2. Jim Palmer

Palmer made his debut in 1965, and he threw for 92 Innings in 27 Games.  The year after, he was put in the starting rotation, and he went 15-10 and helped Baltimore win their first ever World Series.  Arm trouble kept him out of most of 1967, and in 1968, he was in rehab for the entire year.  It was expected that he would never regain his form, but he returned in 1969, and it was clear that the righthander was healthy.  Palmer went 16-4 and threw a no-hitter, and he would become the ace for the decade to come.

From 1970 to 1973, Palmer would win at least 20 Games and be in the top four in ERA in each of them.  He would go the All-Star Game in the first three seasons of those four years, and in the one he didn't, he won the ERA title and his first Cy Young Award.  The Orioles also won the 1970 World Series.

Palmer suffered from elbow and nerve issues for much of 1974, but in 1975, he embarked on another four-year run that placed him among the elite of the American League Pitchers.  From 1975 to 1978, he again was a perpetual 20 Game winner, with '75 to '77 offering league-leading totals.  In 1975, he won his second ERA title, and his second Cy Young, with his third Cy Young coming the year after.  He was second and third in Cy Young voting the two seasons after, and in those four years, he was never not in the top ten in ERA, WHIP, and bWAR.  Palmer also began to be recognized for his defense, as he won four straight Gold Gloves (1976-79).

He would decline after, though, had a one-year return to glory in 1982, where he was 15-5, third in ERA, and was second in Cy Young voting.  In a much reduced role, he helped the Orioles win their third World Series in 1983.

Palmer was released in 1984 after a 0-3 start, and while it was an unceremonious exit from the team, his legend was secured.  He retired with a 268-152 record with a 2.86 ERA, 2,212 Strikeouts, six All-Stars, three Cy Youngs, and three World Series Rings.  He also had a history of 8-3 in the playoffs with a 2.61 ERA over 124.1 Innings.

Palmer’s number 22 would be retired in 1985, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.  The Orioles also inducted the Pitcher into their Hall of Fame in 1986.