual combine not what Jackson ran at, have run a sub 4.3 time.

The fastest, John Ross, ran a 4.22.

Are we supposed to believe that Jackson ran a 40 that was .09 seconds faster than the best time recorded in the last decade?  When we wasn't even trying or properly prepared and had just run a 4.3?It's a great story, and Bo tells it well, but does it pass the common sense test?

 

 

https://www.nfl.com/photos/top-11-fastest-40-yard-dash-runs-0ap3000000917865

[Can_of_corn]

On the subject of the 90's not being that long ago.

100M WR in 1991:  9.9

Current 100M WR:  9.58

I'd say that when looking at the evelution of speed, 1991 was at least a full generation ago.

[Moose Milligan]

52 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

On the subject of the 90's not being that long ago.

100M WR in 1991:  9.9

Current 100M WR:  9.58

I'd say that when looking at the evelution of speed, 1991 was at least a full generation ago.

Ah, bringing up world records for sprint times in a sport that has no PED issues.  That's a great argument right there.

Add Darrell Green to the list of incredibly fast athletes from 30+ years ago.  

I would venture to say that some athletes of yesteryear could hang with some players today.  Just not as many of the players from yesteryear could do it.  I'm fairly sure that Rickey Henderson would hold his own if he were playing today.  I'm sure Deion Sanders would be able to hold his own.

I think Mateo is the fastest Oriole I've ever seen though.  This is random, but I remember being at a game and seeing David Dellucci go from first to third and thinking that dude was really fast, too.

[baltfan]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

On the subject of the 90's not being that long ago.

100M WR in 1991:  9.9

Current 100M WR:  9.58

I'd say that when looking at the evelution of speed, 1991 was at least a full generation ago.

Don’t fool yourself. Ben Johnson ran 9.79.  I understand he was dirty, but if you think that Bolt who had the same trainers and was on the same team that had everyone busted for steroids was clean, I have some swampland to sell you. 

[Can_of_corn]

13 minutes ago, baltfan said:

Don’t fool yourself. Ben Johnson ran 9.79.  I understand he was dirty, but if you think that Bolt who had the same trainers and was on the same team that had everyone busted for steroids was clean, I have some swampland to sell you. 

Huh?

I'm open to the idea that Jackson used, or that Mateo uses for that matter.

Has nothing to do with the fact that as time goes on athletes get faster.

[Can_of_corn]

21 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Ah, bringing up world records for sprint times in a sport that has no PED issues.  That's a great argument right there.

Add Darrell Green to the list of incredibly fast athletes from 30+ years ago.  

I would venture to say that some athletes of yesteryear could hang with some players today.  Just not as many of the players from yesteryear could do it.  I'm fairly sure that Rickey Henderson would hold his own if he were playing today.  I'm sure Deion Sanders would be able to hold his own.

I think Mateo is the fastest Oriole I've ever seen though.  This is random, but I remember being at a game and seeing David Dellucci go from first to third and thinking that dude was really fast, too.

Right, because baseball doesn't have a history of PED issues. 

I used the 100M times as the simplest gauge of pure speed.

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Right, because baseball doesn't have a history of PED issues. 

I used the 100M times as the simplest gauge of pure speed.

I never said baseball didn't have a history of PED issues. 

 

[baltfan]

4 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Huh?

I'm open to the idea that Jackson used, or that Mateo uses for that matter.

Has nothing to do with the fact that as time goes on athletes get faster.

I was only referencing the degree to which you said the world record went down.  The 9.79 wasn’t counted, so you had it at 9.9.  

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, baltfan said:

I was only referencing the degree to which you said the world record went down.  The 9.79 wasn’t counted, so you had it at 9.9.  

Yea, I was aware that it existed but couldn't be bothered to look up that time.

There is a really nice graphic showing the advances over a much longer period of time.

Barring an odd outlier fast guys today are faster than fast guys in the past.

And that Bo Jackson 40 time is pure mythmaking.