The 9 greatest players in Baltimore Orioles history
When the Baltimore Orioles used the No. 3 overall pick on Manny Machado in the 2010 MLB Draft, they struck gold on one of the most exciting players in franchise history.
Machado -- a natural shortstop -- moved to third base to accommodate one of the great defensive shortstops of his era in J.J. Hardy. Together, the two formed one of the surest-handed left sides of an infield in MLB history.
Between 2012 and 2017, the six full seasons that he spent with the Orioles, Machado won two Gold Glove Awards and the Platinum Glove as the American League's best overall defender in 2013.
Even that list of accomplishments doesn't do justice to how dominant of a third baseman Machado was early in his career, as he posted 81 defensive runs saved in his first six seasons. Only Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies -- considered to be one of the best defenders in league history -- had more defensive runs saved among third basemen during that period, as he had 82.
Machado was hardly a slouch with the bat either, as he slashed .279/.329/.476 with 138 home runs, 406 RBIs and an .805 OPS in his first six seasons. As an elite defensive third baseman for the Orioles with an All-Star-caliber bat, Machado felt in many ways like the second coming of Brooks Robinson.

The difference is that free agency didn't exist until Robinson was in the waning days of his playing career. Machado and then-Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper knew they were going to headline the most anticipated free-agent class in MLB history ahead of their age-26 seasons pretty early on in their careers.
And so did the Orioles.
Even while Machado was in the process of becoming one of the best players in the history of the franchise, the Orioles were not willing to approach the 10-year/$300 million deal that their star infielder would ultimately land after the 2018 season. Rather than seeing him depart in free agency, the Orioles traded Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July of 2018, ending the chances of him becoming an inner-circle player in Orioles history like he once seemed destined to be.
If Machado ever becomes a Hall of Famer -- and he's going to have a very real shot once his career concludes -- it's possible that we'll remember that his peak (especially defensively) came in Baltimore. However, he spent six-and-a-half seasons with the Orioles, and if he plays out his current contract with the San Diego Padres, he'll have spent a decade there. That means that Machado could very well be wearing a Padres cap in Cooperstown one day.
While we ponder what could have been, here's a look at the nine greatest players in the history of the Baltimore Orioles, with players from the franchise's time as the St. Louis Browns not considered: