Orioles Retrospective: Cal Ripken Jr - Pitching Prospect

It's interesting to think about, as Orioles history might've been a lot different if Cal Ripken Jr had actually been groomed and developed as a pitcher, instead of as a position player. It's not relaly as crazy as it seems... This from the June 8th, 1978 edition of the Baltimore Sun:

"Just one day after being chosen in Major League Baseball's free-agent draft, Aberdeen's Cal Ripken Jr displayed a few reasons why the Orioles made him their #2 draft selection."

"Ripken fanned 17 batters and gave up only two hits while pitching the Eagles to the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Class A baseball crown, in a 7-2 win over Thomas Stone yesterday at Price Georges Community College."

"Orioles scouting director Tom Giordano selected the Aberdeen senior in the second round as a pitcher-shortstop in Tuesday's draft, making him the highest area selection this year."

Imagine if the O's had decided that Ripken was best suited as a pitching prospect? The organization's 1981-present day history might have been completely different. Given the fragile and rather risky nature of pitching prospects, especially those drafted out of high-school, we could've seen a subsequent 1983 article that looked something like this:

"The Orioles lost 5-3 to Toronto yesterday, as rookie long-reliever Cal Ripken Jr yielded four runs in the 8th inning, wasting a home run by third baseman Doug Decinces, and a strong start by 2nd year starter Storm Davis... Ripken, whose electric fastball excited the Crowds at Memorial Stadium several times earlier in the year, was plagued with control problems; those same control issues have limited the potential of the once well-regarded 1978 2nd round draft pick, and prompted questions about whether he should once again be demoted to the minors... several excellent defensive plays by  shortstop Len Sakata weren't enough to overcome Ripken's three walks... The Orioles were a heavy favorite to win the American League East coming into the season, but age has finally taken it's toll on the roster, especially amongst the position players, and that optimism has slowly given way to bitter disappointment amongst the fan base."

It's probably a good thing for the Orioles, and all of baseball, for that matter, that Ripken stayed on the left-hand side of the infield where he belonged. That seems to have been his intention from the beginning, as he voiced later in the article:

"Ripken, who completed his high school career with a 14-4 overall mark and an 8-2 regular season record, says he will definitely play for the Orioles organization next year: 'It may be my only chance to play pro ball, so I don't want to miss out.' he said, 'I'd prefer to play shortstop in the majors, but I'll play anywhere.'"

Here is that article as it appeared in print, click to enlarge: