Who is the greatest clutch hitter in Orioles history? | MAILBAG

Question: Who is the greatest clutch hitter in Orioles history? Which player most often rose to the occasion on a consistent basis? From: Timothy Fowler

Answer: Tim, that’s a fascinating question because the Orioles have had a number of excellent clutch hitters and also because there’s no definitive meaning of clutch. However, BaseballReference.com does have its own clutch stats, so I’m using theirs.

The two players I think most define clutch are Frank Robinson and Eddie Murray, who played 13 seasons for the Orioles while Robinson played only six.

Let’s compare their best season. For Robinson, it was 1966 when he won the Triple Crown and the Orioles won their first World Series. He had a 7.7 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), which wasn’t calculated then, but it was his highest as an Oriole.

In what BaseballReference.com defines as “late and close” games, Robinson hit .329 with a 1.026 OPS with five home runs and 13 RBIs in 77 games.

In 1984, Murray had a 7.1 WAR, highest of his career. In late and close games, Murray hit .374 with a 1.236 OPS, nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 88 games.

I was a very young baseball fan when Frank Robinson was with the Orioles, and I moved to Baltimore in 1980, and watched Murray’s exploits as a fan.

From this small snapshot, I would say that Murray was the greatest clutch player in Orioles history.

Question: Would Mike Elias consider Buck Britton for manager, and if it’s okay to ask two questions, who else has input into the hiring decision other than Elias? From: Jeff Alexander

Answer: Jeff, it would be doubtful that Britton would be a managerial candidate. Elias chose Tony Mansolino over Britton as interim manager because of his experience with the club.

At his press conference on September 29^th, Elias said that members of his baseball operations staff, the ownership group and Catie Griggs, the Orioles’ president of business operations, and her staff would also be involved in the interviewing and decision-making process.

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.