Baltimore Orioles: Ranking the 5 best catchers of all-time
The Baltimore Orioles top five best catchers include some of the best catchers in MLB history, including past Orioles catcher, Rick Dempsey.
Among all-time Baltimore Orioles‘ catchers, 10 had at least 200 career RBIs, seven with at least 500 hits and over 700 games played and three with 100 home runs or more.
Baltimore Orioles introduced a new catcher this offseason in Welington Castillo, as one of the Orioles’ all-time great catchers Matt Wieters departs. As a result, I believe it’s appropriate to rank the top five Orioles’ catchers of all-time.
The rankings were formulated by major statistical categories starting with longevity, World Series titles, defensive statistics, and offensive statistics (BA, HR, RBI, H).
Without further ado, I present you with the top five catchers in Baltimore Orioles’ franchise history. Feel free to leave your rankings in the comment section.
5. Andy Etchebarren (1962, 1965-1975)
Baltimore Orioles long time catcher Andy Etchebarren entered the MLB at the young age of 19 in 1962 and played 12 seasons with the Orioles. Etchebarren hit just .232 with the Orioles but hit 46 home runs with 255 RBIs and 500 hits.
After making his MLB debut at just 19 years old, Etchebarren spent the next few years in the minors. In 1966, the 23-year-old Orioles catcher returned to the majors and made his first All-Star appearance. He hit .221/.293/.364 in 121 games with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs. In that same year, Etchebarren and a lineup that featured some of the greatest Orioles ever such as Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell and Davey Johnson led the Orioles to their first World Series title in a 4-game sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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The next season, Etchebarren earned his second consecutive All-Star selection despite hitting just .215 with seven homers and 35 RBIs. Instead, Etchebarren made an All-Star appearance in 1967 from his stellar performance behind the plate. Etchebarren recorded 673 putouts (5th in AL), turned 10 double plays (4th in AL among catchers), and 57 assists as a catcher (4th in AL).
Following the 1967 season, Etchebarren didn’t play more than 78 games in a single season from 1968 through 1975. Although his playing time decreased after two straight All-Star selections, Etchebarren enjoyed nine winning seasons with the Orioles and played an essential role in the Orioles first two World Series titles in 1966 and 1970.
Etchebarren remained in the Baltimore Orioles organization after his playing days serving as manager of the Bluefield Orioles in 1993 stayed with the club through 2007.