Orioles’ Ripken Is Right Where He Ought to Be

For a guy who was suspected of being out of position, Cal Ripken Jr. has had a rather remarkable career at shortstop.

That point was reaffirmed Wednesday with the announcement that for the seventh straight year, and sixth as a starter, Ripken will be a member of the American League All-Star team.

He is the only member of the Baltimore Orioles to be elected to the starting team by the voting of the fans, but Ripken will have some company for Tuesday night’s game in Anaheim. Catcher Mickey Tettleton was named to the team as an alternated at catcher.

Only three other shortstops in history (Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio and Pee Wee Reese) have been named to the All-Star team more often than Ripken, and he won’t be 29 until next month. It is a remarkable testimonial to his skills, especially considering that many thought his skills were better suited for third base.

As recently as last spring, with the arrival of Juan Bell from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Eddie Murray trade, a move back to third base was seriously considered. Today, in light of the Orioles’ startling success, that must seem like ages ago. It’s not likely the subject will come up again anytime soon.

“If people figured he was out of position, they figured wrong,” said Dave Schmidt, the veteran of the Orioles’ pitching staff. “That is obvious by now. Cal doesn’t fit the prototype of the position, but who’s to say that you have to have a prototype at every position?”

More than anybody else, it is the pitchers who best appreciate Ripken. The ones who have to face him, and the ones who work in front of him. In that regard, Schmidt and former Oriole Mike Flanagan are as good as any when it comes to appraising Ripken and what he means to his team.

“When he first went over there, I guess my first reaction was ‘you’ve got to show me first,’ ” Flanagan said. “After you see a guy like (Mark) Belanger, the best you’ve ever seen, play that position, it’s only natural. There’s a lot of space out there, really a lot of space, but he (Ripken) makes it look small. He’s put on a clinic the last two nights.”

So much so, in fact, that when George Bell’s grounder up the middle got through for a single in the eighth inning Wednesday night, it was almost a shock the ball didn’t lead to another double play. Ripken already had started two and was the middle man in a third, initiated in spectacular style by brother Bill at second base. Cal was a step short of turning another one on Bell’s hit.

In the past, that kind of play has led to discussions of Ripken’s defensive range. But these last two games have presented a definitive difference in the styles of premier shortstops. The Orioles have hit five ground-ball singles, four of them Wednesday night, to either the right or left of the Blue Jays’ Tony Fernandez, considered to have the widest range at the position in the American League.

Those plays are only isolated examples when weighed over the course of a 162-game schedule, but they do paint a significant picture. If a shortstop misses a ball by a step, is it because he doesn’t have range, or because he doesn’t have proper position?

“He’s just an incredible athlete, period,” Flanagan said of Ripken. “But his knowledge of the hitters, the pitcher, the pitch that’s being thrown, where to play--that is his biggest asset.

“What else do you want me to say about him?” asked Flanagan. “That he’s durable, smart, strong? All of those things are assets, but to me his biggest asset is his intelligence about the game.

“When they said he couldn’t play shortstop, it was because he didn’t fit the mold,” said Flanagan, reiterating Schmidt’s comment. “Well, he created a new mold.”

Schmidt and Ripken came to the American League in the same year, at the end of the strike-shortened 1981 season, and both were still classified as rookies the following year. “His first couple of years, Cal was a real dominating offensive player,” recalled Schmidt, perhaps touching on why his defense was overlooked.

“He’s been consistent ever since then, but those first couple of years he was a dominating hitter. I think he probably would tell you that he hasn’t hit as good as he can the last two or three years, but you usually put your best hitter in the No. 3 spot--and he’s been there for quite a while. That’s a major statement right there.

“He’s the one you look to for the big hit, or the big play. He knows the hitters, he knows the pitchers, he’s ready every day, and he’s so consistent. If he makes a bad throw, you wonder if he’s sick, or if his arm has fallen off.

“He’s been a fixture in Baltimore--a local guy who made very good,” Schmidt said. “Last year, when he was going through his contract negotiations, I think a very big part of it was that he had grown up with the organization, like his father, and it was important for him to stay a part of it. It’s something I’ve come to find out in the three years I’ve been here. It’s a special thing, because the fans really do treat us good.”

If there was a side of Ripken that surprised Schmidt after he joined the Orioles, it was his demeanor off the field. “I didn’t realize how quiet he is,” Schmidt said. “It just seemed that he was such a good player that he would be more of a clubhouse force.

“And I’m not being negative, because I don’t have much to say in the clubhouse either. Everybody has his own style, and Cal leads by example. He plays hard and he works hard. Everybody in here looks at him as a leader.”

Nobody appreciates that quality more than Flanagan, who has watched Ripken’s development from the start. “He’s an incredible talent,” said the left-hander. “And he’s into the game every night.

“He’s always the same--except that a lot of times he’s better than the same.”