GM: Pat Gillick
1997: made playoffs · 98–64. Ranks are vs the 28 teams that season.
Each position lists its starter then backups by games (so platoons & bench show). Starters (mound) & bullpen (left, foul territory) are ranked by WAR; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Mussina | 28 | FA-elig | 33 | 5.5 | 6.8 | -1.2 |
| Scott Erickson | 29 | FA-elig | 34 | 4.7 | 3.3 | +1.5 |
| Roberto Alomar | 29 | FA-elig | 112 | 3.6 | 6.4 | -2.7 |
| Brady Anderson | 33 | FA-elig | 151 | 3.4 | 4.0 | -0.6 |
| Rafael Palmeiro | 32 | FA-elig | 158 | 3.3 | 5.3 | -2.0 |
| B.J. Surhoff | 32 | FA-elig | 147 | 3.0 | 1.6 | +1.4 |
| Jimmy Key | 36 | FA-elig | 34 | 2.7 | 2.3 | +0.4 |
| Scott Kamieniecki | 33 | FA-elig | 30 | 2.2 | 1.5 | +0.7 |
| Chris Hoiles | 32 | FA-elig | 99 | 2.2 | 3.6 | -1.4 |
| Randy Myers | 34 | FA-elig | 61 | 2.0 | 4.0 | -1.9 |
| Arthur Rhodes | 27 | FA-elig | 54 | 1.9 | 1.6 | +0.4 |
| Jeffrey Hammonds | 26 | arb | 118 | 1.8 | 0.5 | +1.3 |
| Armando Benitez | 24 | arb | 71 | 1.7 | 0.3 | +1.4 |
| Cal Ripken Jr. | 36 | FA-elig | 162 | 1.6 | 6.8 | -5.2 |
| Eric Davis | 35 | FA-elig | 42 | 1.1 | 2.2 | -1.1 |
| Mike Bordick | 31 | FA-elig | 153 | 1.1 | 2.3 | -1.2 |
| Lenny Webster | 32 | FA-elig | 98 | 0.9 | 0.4 | +0.5 |
| Aaron Ledesma | 26 | pre-arb | 43 | 0.8 | 0.1 | +0.6 |
| Jeff Reboulet | 33 | arb | 99 | 0.7 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Rick Krivda | 27 | pre-arb | 10 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| David Dellucci | 23 | – | 17 | 0.4 | – | – |
| Tony Tarasco | 26 | arb | 100 | 0.4 | 0.3 | +0.1 |
| Harold Baines↔ CHW | 38 | FA-elig | 44 | 0.2 | 0.6 | -0.4 |
| Nerio Rodriguez | 26 | – | 6 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Jerome Walton | 31 | FA-elig | 26 | 0.2 | 0.4 | -0.2 |
| Jesse Orosco | 40 | FA-elig | 71 | 0.2 | 1.1 | -0.9 |
| Rocky Coppinger | 23 | pre-arb | 5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Brian Williams | 28 | – | 13 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Shawn Boskie | 30 | FA-elig | 29 | 0.0 | 0.7 | -0.6 |
| Charlie Greene | 26 | – | 5 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Danny Clyburn | 23 | – | 2 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Mel Rosario | 24 | – | 4 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Pete Incaviglia↔ NYY | 33 | FA-elig | 48 | -0.2 | 0.6 | -0.8 |
| Esteban Yan | 22 | – | 3 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Terry Mathews | 32 | FA-elig | 57 | -0.3 | 0.7 | -1.0 |
| Tim Laker | 27 | – | 7 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Geronimo Berroa↔ OAK | 32 | FA-elig | 83 | -0.4 | 1.8 | -2.2 |
| Alan Mills | 30 | FA-elig | 39 | -0.4 | 0.8 | -1.3 |
| Mike Johnson↔ WSN | 21 | pre-arb | 14 | -0.6 | 0.1 | -0.7 |
| Player | fWAR |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Key | 2.7 |
| Scott Kamieniecki | 2.2 |
| Eric Davis | 1.1 |
| Mike Bordick | 1.1 |
| Lenny Webster | 0.9 |
| Aaron Ledesma | 0.8 |
| Player | 1996 fWAR |
|---|---|
| David Wells | 3.4 |
| Bobby Bonilla | 1.0 |
| Mark Smith | 0.5 |
| Todd Zeile | 0.4 |
| Mike Milchin | 0.2 |
| Brent Bowers | 0.2 |
What the front office was committed to as of 1997, 1997–2003. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.
| Player | Age | Svc | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Ripken Jr. | 36 | 16.000 | $6.8M | $6.4M | $6.5M | $6.3M | $6.3M | FREE AGENT | |
| Mike Mussina | 28 | 6.000 | $6.8M | $6.8M | $6.6M | $6.8M | FREE AGENT | ||
| Roberto Alomar | 29 | 9.000 | $6.4M | $6.3M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Rafael Palmeiro | 32 | 11.000 | $5.3M | $6.5M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Brady Anderson | 33 | 9.000 | $4.0M | $5.4M | $5.7M | $7.1M | $7.2M | FREE AGENT | |
| Randy Myers | 34 | 12.000 | $4.0M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Chris Hoiles | 32 | 8.000 | $3.6M | $3.6M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Scott Erickson | 29 | 7.000 | $3.3M | $3.7M | $6.1M | $6.6M | FREE AGENT | $5.1M | |
| Jimmy Key | 36 | 13.000 | $2.3M | $5.4M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Mike Bordick | 31 | 7.000 | $2.3M | $3.6M | $3.1M | $1.9M | $4.5M | $4.9M | FREE AGENT |
| Eric Davis | 35 | 13.000 | $2.2M | $2.5M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Geronimo Berroa | 32 | 8.000 | $1.8M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| B.J. Surhoff | 32 | 10.000 | $1.6M | $1.7M | $3.7M | $2.9M | FREE AGENT | $1.0M | |
| Arthur Rhodes | 27 | 6.000 | $1.6M | $2.9M | $2.2M | FREE AGENT | |||
| Scott Kamieniecki | 33 | 6.000 | $1.5M | $2.9M | $3.4M | FREE AGENT | |||
| Jesse Orosco | 40 | 18.000 | $1.1M | $1.1M | $800k | FREE AGENT | |||
| Alan Mills | 30 | 7.000 | $850k | $1.0M | FREE AGENT | $1.3M | $3.0M | ||
| Terry Mathews | 32 | 6.000 | $685k | $865k | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Shawn Boskie | 30 | 7.000 | $660k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Harold Baines | 38 | 17.000 | $618k | $1.3M | $1.4M | $1.5M | FREE AGENT | ||
| Pete Incaviglia | 33 | 11.000 | $589k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Lenny Webster | 32 | 8.000 | $425k | $740k | $553k | FREE AGENT | |||
| Jerome Walton | 31 | 8.000 | $385k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Brian Williams | 28 | 6.000 | — | FREE AGENT |
| Player | Age | Svc | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Hammonds | 26 | 4.000 | $490k | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Armando Benitez | 24 | 3.000 | $275k | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |||
| Tony Tarasco | 26 | 4.000 | $270k | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Jeff Reboulet | 33 | 5.000 | $200k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Tim Laker | 27 | 5.000 | — | FREE AGENT |
| Player | Age | Svc | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Coppinger | 23 | 1.000 | $185k | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Rick Krivda | 27 | 2.000 | $150k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Aaron Ledesma | 26 | 2.000 | $150k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Mike Johnson | 21 | 0.000 | $84k | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Danny Clyburn | 23 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| David Dellucci | 23 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Charlie Greene | 26 | – | — | ||||||
| Nerio Rodriguez | 26 | 1.000 | — | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Mel Rosario | 24 | – | — | ||||||
| Esteban Yan | 22 | 1.000 | — | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR. Bars = Orioles 1997; the black line = the league-average player at each slot that season. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge; dropping below it = holes & dead weight.
| Regime | Seasons | Win % | Playoff % | Pennant % | WS % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WINDOW | 289 | 52.2 | 30.1 | 4.8 | 1.0 |
| CONTEND | 311 | 56.8 | 63.0 | 19.3 | 10.3 |
| FORCED-SPEND | 260 | 47.9 | 8.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| REBUILD | 328 | 43.3 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Not enough history to chart.
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