By all accounts, we could be in the early stages of one of the great eras of Orioles baseball.
With the collection of young talent that’s been assembled by Mike Elias and his colleagues, the team appears to be well-positioned for a nice, long window of contention.
To be sure, this current version of the Birds still has some work to do in order to match the achievements of the Frank Robinson-led Orioles from 1966 through 1971. Or even the Eddie Murray-led squad that enjoyed so much success from 1979 through 1983. Last year’s 101-win season and division championship was great, but…in order to rise to the top of the list of best-ever Orioles teams, there are still some World Series trophies to be claimed.
So just where does the current team rank – and not just this year’s team, but this current version of the Oriole team – among the all-time great “eras” of Orioles baseball?
(And don’t worry…in spite of the success of Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” – and the fact that I am the proud father of three Swiftie daughters – I will not turn this post into a list of Taylor Swift album puns.)
I guess the question I’m trying to ask is…just how good do we have it as fans these days?
In looking at the evolution of modern Oriole history, I tried to establish clear “eras” whenever a particular group of players – or front office goals – seemed to suggest it made sense.
When all was said and done, I identified eleven unique “eras.”
So what follows is a ranking of the Orioles “eras” as I see them over the last seven decades.
What I found at the top of the list didn’t surprise me. But aside from the obvious superiority of what I call The Frank Robinson Era…what are the other most successful eras in team history? And what were the most painful to have lived through?
And while we’re at it – where does the current Orioles era rank…and what needs to happen for this team to climb the rankings?
Let’s dive right in…
The Eleven Eras of Orioles Baseball Ranked from Best to Worst
1. 1966 – 1971 – The Frank Robinson Era
Years: 6
Winning Percentage: .603
Overall Record: 582-383
Division Titles: 3* (divisional play began in 1969)
League Championships: 4
World Series Championships: 2
There’s really no debate about the top spot as four World Series appearances in six years is an unmatched period of success in team history. From the moment Frank Robinson arrived at spring training in 1966, teammates knew they were poised to reach a new level and they sustained that success for six full seasons. The trade of the 36-year-old Robinson to the Dodgers in December of 1971 marked the end of this most successful era of Baltimore baseball.
2. 1979 – 1984 – The Murray Era
Years: 6
Winning Percentage:.590
Overall Record: 538-374
Division Titles: 2
League Championships: 2
World Series Championships: 1
Second place on this list is also fairly obvious, as the 1979-1983 Orioles delivered the only other two pennants in team history. The shocking loss in the 1979 World Series, in spite of having a three games to one lead, fueled a core group of veterans who were then determined to finish the job when the next reached the fall classic. In the years between the 1979 and 1983 pennants, the O’s won 100 games in 1980 yet still missed the playoffs…suffered through the 1981 strike that forced a split season…and then saw a storybook comeback fall just short of a division title on the final day of the 1982 season. This era also was one of transition with manager Earl Weaver and players like Doug DeCinces, Mark Belanger, Lee May and Jim Palmer either moving on or seeing their roles reduced. In their place came manager Joe Altobelli, pitcher Mike Boddicker and future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken.
3. 1991 – 1997 – The Camden Renaissance
Years: 7
Winning Percentage: .526
Overall Record: 561-505
Division Titles: 1
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
Next up on the list of greatest Orioles eras is one that saw an unprecedented string of “big events” in the city of Baltimore. I’ve included 1991 in this era as the team shifted its focus a bit prior to that season, trading for first baseman Glenn Davis. That trade did not work out, but it did show that the organization was planning to field a stronger team as it moved into its new downtown ballpark. Think about this for a second…beginning in 1991, the “big ticket” events in Baltimore were astoundingly frequent:
* 1991 – Final Game at Memorial Stadium
* 1992 – Opening Day at Camden Yards
* 1993 – MLB All Star Game
* 1995 – Cal Ripken’s 2130 and 2131 games
* 1996 – ALCS appearance
* 1997 – ALCS appearance
This was an era where the ballpark was filled to capacity every night…the team was (mostly) a winner…and the downtown area was buzzing with excitement.
4. 2012 – 2016 – Showalter’s Heyday
Years: 5
Winning Percentage: .548
Overall Record: 444-366
Division Titles: 1
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
The arrival of Buck Showalter in late July of 2010 saw an immediate turnaround for the Orioles, as a team that had gone 31-70 prior to his arrival finished the season by going 34-23 after his arrival. The team took a step back in 2011, but emerged as a contender in 2012 and brought postseason baseball back to Camden Yards for the first time in 14 years. The “Showalter’s Heyday” era peaked with a division championship in 2014 but a disappointing showing against the Royals in the ALCS – and the wild card loss in Toronto two seasons later – prevented this era from moving any higher in this ranking.
5. 2022 – Present – The Homegrown Star Era
Years: 2 (and counting)
Winning Percentage: .568
Overall Record: 184-140
Division Titles: 1
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
I’d put this current era of Orioles baseball at this spot primarily out of respect for the 101-win season 2023. I think most baseball observers would agree that the window of contention is now wide open for the Birds thanks to their outstanding core of young position players. Another division title would, in my opinion, move this group ahead of the Showalter-era Birds on this list…but I’m certain that everyone is anxious to see just how high this team can climb. I’m not sure any team in today’s modern game will be able to match the four pennants in six years produced by Frank Robinson’s Orioles…but let’s hope we get the chance to at least make a case for this era in a few years’ time.
6. 1972 – 1978 – The Palmer Era Contenders
Years: 7
Winning Percentage: .565
Overall Record: 633-488
Division Titles: 2
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
The overall record posted by the Orioles from 1972-1978 (.565 winning percentage) might surprise some people. I suppose that’s because the team failed to win any pennants during that stretch, losing in the 1973 and 1974 ALCS to the eventual World Champion Oakland A’s each time. But this team was exceptionally strong, even as it evolved over time. Brooks Robinson was replaced by Doug Decinces…Lee May took over for Boog Powell…Al Bumbry and Ken Singleton emerged while Paul Blair and Don Baylor moved on. But the one constant at the top of the rotation was Jim Palmer, who won three Cy Young awards during this era and averaged 21.5 wins and 38 starts per season in each of his six full seasons during this era. (His injury-plagued 1974 season saw him win just seven games.)
7. 1960 – 1965 – The Baby Birds
Years: 6
Winning Percentage: .558
Overall Record: 538-426
Division Titles: 0* (divisional play began in 1969)
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
The relatively new Baltimore Orioles had never won more than 76 games in a season prior to 1960, so it was relatively shocking to see the club emerge as a serious contender that year. The club won 89 games and was tied for first place as late as September 14 before eventually falling back and finished eight games behind the Yankees. The team’s “Kiddie Korps” of young pitchers helped spark the team’s success and they would go on to win 94 or more games three times over the next five years, including a franchise-best (at the time) 97-65 record (.599 winning percentage) in 1964.
8. 1954 – 1959 – The Early Years
Years: 6
Winning Percentage: .439
Overall Record: 404-517
Division Titles: 0* (divisional play began in 1969)
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
We’ve now reached the sub-.500 portion of this list and there’s not much good to say about any of the eras that round out our collection. The young Orioles team that arrived in 1954 from St. Louis was not a very talented one, and it showed, as they lost 100 games in their first season. The highlight of this era, I suppose, was a 76-76 season in 1957 but the team still finished in fifth place, 21 games off the pace in the American League. I suppose this is the “best of the worst” eras for the simple reason that it was nice to have big league baseball back in Baltimore again.
9. 1985 – 1990 – The Decline and Fall
Years: 6
Winning Percentage: .454
Overall Record: 440-529
Division Titles: 0
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
The decline from the 1983 World Series championship was a swift one for the club, as the 35-5 start by the 1984 Detroit Tigers ended any hopes of a repeat. The disappointment following the ’84 season triggered a new philosophy in Birdland, as ownership became seriously active in free agency for the first time. The signings of Fred Lynn, Lee Lacy and Don Aase were heralded at the time but they simply didn’t work out as the team hoped. The misses in free agency combined with a less-talented major league roster and a barren farm system made for a perfect storm, highlighted by the 0-21 start to the 1988 season and a team-worst (at the time) 107 losses in ’88. Really…the less said about this era, the better.
10. 2017 – 2021 – The Rebuild
Years: 5* (includes 60-game 2020 season)
Winning Percentage: .357
Overall Record: 253-455
Division Titles: 0
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
From a winning percentage standpoint, the 2017-2011 Orioles were the worst in team history…and it’s really not even close. The only reason I did not list this era as the worst overall in team history is that it was relatively brief, and the losing was essentially by design. The 2017 Buck Showalter Orioles were a disappointment, slipping from contention late in the season and sliding all the way into the AL East basement. For some reason, the team thought of itself as a contender again heading into 2018 but a slow start quickly forced the team’s hand and the great purge began. This led to a historically awful 115-loss season in 2018 and ultimately a regime change following the ’18 season that saw Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter replaced by Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde. 2019 and 2021 were also miserable seasons (108 and 110 losses, respectively) but the rebuild has appeared to have set the stage for what could be the next great era of Orioles baseball.
11. 1998 – 2011 – The Dark Ages
Years: 14
Winning Percentage: .439
Overall Record: 990-1276
Division Titles: 0
League Championships: 0
World Series Championships: 0
An argument could be made that 14 years is too long for a single era of Orioles baseball, especially when none of the other eras I’ve listed here is more than seven years long. But I think it’s also fair to say that the 14 years from 1998 through 2011 were too long for fans to be subjected to losing baseball. Oh, sure, there were brief periods – like maybe June of 2005 – where it looked like there might be some hope. But for the most part this was just a terrible stretch of baseball where a once-proud organization was thought of as a laughingstock. Let’s never speak of it again.
Trust Your Stuff 