The 2014 season will be a special one for the Baltimore Orioles, and not just because there are postseason dreams around Birdland. The O’s will celebrate 60 years in Baltimore, which presents the perfect opportunity to reflect on great players and memories since 1954.
In the spirit of the occasion I’ve decided to highlight some of the great individual seasons we’ve witnessed from 1954-2013. We’ve looked at left field, center field, right field, third base, shortstop, second base, first base, catcher, starting pitcher, and relief pitcher/closer.
As we move to skippers, things change up a bit. Instead of a single season, we will look at a manager’s entire body of work at the helm of the O’s.
The Earl of Baltimore
Earl Weaver
1968-1982, 1985-1986 – 1,480-1,060 (.583)
For 17 seasons, the “Earl of Baltimore” took his place in the Orioles dugout as the team’s manager and carved out a Hall of Fame career while becoming fan favorite in Baltimore during the process.
Weaver’s now famous philosophy of “pitching, defense, and the three-run home run” can still be heard today and it was the foundation for the most successful period in the franchise’s history. During Weaver’s tenure, the Orioles were American League champions four times and won the 1970 World Series, defeating the Cincinnati Reds.
Five times Weaver led the team to 100+ victories and six other times the club finished with 90 or more. In only one season (his final one in charge in 1986) did the Orioles finish with a record under .500.
In addition to leading teams to winning seasons, Earl Weaver also became known for his fiery temper that lead to many heated interactions with umpires around the majors, highlighted by his propensity to kick dirt in their direction. His 98 ejections still stand as the American League record.
Weaver’s .583 winning percentage is seventh on MLB’s all-time list. Among managers who began their careers after 1960, it’s first. His 1,480 wins are more than the total of the next two highest managers in Orioles history by 412.
Rightfully so, Ear Weaver’s uniform No. 4 was retired in 1982 and a statue in his likeness stands at Oriole Park at Camden Yards to remind us of one of Major League Baseball’s best managers and the greatest in Orioles history.
And the rest…
Hank Bauer
1964-1968 – 407-318 (.561)
After two seasons as manager of the Kansas City Athletics, Hank Bauer joined the Orioles and served as first base coach in 1963. The following year, he took over as manager and led the club to 97 wins during the regular season, an improvement of 11 over the previous year.
The Orioles went on to win 94 games in 1965 and 97 in 1966, their best season under Bauer. The team won the American League pennant and swept the Sandy Koufax-led Los Angeles Dodgers to win the franchise’s first ever World Series.
In just one of Bauer’s five seasons did the Orioles finish under .500 and his 407 victories is good for fifth in franchise history and third since the team has been in Baltimore. Bauer’s 89 collective games over .500 as Orioles manager are second only to Earl Weaver (420), who replaced Bauer during the 1968 season.
Davey Johnson
1996-1997 – 186-138 (.574)
After eight seasons as a player for the Baltimore Orioles, the name Davey Johnson was familiar to those around Birdland when he was named manager for the 1996 season.
The hire paid immediate dividends as the Orioles won 88 games, after finishing with just 71 the prior year under Phil Regan, and made the playoffs for the first time since 1983. The following season, the Orioles again made the playoffs, their first time with consecutive postseason appearances since 1973-1974.
Johnson won the 1997 American League Manager of the Year Award and Baltimore’s 98 victories that year are third most in Davey Johnson’s 17-year managerial career behind 1986 (108) and 1988 (100), both with the New York Mets.
Joe Altobelli
1983-1985 – 212-167 (.559)
After two losing seasons in three years as manager of the San Francisco Giants (1977-1979), Joe Altobelli had the unenviable task of replacing the legend that was Earl Weaver.
All Altobelli did in his first season in charge was lead the Orioles to a 98-64 record, a first place finish in the American League East, an American League championship, and World Series triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies. Not too shabby. Since 1983, the Orioles have won 98 or more games just once (1997).
Altobelli’s .559 winning percentage is fourth-best in Orioles history (excluding Lum Harris’ 17-10 cameo in 1961).
Buck Showalter
2010-2014 – 333-304 (.523)
With stints as manager of the New York Yankees (1992-1995), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000), and Texas Rangers (2003-2006) under his belt, Buck Showalter took over for Juan Samuel as Orioles manager in 2010. It’s okay if you don’t remember Samuel’s brief tenure – not many do.
In 2012, Showalter completed a long overdue turnaround of the Orioles’ fortunes after a 69-93 2011 season. The 2012 team ended the regular season with a 93-69 record, their most wins since 1997, and earned one of the American League’s two wild card spots for Baltimore’s first playoff appearance also since 1997.
In 2013, the Orioles again finished above .500 (85-77) for their first time with back-to-back winning seasons since 1996-1997. This season, Showalter had the Orioles in first place in the American League East at the All-Star break for the first time since the 1997 team that led wire-to-wire.
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