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Baltimore Orioles: Ranking the 5 best catchers of all-time

By Christopher Church

Jul 10, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters (32) throws to first base for the force out of Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) (not pictured) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Baltimore Orioles defeated Washington Nationals 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters (32) throws to first base for the force out of Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) (not pictured) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Baltimore Orioles defeated Washington Nationals 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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4. Chris Hoiles (1989-1998)

The franchise leader in home runs among Baltimore Orioles catchers, Chris Hoiles, played his entire 10-year career in the black and orange. He not only was one of, if not, the best defensive catchers in Orioles history, but also one of the best power-hitting catchers in the game.

Hoiles tallied 151 career home runs and 449 RBIs along with a career batting average of .262 in 894 games played. Despite the 1993 season when Hoiles hit .310 with 29 home runs and 82 RBIs, he was never selected for the mid-summer classic, the MLB All-Star game.

A degenerative hip ailment and a bad back hindered his career and caused him to miss several games each season. In his 10-year career, Hoiles only had four seasons where he played over 100 games. In his final two seasons, he managed just to play a combined 196 games. In 1993, the best season of his career, he played a career-high 126 games and finished 16th in MVP voting.

Baltimore Orioles All-Time lists : The Five Best Home Run Hitters of All-Time

Hoiles’ 151 career home runs rank him 14th-best in franchise history ahead of names like Gus Triandos, Nick Markakis, Paul Blair, and Jim Gentle. The long-time Orioles catcher averaged a homer in every 18.7 at-bats, sixth best in franchise history. Only Chris Davis, Jim Gentle, Frank Robinson, Rafael Palmeiro, and Fred Lynn averaged fewer at-bats per home run than Hoiles.

May 17, 1996, Hoiles wiped out the Orioles’ three-run deficit by hitting a walk-off grand slam against the Seattle Mariners.

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