A great honor for former Orioles outfielder and Rookie of the Year Al Bumbry

For former Oriole Al Bumbry, the 1973 American League Rookie of the Year, it was a wonderfully deserved honor.

At their 34^th annual banquet last Saturday, the Middle Atlantic Scouts Association honored Bumbry, now 77, with their “A Life in Baseball” award.

The man known as “the Bee” has had quite a life in the sport indeed. A ROY award, a 14-year career (13 as an Oriole), an O’s World Series title in 1983 and named an Orioles Hall of Famer in 1987. He was also a MLB coach for three teams, including the 1995 Orioles.

His 252 stolen bases rank third most in O’s history behind only Brady Anderson and Brian Roberts. He is third on the club’s all time triples list (holding the team record once hitting three in one game), ranks eight in runs scored and 10^th in games played.

A great Oriole we know now.

But as a top star in college in another sport at Virginia State, Bumbry never had the dream to play pro baseball. In fact, Virginia State didn’t have a baseball team until reinstating the sport Bumbry’s senior year. That decision would be life changing for the Bee.

“I never had this dream,” Bumbry said Saturday before the banquet at Mountain Branch Golf Club in Harford County. “When I watch a lot of players get interviewed when they won some award, their response is often preceded by ‘this was a dream come true.’ I never had that dream. I might have had a dream of being a professional basketball player, but not about baseball.

“But I worked hard for it, going to college and then going into the service, going to Vietnam and then making the major leagues. I had to work at it and I’m very proud of that.”

Born in Fredericksburg, Va., Bumbry went to Virginia State to play basketball and hoped to pursue the sport further after college.

“I went there on a basketball scholarship and played basketball for four years, but they didn’t have a baseball program until my senior year, and I played that one season.

“When the Orioles drafted me, and I had been scouted by Walter Youse and his sidekick Dick Bowie. When they drafted me, Dick Bowie came to my mother’s house to get me to sign a contract, and he was bubbling over (with how good I could be) and it didn’t really phase me. I knew who the Orioles were, but I hadn’t gotten it out of my mind that I wouldn’t play basketball. He had to really sell me to sign that contract.

“When the Orioles drafted me based on me playing in the summer for Walter Youse and Dick Bowie and based on me hitting .578 in college (yep, he hit that well), I had my military obligation set for me to go on active duty in June. And the Orioles were planning to send me to rookie ball, but that didn’t start until June. So they wanted to see what they had and they sent me to Class-A, Stockton, California. And I stunk up the place there and when June came around, I was glad to get the heck out of there. I weighed more than what I hit (.178 in 1969).

“I thought ‘this scout didn’t know what the heck he was talking about.’ So I went for two years of military service, no baseball in two years. Came back from Vietnam in June (of 1971) and then finally they got to send me to the rookie league. Then I hit .336 there (for the Aberdeen Pheasants in Aberdeen, South Dakota in 1971.)

“That happened after two years off and hitting .178 previously. At that time (after that first year) I questioned my ability to play, and I questioned his evaluation that I could be a major league player. But when I came and hit that well, I got back on the radar.

In 1972, Bumbry hit .345 between Double-A Asheville and Triple-A Rochester and he was on his way. A year later he hit .337 for the Orioles and became the American League’s Rookie of the Year.

Bowie and Youse were right all along. Like Bumbry, those men are also O's Hall of Famers. 

Good thing Virginia State reinstated baseball and those O’s scouts found this talent in central Virginia.

Bumbry served in the US Army during the Vietnam War and was awarded a Bronze Star, which goes to a member of the Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Bumbry says he's no hero, but not everyone agrees with that. 

I asked Bumbry, per his baseball career, what is he most proud of?

“I am proud of the fact that considering the fact I never had the dream to play in the majors and considering the fact I served in the military and got through a war and saw that 99 percent of my men got home safely, I’m very proud of that.

“In terms of baseball, the fact that I played for 13 years. When my playing pro ball looked bleak from Day One. Proud of that longevity.”

Thanks to Tom Burns and Alex Smith from the Mid-Atlantic Scouts Association who invited me to their banquet again this year. A great night of baseball talk. The scouts help make baseball great.

Also, congrats to Kansas City’s JJ Picollo, who was named Executive of the Year, an award won last year by the O’s Mike Elias.

Congrats to Scott Meaney of Tampa Bay and Marc Tramuta of Toronto who were named to the Association’s Hall of Fame.

And the honors keep coming for Bumbry. Already a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, on Nov. 21 he will be inducted in the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame.  

Click here to see Bumbry with his award via my X account. 

Surprise to play for AFL championship: Yesterday in this space, we wrote about the Arizona Fall League's Surprise Saguaros and their chance to play for the AFL championship. Well, after yesterday's 8-5 win over Salt River, Surprise will indeed play for the AFL title on Saturday night. Surprise is 17-10 with one regular season game remaining today. Glendale and Salt River will play Friday night with the winner advancing to play the Saguaros on Saturday night. There are eight members of the O's organization on the Surprise roster.