The man who drew the unenviable task of permanently replacing Cal Ripken at shortstop will now join the Baltimore legend in the Orioles Hall of Fame.
Former shortstop and current minor league instructor Mike Bordick has been elected to the team’s Hall of Fame, the Orioles announced in a press release Saturday. Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells was named this year’s Herb Armstrong Award winner.
Signed prior to the 1997 season to take over the shortstop position with Ripken sliding over to third base, Bordick spent six years with the Orioles and was named to the 2000 All-Star team before being traded to the New York Mets at the trade deadline that season. He re-signed with Baltimore that offseason, playing two more years with the Orioles.
Bordick owns the third-highest fielding percentage (.982) among shortstops with at least 1,000 games played in major league history, trailing only Omar Vizquel and Jimmy Roberts. His defense was never better than 2002 when the veteran set big league records in fielding percentage (.998), fewest errors (one), consecutive games without an error (110), and consecutive errorless chances (543). His record-setting year, however, did not net him a Gold Glove award.
Known primarily for his glove at the beginning of his career with the Oakland Athletics, Bordick’s offensive numbers improved in each of his first four seasons with the Orioles, peaking with his All-Star season in which he batted .297 with 16 home runs and 59 runs batted in in 100 games before being dealt to the Mets on July 28, 2000.
The University of Maine product is currently serving his second year as the Orioles’ minor league coordinator of offensive fundamentals. He and his wife Monica have six children and live in Ruxton, Md.
Bancells is this year’s recipient of the Herb Armstrong Award, an honor given to non-uniformed personnel who have made significant contributions to the club and the game of baseball. 2011 will mark his 24th season as head athletic trainer and 35th year in the organization.
He has also been named the athletic trainer for two All-Star teams, in 1993 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and in 2004 in Houston. In 2002, Bancells was the trainer for the MLB All-Stars’ postseason exhibition tour in Japan.
Bordick and Bancells will be honored at the induction ceremony prior to the Orioles-Tigers game on Saturday, Aug. 13.
