Which Orioles team is the best of all time? | MAILBAG

Question: Seeing how close the Orioles came to being league champions causes me to recall some of the other great Oriole teams. It is a tough decision, but what Oriole team would you nominate as the best ever? From: Mike Tucker 

Answer: Mike, I don’t think it’s a tough decision. Even though the Orioles had excellent teams in 1969, 1971 and 1979, they lost the World Series in each of those seasons.

Of the three teams that won the World Series, it’s clear that the 1970 team was better than the 1966 and 1983 teams.

The 1970 Orioles won 108 games, and the team they beat, the Cincinnati Reds, were heavily favored, had future Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Tony Pérez as well as the late Pete Rose.

Those Orioles had three future Hall of Famers, Jim Palmer, Brooks and Frank Robinson, and in that World Series, Brooks was absolutely fantastic at third base.

Not only did they have Palmer, but Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally were each 24-game winners.

Boog Powell had a wonderful season at first base. Paul Blair won a Gold Glove in center field and Don Buford, who walked twice as often he struck out, had a .406 on-base percentage as a leadoff batter.

They also had an underrated bench. Merv Rettenmund, their fourth outfielder, hit .322 with a .938 OPS in 106 games.

Question: Is there a limit on the number of players to which a team can make a qualifying offer? From: Mitch

Answer: Mitch, there is not a limit on the number of players a team can make a qualifying offer to. However, with the qualifying offer estimated at $21.2 million, there are relatively few players that teams believe are worth paying that to for a season.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.