Cal Ripken Jr.

Professional career

The Baltimore Orioles drafted Ripken in the second round of the 1978 MLB draft, 48th overall. He was selected with the Orioles' predetermined draft pick, not through a forfeited pick from the Boston Red Sox. Ripken played both pitcher and shortstop in high school; the Orioles were the only team interested in his pitching ability. They started him at shortstop in the minors, deciding it would be easier to transition back to pitching if necessary.

In 1978, he was assigned to the Bluefield Orioles of the rookie Appalachian League, batting .264 with 63 hits and 24 RBIs. In 1979, he moved to the Single-A Miami Orioles, where manager Lance Nichols shifted him to third base. On July 2, Ripken hit his first professional home run, a game-winner in the 12th inning. He batted .303 with five home runs, led the league with 28 doubles, and had 54 RBIs while playing all 105 games.

He was named an All-Star and earned a brief call-up to the Double-A Charlotte Orioles. In 1980, he began with Charlotte, where manager Jimmy Williams predicted he would set the team home run record. Ripken hit 25 home runs, besting the previous record by four, with 28 doubles, 78 RBIs, and a .492 slugging percentage. He was named an All-Star and helped Charlotte win the Southern League championship.

Charity

Throughout his career, Ripken contributed time and money to numerous charitable organizations. After signing a new contract in 1984, he announced he would distribute 1984 Orioles tickets to underprivileged children in Harford County, donate to the Harford Center, and donate to the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts. In 1988, he and his wife Kelly founded the Cal Ripken Jr. Lifelong Learning Center, dedicated to teaching adults to read. In 1992, MLB recognized him with the Roberto Clemente Award.

In 1997, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. Ripken made donations supporting research on Lou Gehrig's disease; after breaking Gehrig's record, the Orioles and private donors created the Cal Ripken/Lou Gehrig Fund for Neuromuscular Research at Johns Hopkins University. Along with his brother Billy, he formed the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation in 2001 to give underprivileged children the opportunity to attend baseball camps.

Ripken Baseball operates for-profit camps and designs ballfields. Between 2001 and 2004, he served as commissioner of the White House Tee Ball Initiative. In 2007, he co-founded Athletes for Hope and announced a partnership with Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities, donating $1 million in cash and equipment from the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.

Legacy

At 6 ft, 225 lb, Ripken was a departure from the prototypical shortstop of the time—small, fleet-of-foot players. Power-hitting shortstops such as Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, and Miguel Tejada are often seen as part of his legacy. He studied batters and his own pitching staff to position himself, compensating for a lack of physical speed. He holds at least one all-time record in assists, putouts, fielding percentage, double plays, and fewest errors.

His career range factor was 4.73. His power led to records such as most home runs by a shortstop and 13th place in career doubles. In 1999, he passed Hank Aaron as the player who had grounded into the most double plays in his career. Ripken was notable for never settling on a signature batting stance, sometimes called "the man of 1,000 stances," changing it in response to a slump or if his current choice "didn't feel good."

Personal life

Ripken was married to Kelly Geer; they have a daughter, Rachel, and a son, Ryan. On April 28, 2016, Ripken and Geer finalized their divorce after a one-year separation. In 2018, he married Laura Kiessling, a judge in the Appellate Court of Maryland; they have four children between them and reside in Annapolis, Maryland. His son Ryan was drafted by the Orioles in the 20th round of the 2012 amateur draft but chose to attend college.

He was later drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2014, released in March 2017, then signed with the Orioles and assigned to the Aberdeen Ironbirds. Ryan advanced to the AAA Norfolk Tides in 2021 and announced his retirement after going unsigned; in 2026, he became a sports broadcaster with MASN Sports.

Ripken's mother, Violet, was kidnapped at gunpoint and safely returned on July 24, 2012. On October 15, 2013, she was approached by a man with a handgun in a parking lot; he fled after she activated a key alarm. In 2020, Ripken announced he had undergone successful treatment for prostate cancer.

Did You Know?

• At age three, he knew he wanted to be a ballplayer; at age 10, he 'knew the game inside and out'.
• His uniform number 8 was retired by the Baltimore Orioles in 2001.