Who made the O's All-Quarter-Century team?

January 11th, 2025

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BALTIMORE -- The first 25 years of this century have brought a ton of ups and downs for the Orioles. At the turn of the millennium, they were early in a playoff drought that reached 14 seasons before Baltimore returned to the postseason in 2012.

No team in the American League won more games across the 2012-16 seasons than the O’s, who racked up 444 victories and made three postseason appearances during that span.

The Orioles had another six-year playoff drought from 2017-22, which featured three seasons of 108-plus losses. Then, they made back-to-back postseason appearances in ’23 and ’24, winning 101 games in the former and 91 in the latter.

With 2025 representing the quarter-century mark, it’s a good time to reflect. So today, let’s name an All-Quarter-Century Team for the O’s. (Hat tip for the idea to my MLB.com colleagues Alex Stumpf and Jordan Bastian, who did this exercise for the Pirates and the Cubs, respectively.)

Catcher:
Even if Wieters never quite became the superstar many expected when the Orioles took him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2007 Draft, he was still a four-time All-Star and two-time AL Gold Glover during his eight-year run with Baltimore from ’09-16. In the ’11, ’12 and ’13 seasons, he slugged 22, 23 and 22 home runs.

Honorable mentions: Javy López, Adley Rutschman

First base:
Davis, an Oriole from 2011-20, should be remembered more for his peak than the disappointing conclusion to his career. The powerful slugger belted 197 home runs from ’12-16, twice leading MLB in homers (53 in ’13 and 47 in ’15). His 53-homer 2013 campaign is a franchise record.

Honorable mentions: Jeff Conine, Ryan Mountcastle

Second base:
An easy choice here, as Roberts played 1,327 games during his 13-year stint in Baltimore from 2001-13. He was a two-time All-Star who twice led the AL in doubles (50 in ’04 and 56 in ’09) and once in stolen bases (50 in ’07).

Honorable mentions: Jerry Hairston Jr., Jonathan Schoop

Shortstop:
There are several strong options at shortstop, but let’s go with Tejada, who was an All-Star in each of the first three seasons of his initial four-year run with the Orioles from 2004-07. (He returned for a brief time in ’10.) Tejada hit .305 over 716 games for Baltimore, and his MLB-high 150 RBIs in ’04 are an O’s record. He also led the AL with 50 doubles in ’05.

Honorable mentions: J.J. Hardy, Gunnar Henderson

Third base:
Machado played only two games at third in the Minors, yet the shortstop immediately looked like a natural at the hot corner when he arrived as a 19-year-old in 2012. He won Gold Gloves in ’13 and ’15, frequently making incredible plays. He was a four-time All-Star during his seven-year stint with the O’s, hitting 162 homers and 197 doubles.

Honorable mentions: Melvin Mora, Ramón Urías

Left field:
Hays played seven seasons in Baltimore from 2017-24, but he was most impressive during his three-year peak from ’21-23. He racked up 97 doubles, 54 homers and 198 RBIs in 420 games during that span and played tremendous defense in left (which became quite large at Camden Yards from ’22-24). He was a first-time All-Star in ’23.

Honorable mentions: Nate McLouth, B.J. Surhoff

Center field:
The face of the franchise for much of his 11-year stint with the Orioles from 2008-18, Jones was a leader during an exciting era of baseball in Baltimore in the mid-2010s. He was a five-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glover and a one-time Silver Slugger, playing 1,613 games for the team. His 1,781 hits rank fourth in O’s history behind Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. (3,184), Brooks Robinson (2,848) and Eddie Murray (2,080).

Honorable mentions: Cedric Mullins, Corey Patterson

Right field:
Inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2024, Markakis flew a bit under the radar during his time in Baltimore (which is how he liked it). But he was a two-time Gold Glover (’11 and ’14) who was a model of consistency on defense and offense. Markakis hit .290 with 316 doubles, 141 homers and 658 RBIs over nine seasons with the O’s from 2006-14.

Honorable mentions: Jay Gibbons, Anthony Santander

Designated hitter:
Mancini deserves a spot on the team, and this is a good way to get him onto it, considering he was the DH quite a bit near the end of his Orioles tenure (which spanned six seasons from 2016-22). His best season came in ’19, when he collected 38 doubles and 35 homers while hitting .291 in 154 games. He missed the ’20 season due to Stage 3 colon cancer, which he beat before returning to baseball in ’21.

Honorable mentions: Ryan O’Hearn, Luke Scott

Starting pitcher:
No pitcher has logged as many innings (1,145) or earned as many wins (74) for the O’s this century than Tillman, who spent his entire 10-year MLB career in Baltimore from 2009-18. He earned his lone All-Star selection in ’13, when he went 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 33 starts.

Honorable mentions: Wei-Yin Chen, Kevin Gausman, Jeremy Guthrie, Rodrigo Lopez, Sidney Ponson

Closer:
Britton began his eight-year stint with the Orioles (2011-18) as a starter. But he was converted into a relief role in ’14 and became one of the best closers in the sport. From 2014-16, he had a 1.38 ERA and 120 saves over 204 appearances. His ’16 season earned him a fourth-place AL Cy Young Award finish, as he pitched to a 0.54 ERA and earned an AL-high 47 saves.

Honorable mentions: Félix Bautista, Jim Johnson

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Jake Rill covers the Orioles for MLB.com.