Top 5 Leaders in Home Runs for the Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are in the middle of a renaissance. After some down years, last season the O’s won 101 games, and their young core appears ready to reestablish this franchise as a force in Major League Baseball. This team by the harbor has been around since 1901, and they have produced six 100-win seasons, seven pennants, three World Series titles, and a dugout full of Hall of Famers. Let’s look at some big fish of Baltimore and see the leaders in home runs for the Orioles franchise.

Adam Jones

Position: Centerfielder

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

6-2, 215lb (188cm, 97kg)

Born: August 1, 1985 (Age: 38-302d) in San Diego, CA us

Draft: Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1st round (37th) of the 2003 MLB June Amateur Draft from Samuel F. B. Morse HS (San Diego, CA).

High School: Samuel F. B. Morse HS (San Diego, CA)

Debut: July 14, 2006 (Age 20-347d, 18,925th in major league history)
   vs. TOR 3 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: September 28, 2019 (Age 34-058d)
   vs. SDP 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 2007 season

Agents: CAA Sports • Previously: JR Sports, Cameron Hahn

National Team: us USA (WBC)

Full Name: Adam LaMarque Jones

Nicknames: Pappo, AJ, La Gente or Roots

Twitter: @SimplyAJ10

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• 5x All-Star
• 4x Gold Glove
• Silver Slugger

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

32.6

AB

7009

H

1939

HR

282

BA

.277

R

963

RBI

945

SB

97

OBP

.317

SLG

.454

OPS

.771

OPS+

106

The guy who is 5th on Baltimore’s all-time home-run list will probably fall short of Cooperstown, but he was one of baseball’s most consistent center fielders for a decade. Adam Jones hit 263 blasts in his 11 seasons as an Oriole. Between 2011 and 2017, the man patrolling center in Camden Yards never had less than 25 homers or 73 RBIs in a season. He went for 32 long balls in 2012 and then bested that with 33 in 2013. On top of that, he helped lead the O’s back to the playoffs three times in his time there. Jones wasn’t just a solid bat in the lineup; he added four Gold Gloves at a premium defensive position. This graceful outfielder earned the right to be called a franchise great because he sits in Baltimore’s top ten in some vital offensive categories: 5th in ABs (6,385), 5th in hits (1,781), 5th in total bases (2,929), 6th in RBIs (866), 7th in runs scored (875), and 8th in doubles (305). Adam Jones was a very important piece in Baltimore for a long time, and that’s why only a few players are above him on their all-time home-run list.

Brooks Robinson

Position: Third Baseman

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

6-1, 180lb (185cm, 81kg)

Born: May 18, 1937 in Little Rock, AR us

Died: September 26, 2023 (Aged 86-131d) in Owings Mills, MD

High School: Little Rock Central HS (Little Rock, AR)

School: University of Arkansas at Little Rock (Little Rock, AR)

Debut: September 17, 1955 (Age 18-122d, 11,305th in major league history)
   vs. WSH 4 AB, 2 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: August 13, 1977 (Age 40-087d)
   vs. OAK 0 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1983. (Voted by BBWAA on 344/374 ballots)
   View Brooks Robinson’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1957 season

Agents: Jordan Feagan, Ron Shapiro

Full Name: Brooks Calbert Robinson

Nicknames: Human Vacuum Cleaner or Mr. Impossible

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• Hall of Fame
• MVP
• 18x All-Star
• 2x World Series
• 16x Gold Glove
• WS MVP
• AS MVP

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

78.5

AB

10654

H

2848

HR

268

BA

.267

R

1232

RBI

1357

SB

28

OBP

.322

SLG

.401

OPS

.723

OPS+

105

Yes, Brooks Robinson with his 16 Gold Gloves is widely recognized as the greatest defensive 3rd baseman ever, but his offensive numbers weren’t too shabby either. Robinson’s 268 career home runs rank 4th on the Baltimore Orioles all-time list. The man who owned the hot corner never had more than 28 dingers in a season, but when you enter the Bigs at age 18 and retire at 40, you are able to accumulate numbers. In 1964, Brooks was named the AL MVP with 28 homers, 118 RBIs, a .317 batting average, and a Gold Glove; four other times he also finished top four in the MVP voting. He helped the O’s win 4 American League Pennants and 2 World Series trophies. In 1970, he was the MVP of the Fall Classic when he hit .429 in the series vs. the Cincinnati Reds. In team history, #5 ranks second to a yet-to-be-named shortstop in quite a few categories: WAR (78.5), games (2,896), runs (1,232), ABs (10,654), hits (2,848), total bases (4,270), doubles (482), and RBIs (1,357). Brooks Robinson was an easy first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he also is way up there on the Orioles all-time homer list.

Boog Powell

Positions: First Baseman and Leftfielder

Bats: Left  •  Throws: Right

6-4, 230lb (193cm, 104kg)

Born: August 17, 1941 (Age: 82-286d) in Lakeland, FL us

High School: Key West HS (Key West, FL)

Debut: September 26, 1961 (Age 20-040d, 11,913th in major league history)
   vs. NYY 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: August 24, 1977 (Age 36-007d)
   vs. PIT 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1962 season

Full Name: John Wesley Powell

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

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Relatives: Stepbrother of Carl Taylor

• MVP
• 4x All-Star
• 2x World Series

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

39.1

AB

6681

H

1776

HR

339

BA

.266

R

889

RBI

1187

SB

20

OBP

.361

SLG

.462

OPS

.822

OPS+

134

If you have ever been to Camden Yards for some barbecue, then you are familiar with the man who is 3rd on the Baltimore Orioles all-time home-run list: Boog Powell. This larger-than-life first baseman was a powerful mainstay in Baltimore during the 60s and 70s. At 6 ’4, 230, Powell slugged 303 home runs as an Oriole, including four seasons of 34 dingers or more. His best seasons were 1969 (37 homers, 121 RBIs, a .304 batting average, and .559 slugging %) and 1970 (35 homers, 114 RBIs, a .297 batting average, and .412 on-base %). Those two seasons also resulted in consecutive World Series trips for the O’s (winning in 1970) and consecutive top two finishes in the American League MVP voting for Boog (winning in 1970). Powell was a part of several great Baltimore teams, and his long-term production has him in the top 10 of many franchise offensive categories. Boog Powell has created some stellar BBQ, and his stellar power numbers make him a stellar Baltimore Oriole.

Eddie Murray

Position: First Baseman

Bats: Both  •  Throws: Right

6-2, 190lb (188cm, 86kg)

Born: February 24, 1956 (Age: 68-095d) in Los Angeles, CA us

Draft: Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 3rd round of the 1973 MLB June Amateur Draft from Locke HS (Los Angeles, CA).

High School: Locke HS (Los Angeles, CA)

School: California State University, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)

Debut: April 7, 1977 (Age 21-042d, 13,840th in major league history)
   vs. TEX 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: September 20, 1997 (Age 41-208d)
   vs. COL 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2003. (Voted by BBWAA on 423/496 ballots)
   View Eddie Murray’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1977 season

Agents: Ron Shapiro

Full Name: Eddie Clarence Murray

Nicknames: Steady Eddie or Tired

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Relatives: Brother of Rich Murray

• Hall of Fame
• Rookie of the Year
• 8x All-Star
• 1983 World Series
• 3x Gold Glove
• 3x Silver Slugger

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

68.7

AB

11336

H

3255

HR

504

BA

.287

R

1627

RBI

1917

SB

110

OBP

.359

SLG

.476

OPS

.836

OPS+

129

On an ironic personal note, I actually caught a foul ball from the man who is 2nd on the Orioles home-run list. Eddie Murray hit 343 home runs as a Baltimore Oriole and over 500 in his Hall of Fame career. He is also in one of baseball’s most elite fraternities: the 3,000 hit AND 500 home-run club. Only seven men are in that select group. From 1977 to 1988, this first baseman never belted below 17 homers, never drove in less than 78 runs, and never hit below .277. His peak was 1980 through 1985 when he was top six or better of the AL MVP voting each year. Steady Eddie’s 1983 banner year included 33 home runs, 111 RBIs, a .306 batting average, a Silver Slugger Award, and a Gold Glove. Oh, yeah, the Orioles also won the World Series that year. Murray hit 30 homers or more five times in Baltimore. He truly was a professional hitter for about 20 seasons. In addition to being near the top of almost every Oriole franchise mark, he is quite high on some of MLB’s career lists: 11th in RBIs (1,917), 11th in total bases (5,397), 14th in hits (3,255), 28th in home runs (504), and 41st in runs scored (1,627). Eddie Murray had a pretty remarkable career, and that got him a place in Cooperstown and a spot on the Baltimore Orioles Mount Rushmore.

Cal Ripken Jr.

Positions: Shortstop and Third Baseman

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

6-4, 200lb (193cm, 90kg)

Born: August 24, 1960 (Age: 63-279d) in Havre de Grace, MD us

Draft: Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round of the 1978 MLB June Amateur Draft from Aberdeen HS (Aberdeen, MD).

High School: Aberdeen HS (Aberdeen, MD)

Debut: August 10, 1981 (Age 20-351d, 14,462nd in major league history)
   vs. KCR 0 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: October 6, 2001 (Age 41-043d)
   vs. BOS 3 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2007. (Voted by BBWAA on 537/545 ballots)
   View Cal Ripken Jr.’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1982 season

Agents: Ron Shapiro

Full Name: Calvin Edwin Ripken

Nicknames: Iron Man or Rip

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Relatives: Brother of Billy Ripken; Son of Cal Ripken Sr.

• Hall of Fame
• 2x MVP
• Rookie of the Year
• 19x All-Star
• HR Derby Champ
• 1983 World Series
• 2x Gold Glove
• 8x Silver Slugger
• 2x AS MVP
• 2x ML PoY

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

95.9

AB

11551

H

3184

HR

431

BA

.276

R

1647

RBI

1695

SB

36

OBP

.340

SLG

.447

OPS

.788

OPS+

112

When you play in 2,632 straight games at an All-Star level, it is a pretty good bet that you will lead that franchise in many statistical categories. Cal Ripken Jr. is the Baltimore Orioles all-time leader in home runs (431). This groundbreaking shortstop came charging out of the gate with a Rookie of the Year Award in 1982 (28 homers, 93 RBIs, and 32 doubles) and an MVP Award in 1983 (27 homers, 102 RBIs, 211 hits, a .318 batting average, and a World Series Championship). Like Magic Johnson for point guards, Ripken broke the mold as a bigger shortstop (6 ‘4, 200). Of course, Cal is known for his peerless consecutive games played streak, but his consistent play throughout those games is most impressive. Every year from 1982 to 2001, the Iron Man had at least 13 homers and 56 RBIs (much higher in many seasons); that run produced 19 straight All-Star selections. His second AL MVP came in 1991 when #8 had 34 home runs, 114 RBIs, 210 hits, a .323 batting average, and a Gold Glove. In addition to round trippers, Rip is the Baltimore leader in many areas: WAR (95.9), games (3,001), ABs (11,551), runs (1,647), hits (3,184), doubles (603), RBIs (1,695), and many others. Cal Ripken is recognized as a baseball legend in the Hall of Fame, and he is recognized in Baltimore as the Orioles all-time home-run king.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 28th, 2024 at 3:47 pm and is filed under Greatest of All Time Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.