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Baltimore Orioles sign Ryan Ripken to minor league deal

By Ben Palmer

Mar 5, 2015; Sarasota, FL, USA; Cal Ripken speaks with Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy (2) after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the spring training baseball game between the against the Toronto Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2015; Sarasota, FL, USA; Cal Ripken speaks with Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy (2) after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the spring training baseball game between the against the Toronto Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Baltimore Orioles have signed Ryan Ripken, son of Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., to a minor league deal with Single-A Aberdeen.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed Ryan Ripken to a minor league deal with their Single-A affiliate in Aberdeen. Ripken is the son of former Oriole and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.

Ripken was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2012 MLB Draft when he attended Gilman, however he decided not to sign with the club and instead attended South Carolina before ultimately transferring to Indian Creek State College, where former-Oriole Steve Pearce went to school.

Ripken was drafted in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals and ultimately signed with them. He spent two seasons in the Gulf Coast League and split some time between Single-A Hagerstown and Single-A Auburn.

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Through 145 minor league games in the Nationals organization, Ripken hit .205/.248/.277 with three home runs and 48 RBIs.

Ripken has and likely will always live in the shadow of his Hall of Fame father, but he’s said that that’s not going to stop him from creating his own way, as he told Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com:

“As you get older, life’s a little bit busier. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what he’s doing half the time. He’s running around and doing his thing, just like I’m doing mine. Growing up, I never viewed my dad as being a superstar, this iconic figure that people look at him as. I always just looked at him as my dad, and that growing up that was his job. I thought, ‘Oh, he’s going out and that’s what he’s doing for a living.’ So, as I grew up and got older, obviously there’s been added pressure. There’s expectations. But my goal is to create my own path, whether that’s playing baseball or not.”

Next: Update on Orioles latest roster moves

Ripken, a 6’6″ infielder, is only 23 years old, so there’s still time for him to develop. Perhaps in the future, we’ll get to see yet another Ripken play in Camden Yards.

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