Saturday, June 4, 2011

Baltimore Orioles - St. Louis Browns

1B  George Sisler – .340 career BA; twice batted over .400; rapped 257 hits in 1920; led AL in SBs four times.
2B  Bobby Grich – Won four straight Gold Gloves; could hit for power and steal a base.
SS  Cal Ripken Jr. – Outstanding arm, 3,184 hits, two-time MVP, and of course the Streak.
3B  Brooks Robinson – Without peer as a fielder (16 straight Gold Gloves!); hit 20 HRs six times.
OF  Frank Robinson – Reached the World Series in four of his six years in Baltimore; won Triple Crown in 1966.
OF  Ken Singleton – Power hitter who drew a lot of walks; no, I don’t want to hear about Brady Anderson’s 50 HRs in ’96.
OF  Ken Williams – Batted over .320 five straight years for the Browns; bested Ruth for the HR and RBI crowns in 1922.
C  Hank Severeid – Topped .300 four straight seasons (1921-1924) while catching for the Browns.
DH  Eddie Murray – Played primarily at 1B, but his 500 HRs and 3,000 hits still don’t top Sisler.
Bench  Boog Powell – If you want defense, go with Paul Blair; I’ll take Powell’s HRs and RBI.
Pitcher  Jim Palmer – Posted EIGHT 20-win seasons in the 1970s.
Pitcher  Mike Mussina – Ace of the Orioles staff during the 1990s.
Pitcher  Mike Cuellar – Won 18+ games for six straight seasons (1969-1974).
Bullpen  Gregg Olson – Saved 160 games for Baltimore between 1989 and 1993.

Only three Browns made this roster. Not a surprise, considering their many years of futility. On the other hand, St. Louis did have Eddie Gaedel and his 1.000 OBP.

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