Baltimore.Orioles.MLB.com

By Jeff Seidel / Special to MLB.com

Brady Anderson set a club record with 50 home runs in the 1996 season. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Brady Anderson broke the mold of leadoff hitters, showing how it was very possible to combine speed and power gracefully while spending 13 ½ years in an Oriole uniform. The Orioles will honor Anderson by inducting him into the club's Hall of Fame before Saturday's game with Toronto.

In addition, the Orioles are honoring long-time umpires attendant Ernie Tyler with the Herb Armstrong Award, given to non-uniformed personnel who've made a significant contribution to the ball club, community or sport of baseball.

Anderson becomes the 41st member of the Orioles Hall of Fame. He's the team's all-time leader in steals (307), set the club record for homers in a season (50) and remains among the leaders in several offensive categories. It's an unusual combination for a leadoff hitter, but Anderson was an unusual player.

"He had a rare combination of power and speed," said close friend Cal Ripken, Jr. "I liked his grit and his determination and his desire to succeed."

Ripken said that putting Anderson in the leadoff spot went against the common ideals of what the first hitter would do. Leadoff guys were often slap hitters without much power, smaller in size and stature. But Anderson, a three-time All-Star, was the opposite of both. A powerfully built man, Anderson could hit for power and use his keen eye at the plate and speed to get on base and spark the lineup.

His breakout year of 1992 and big-time season of 1996 showed all of this. Then-manager Johnny Oates finally gave Anderson a chance to play on a regular basis in 1992 and told him to just hit whichever way he was comfortable and not worry about doing the slap hitting thing.

Anderson broke loose and blasted 21 homers with 80 RBIs while batting .271. He scored 100 runs with an on-base percentage of .373. There was more of the same with his memorable season four years later.

The leadoff hitter belted the Oriole-record 50 homers with 110 RBIs while batting .297. He also scored a career-high 117 runs with an impressive .396 on-base percentage.

"He was all about getting on base and scoring runs," Ripken said. "Sometimes I don't think he gets the credit for being a good leadoff hitter because he didn't fit the prototype. But year after year, he was [good]."

The Orioles will follow their tradition of bringing back greats from their past to honor the new Hall of Fame member. Billy Hunter, Jim Palmer, Elrod Hendricks, Rick Dempsey, Chuck Thompson and Ripken are scheduled to be among those at Oriole Park for the ceremony. All are in the Oriole Hall of Fame, with Thompson a member of baseball's Hall.

"It is a '90s weekend, but it's more [than that]," said Monica Pence, the team's communications manager. "We try to bring back Hall of Fame guys for this type of thing."

The Orioles also are honoring Tyler, who's been part of the scene at home games for over 40 years. Tyler, who just turned 80 this year, now has worked at 3,585 straight games overall since Opening Day, 1960.

Fans know Tyler as the man who runs out to give umpires baseballs when the men in blue need them. For years, he sat on a stool by the third-base dugout but had to move this year as the Orioles put in a few new rows of seats.

Tyler now works out of the side of the Oriole dugout, by the camera well. His family also has become part of the Orioles. Tyler has 11 children and nine people in his family have worked for the team at some point over the years.

Also as part of Hall of Fame weekend, the Orioles are giving out Jim Palmer/Earl Weaver bobblehead dolls on Sunday to the first 25,000 fans 21 and older before the 1:35 game with Toronto.

Jeff Seidel is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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