Rick Dempsey

[William Malone]

John Rikard Dempsey was born on September 13, 1949 in Fayetteville, Tennessee.

The Minnesota Twins drafted him in round 15 of the 1967 MLB Draft. He debuted for them in 1969, playing very sparingly as a third catcher over the next several seasons. Dempsey played 41 big league games during his four years with the Twins, going 15-for-66 (.227) with zero RBI. He caught six of 18 potential base stealers from behind home plate.

Minnesota traded him to the New York Yankees for outfielder Danny Walton on Halloween in 1972. Dempsey played just six games for the Yankees in 1973, but he began to get more regular playing time as the primary backup to All-Star catcher Thurman Munson the following year. The Baltimore Orioles acquired him in a massive ten player trade on June 15, 1976.

He became the starting catcher for an Orioles team that was regularly contending for World Series titles, and Dempsey became known as a guy who always stepped up his game in October. While he hit just .238/.319/.355 across 1,245 regular season games for Baltimore, Dempsey was a .303 postseason hitter. The Orioles reached the World Series in 1979, but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They won a ring in 1983, with Dempsey being named World Series MVP.

His time with the Orioles came to an end in 1986. He played for the Cleveland Indians in 1987, and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988. Dempsey won his second World Series ring that season, batting .300 in the playoffs. He played two more years with the Dodgers, before joining the Milwaukee Brewers in 1991.

Dempsey badly wanted to be in uniform when the Orioles opened Camden Yards in 1992, so he signed a non-roster at the age of 42 to compete for a roster spot in spring training. He didn't make the team out of camp, but was still on hand to receive a thunderous ovation from fans during opening ceremonies at the ballpark. Dempsey wound up playing six games for the Orioles in July that summer, going 1-for-9 at the plate.

He has worked as both a coach and broadcaster since retiring. Dempsey has been a first base coach, third base coach, bullpen coach and bench coach for the Orioles at various times. He began working as a studio analyst for Orioles broadcasts on MASN in 2007, but was laid off in 2021.

View full player

[dxpavelka]

Really?  You write a whole article about Rick Dempsey & nary a mention of his rain delay antics?

 

[DuluthRoots]

Lived in Baltmore during Rick's hayday. What a character!