1957 Topps - Willie Miranda

''He was the best defensive shortstop I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty,'' Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Tommy Lasorda

Guillermo “Willy” Miranda Perez played short stop in the big leagues between 1951-1959. He was the prototypical mid field position player of 50’s baseball. Short in stature, Willy was 5’-9” 150 lbs. He was a very solid defensive player but struggled at the plate. With 2119 plate appearances over 9 years he only managed 423 hits with 6 home runs. 

Prior to joining the Orioles in 1955 Willy played in only 241 games in 7 years with the Washington Senators, White Sox, St. Luis Browns, and Yankees. In his final 5 years with the Orioles he more than doubled his playing time appearing in 583 games. 

His standout season was his first with Baltimore in 1955, batting .255 with 124 hits and 38 RBI, and leading the American League in double plays.


Willy's Orioles Stats:   G: 253   W: 95   L: 75   PCT: .559   ERA: 3.12   SO: 918  IP: 1414

1963 Topps - Steve Barber

From 1963 to 1984 the Orioles had eleven 20 game winners over a span of 24 years including 13 years in a row, 68’ through 80’. Wow! Eleven pitchers in total winning 20 games or more. 

Palmer with an incredible eight 20 win seasons. Also McNally, Cuellar, Flanagan, McGregor, Pat Dobson, Boddicker, Garland, and Mike Torrez. 

But it was this guy, Steve Barber that accomplished it first. Barber was the first of the modern day Orioles to reach that elusive number. Steve was a hometown guy, growing up just 40 minutes south of Memorial Stadium in Silver Spring, Md. 

Steve played in Baltimore for eight years, with only 2 sub .500 seasons. His best year was 63’ when he went 20-13 with a 2.75 ERA and 11 complete games. A pitcher playing in todays game with those numbers would be the talk of baseball. 

Barber's Orioles Stats:   G: 253   W: 95   L: 75   PCT: .559   ERA: 3.12   SO: 918  IP: 1414

1975 Topps - Earl Williams

Earl Williams is considered by some, to be one of the worst trades in Orioles history. Behind the #1 worst trade, the Glenn Davis for three future all-stars, Finley, Harnish & Schilling trade. But that’s a different story. 

In 1973, despite criticism from multiple Orioles players including Jim Palmer, Baltimore traded away 20 game winner Pat Dobson, along with Davey Johnson, Roric Harrison, and Johnny Oates for sub-par defensive catcher Earl Williams. Granted he was coming off a fairly productive offensive season belting 28 home runs with 87 RBIs. It was a trade backed by then Orioles manager Earl Weaver who was a big fan of the long ball and hoped Earl would bring some of that power to Baltimore. Weaver was quoted as saying, "Get me Earl Williams and we’ll win the pennant”.

In the end Williams played as advertised, poor defense and below average offense. But it would be his reported poor attitude that would end his stay in Baltimore. Arriving late to multiple games, arguing with fans and the "not a team player" tag Williams would never shake.

Earl Williams Orioles Stats:   BA: .245    HR: 36    Hits: 214    RBI: 135    AB: 872

1957 Topps - Dick Williams

Dick Williams had a 13 year playing career debuting with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951. He also played with Boston, Kansas City, Cleveland, and the Orioles. All told he spent 5 years in Baltimore 56’, 57’, 58’, 61’ & 62’, playing every position except shortstop, catcher and pitcher. 

Dick had a respectable playing career but is best known as a hugely successful manager for 21 seasons. In his first year managing the Redsox, he turned around a team that had 8 consecutive loosing seasons to win their first Pennant since 1946 and was named manager of the year. 

He spent two more years in Boston before managing the Oakland Athletics where he would win 2 Pennant and 2 back-to-back World Series. He also managed the Angels, Expos, Mariners and Padres where he won another Pennant in 1984. In 21 years he won 3023 games while loosing 1571 for a .520 winning percentage. He was elected to the Hall Of Fame as a manager in 2008. 

D. Williams Orioles Stats:   BA: .255    HR: 25    Hits: 361    RBI: 128    AB: 1417

1966 Topps - Jim Palmer

You have to wonder if Jim had any idea while posing for this, his first Topps “Rookie” card, (probably taken early spring somewhere in the Grape Fruit League), that by the end of the season he would lead an already established Orioles pitching staff in wins with a 15-10 record and a 3.46 ERA in 30 starts. 

Could he have imagined he’d be the winning pitcher on the day the Orioles clinched the America League Pennant, throwing a 5-hitter against Kansas City?  

Or that he would pitch the second game of the 66’ World Series against Koufax, the most dominating pitcher in baseball, and walk away with a 4 hit shutout winning 6-0?

A Rookie season for the ages to be sure. All this and still to young (20) to buy a beer. 

Palmer's 1966 Stats:   G: 123    W: 15    L: 10    PCT: .600    ERA: 3.46   SO: 147   IP: 208

1969 Topps - Chuck Essegian

Chuck played six years in the big leagues for six different teams. His stay in Baltimore was so short, that the card has him playing for the Kansas City Athletics. Apparently he was in Baltimore long enough to have his photo taken for this card, and have exactly 1 AB in 1 game with zero hits for the O’s before being traded to Kansas City, where he would play in only 4 games with 6 AB. He was then traded to Cleveland to finish out the 61’ season where he had a respectable year as a pinch hitter batting .289 in 181 plate appearances. 

His big moment came in the 1959 World Series while playing for the Las Angeles Dodgers when he hit 2 pinch hit home runs setting a Series record that would stand until 1975. 

Another interesting Chuck Essegain fact, he is one of only two men to have played in both a World Series and the Rose Bowl. The 59’ Series mentioned above and the 52’ Rose Bowl while at Stanford University.

Major League Career Stats:   BA: .255    HR: 47    Hits: 260    RBI: 150    AB: 1018

1958 Topps - Connie Johnson

"The most I made in a year playing baseball was $15,000. Players today make more in one day than I made in an entire career, but I wouldn't change a thing. We had a good time. We had a ball."  ~ Connie Johnson

Unfortunately for a large number of baseball fans, the majority of Connie’s pitching career was not as a member of Major League Baseball. 

He was already 30 when he made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox, April 17, 1953. He was traded to the Orioles along with Mike Fornieles, George Kell and Bob Nieman, for Jim Wilson and Dave Philley May 21, 1956. He finished his career with Baltimore making his last MLB appearance at the end of the 58’ season. His best year was 1957 with the O’s when he went 14-11 with a 3.20 ERA.

Prior to his Major League years, Connie pitched in the Negro Leagues for the Indianapolis Crawfords, and the much celebrated Kansas City Monarchs. The staff included Satchel Paige, John Matchett, Hilton Smith and Lefty LaMarque. Johnson was said to be the hardest thrower on the staff. 

“Connie was a good pitcher in the major leagues, but he was a great pitcher in the Negro Leagues. No comparison. He threw hard for the Monarchs. Hard. He had good control. Could have won 20 games in the big leagues. Oh yeah. Could have won 20 games every year. That's Connie Johnson.” ~ Monarchs teammate Buck O’Neil

He took a break from baseball to join the Military during WWII for three years 1943 - 1945.

Major League Career Stats:   G: 123    W: 40    L: 39    PCT: .506    ERA: 3.44   SO: 497