Baltimore Orioles - The Clinton Era (1990-1999)

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1990

Decade

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Titles:

Top Orioles Players of the Nineties

1996 Wild Card (Lost to Yankees in Division Series)

1997 Division Champs (Lost to Indians in ALCS)

Pitchers:

Mike Mussina (42.09) - 100

BallPark:

Scott Erickson (15.21) - 50

Memorial Stadium (1990-1991)

Ben McDonald (14.11) - 34

Camden Yards (1992-1999)

Gregg Olson (8.17) - 30

Randy Myers (4.81) - 20

Team Name:

Jamie Moyer (5.36) - 17

Orioles

Rick Sutcliffe (0.95) - 16

Jimmy Key (5.82) - 13

Owner:

Bob Milacki (0.95) - 12

Larry Lucchino (1990-1992)

Sidney Ponson (2.72) - 11

Peter Angelos (1993-1999)

Lee Smith (0.84) - 11

Dave Johnson (0.1) - 10

General Managers:

Armando Benitez (4.15) - 9

Roland Hemond (1990-1995)

Kevin Brown (4.33) - 9

Pat Gillick (1996-1998)

Todd Frohwirth (6.53) - 3

Frank Wren (1999)

Alan Mills (6.3) - 3

Jesse Orosco (6.15) - 3

Managers:

Frank Robinson (1990-1991)

Catchers:

Johnny Oates (1991-1994)

Chris Hoiles (23.6) - 65

Phil Regan (1995)

Charles Johnson (3.05) - 6

Davey Johnson (1996-1997)

Ray Miller (1998-1999)

First Basemen:

Rafael Palmiero (23.4) - 49

No Hitters:

Randy Milligan (7.41) - 21

Milacki, Flanagan, Williamson, Olson (1991)

Glenn Davis (0.73) - 3

Hall of Famers:

Second Basemen:

Mike Mussina

Robbie Alomar (12.5) - 33

Cal Ripken Jr.

Mark McLemore (3.7) - 13

Robbie Alomar

Harold Baines

ShortStop:

Lee Smith

Mike Bordick (8.8) - 20

Rookie of the Year:

Third Base:

None

Cal Ripken (44.9) - 74

Leo Gomez (7.4) - 18

MVP:

Cal Ripken Jr. (1991)

Outfield:

Brady Anderson (33.1) - 86

Cy Young:

Mike Deveraux (10.7) - 34

None

BJ Surhoff (13.1) - 25

Harold Baines (9.49) - 20

Notable Events:

Joe Orsulak (5.09) - 18

Jeff Hammonds (3.8) - 15

1990 - The Orioles are no longer a dynasty. They have only five above

Albert Belle (3.44) - 8

.500 seasons in the Nineties and only one where they seriously contended,

Eric Davis (4.29) - 7

winning the Division that year (1997). Coming into the decade, they were

on a little bit of a high having contended with an 87-75 mark in '89. That

Notable Events:

season was a mirage, however, as the club just wasn't that good.

1995 - Baltimore steals pitcher Scott Erickson from the Twins for

1990 - Mike Mussina is drafted in the first round by the Orioles. He

Kimera Bartee. Scott goes on to be a mainstay of the starting rotation

goes on to have a Hall of Fame quality career and is the ace of the

thru the end of the decade.

Baltimore staff. Mike is one of the game's top pitchers thru the rest of the

decade.

1996 - Davey Johnson is named manager and promptly leads the O's

to the post season two years in a row. Then he promptly quits in '98.

1991 - In an absolutely horrific deal for the Orioles, they trade three young

He probably saw the handwriting on the wall, the team was old and

studs to Houston for slugging first baseman Glenn Davis, 30. The three

the owner wasn't spending to keep it going.

were rightgander Curt Schillng, 25, who would go on to have a Hall of

Fame callibre career, righthander Pete Harnisch, 25, who would go on

1996 - Brady Anderson, who averaged about eighteen homers a

to win 111 games in the majors and speedy center fielder Steve Finley, 26,

year during his career before and after 1996, hits fifty home runs.

who would go on to have a stellar big league career until the age of 42.

Anderson was a good player throughout the decade, but this season

Meanwhile, Davis completely forgot how to hit with Baltimore. This trade

was off the charts. He had been acquired along with Curt Schilling

set the Orioles franchise back for most of the decade as these three

from the Red Sox in 1988 in a deal with Boston for ace Mike

would have made the O's a serious contender almost every year.

Boddicker. The deal would have been a steal for the Orioles had

they not let Schilling slip through their fingers to the Astros and

1991 - Slugging Twenty six year old catcher Chris Hoiles's first season

ultimately to the Phillies, Diamondbacks and back to the Red Sox.

as a starter. He anchors the position for the rest of the decade

Hoiles was stolen from the Tigers in 1988 in a deal for aging Fred Lynn.

1996 - The O's beat the Indians in the Division Series as wild card. They

lose to the Yanks in the ALCS, memorable for Jeffrey Maier's

1992 - Camden Yards opens. Huge crowds. It begins a run of nine of ten

interference catch of Derek Jeter's "home run" in Yankee Stadium

seasons of over 3 million in attendence. The O's also embark on a run of

six seasons where they're a good ball club on the field culminating

1997 - The O's win the Division, beat Seattle in the Division series,

in two playoff appearances in '96 and '97.

but lose to the Indians in the ALCS. This ends their mini-run as a contender.

1993 - Camden Yards hosts the All-Star game. It is a great stadium and

1998 - Cal Ripken's streak ends voluntariliy at 2632 games

starts a trend towards modern-retro stadiums. It was a great idea and

is still the standard by which other ballparks are measured.

1998 - Baltimore drops 19 games in the standings and never recovers.

The team was old. Almost everyone was over thirty. The decline was

1993 - Baltimore signs free agent first baseman Rafael Palmiero. He

inevitable. The immediate cause of the downturn in '98 was the pitching

becomes the big bat in their lineup and has several huge seasons for

as Jimmy Key got hurt and ace closer Randy Myers was allowed to

the Orioles until he leaves in 1999 when his contract is over

leave as a free agent to Toronto. You have to wonder how Orioles owner

Peter Angelos could let that happen with all the Camden Yards money he

1994 - The strike ruins the season. The O's were contenders.

was raking in. When you have a great closer, you over achieve your runs

totals and when you don't, you under achieve your runs totals. This

1995 - The season opens late due to the continuing strike, but most of

happened to Baltimore in '98 as the runs totals would have predicted a

the games will get played. Replacement players were used in Spring

more modest 10 game slide, but the difference in relief pitching made it 19

Training games and it was threatened that they'd play in the regular

season. One outgrowth of this ploy would have been that Cal Ripken's

consecutive game string would have ended prematurely. Things never

got to that point and the streak was saved.