I opened a lucky bag a few weeks ago. In the lucky bag, I found an interesting card. It’s a Paul Blair autograph card and it’s from the 2001 Fleer.
Well, I didn’t know much about Paul Blair. However, this autograph card looks pretty cool and I really like it. To know a little bit more about Paul Blair, I decided to check on the great baseball reference website.
So, Paul Blair played 17 seasons in the majors, hitting .250/.302/.382 with 134 home runs and 620 RBI over 1947 games. Additionally, he had 171 stolen bases. He spent most of his career with the Orioles. Blair played for the Orioles from 1964 to 1976. In those 13 seasons with the Orioles, he batted .254/.306/.388 with 126 home runs and 567 RBI. Looking at his stats, it doesn’t seem that he was a great hitter. However, an important thing is that he won the Gold Glove award 8 times (all with the Orioles). Hence, he certainly did a great job on defense. Also, as Blair played for the Orioles for 10+ seasons, how much did he contribute to the Orioles?
Firstly, let’s look at wins above replacement in the Orioles history. Cal Ripken Jr., a Hall of Famer, spent his entire career with the Orioles. He played 21 seasons for the Orioles and his WAR was over 90. Moreover, Brooks Robinson played 23 seasons for the Orioles and his WAR was over 70. Robinson is a Hall of Famer as well. Furthermore, Eddie Murray, who’s a Hall of Famer as well, spent 21 seasons in the majors and he played 13 seasons for the Orioles. In those 13 seasons, Murray’s WAR was over 50. Paul Blair’s WAR was 39.7 when he played for the Orioles. A 39.7 WAR is now the 9th in franchise history.
In addition, let’s look at defensive WAR. Mark Belanger played 17 seasons for the Orioles and won the Gold Glove award 8 times. His defensive WAR was 39.5 in the Orioles uniform. Moreover, Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken Jr. each had a defensive WAR over 30 in their careers with the Orioles. Paul Blair’s defensive WAR was 18.5 when he played for the Orioles. That’s the top 5 in the Orioles history.
Well, Paul Blair wasn’t an outstanding hitter, however, he was still able to contribute on the offense. While playing for the Orioles, he had 269 doubles, which are the 10th in franchise history. In the Orioles history, Cal Ripken Jr. is the only player with 600+ doubles. Moreover, Brooks Robinson had 482 doubles. Eddie Murray collected 363 doubles in his 13 seasons with the Orioles.
Finally, let’s look at the number of stolen bases. In team history, George Sisler and Brady Anderson each stole 300+ bases. Additionally, Brian Roberts played for the Orioles from 2001 to 2013. In those 13 seasons, he had 278 steals. Paul Blair had 167 swipes in the Orioles uniform.
Looking back at Paul Blair’s career, during his time with the Orioles, his defense was certainly impressive. Well, he’s not a power hitter. However, he was a reliable hitter in the Orioles lineup and he collected 200+ doubles for the Orioles. And his speed did help the team.
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