Cal Ripken Jr's son Ryan speaks on the Baltimore Orioles pending sale

Former Gilman two-sport star and Orioles farm hand, who played with many of the team’s current stars, envisions a new “golden age” of Orioles’ baseball

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – Ryan Ripken, the son of Baltimore Orioles’ Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and a former two-sport star at Gilman School in Baltimore, spoke out about the pending sale of the Baltimore Orioles to an ownership group that includes his father.

Ripken played seven seasons of minor league baseball in the farm systems of the Washington Nationals and Orioles, before retiring last year and embarking on a career in broadcast media.

Once a two-sport star at Gilman School in Baltimore and a former minor league baseball player with the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles, Ryan Ripken has embarked on a new career in sports media. A former teammate of many of the Baltimore Orioles crop of young stars as well as the son of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr., who is part of an ownership group which has reached an agreement to acquire the Orioles, Ripken offered his thoughts on the franchise's pending sale

At Gilman he was a standout in both basketball and baseball, helping the Greyhounds win the MIAA A Conference baseball title in 2010 and a B Conference basketball championship in 2012. He is currently an analyst on Baltimore Baseball Tonight, a pregame show which airs on 105.7 The Fan radio, prior to Orioles’ baseball games. He is also an occasional guest baseball analyst on Fox 45 television, a co-host of Fox 45’s “Rip & Roc” podcast and the producer of his own podcast, “Off scRIPt with Rip.”

Like his father and uncle, Billy Ripken, who is an analyst with the MLB Network, Ryan Ripken grew up in the game of baseball and has absorbed a wealth of knowledge passed down through his family and other major leaguers to which he has been exposed. As a youngster he was often seen in a front row seat at Camden Yards and, also like his father and uncle, he has become a teacher of the game, getting involved in a number of baseball training ventures.

With the news of the pending Baltimore Orioles sale, from the family of longtime owner Peter Angelos to a partnership group headed by billionaires David Rubenstein and Michael Arougheti, still reverberating throughout the town, Wednesday, Ryan Ripken appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan’s Inside Access program to discuss what may lie ahead for the franchise under new ownership.

Ripken declined to directly discuss his father’s involvement with the ownership group but he did say Cal Jr. has been interested in playing a role in the Orioles’ ownership ever since he retired from baseball in 2001. Later on Wednesday, the Orioles issued a news release confirming an agreement for the sale and acknowledging Ripken’s involvement with the ownership group which also includes former NBA star Grant Hill and financial media mogul and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, among others.

“Over time, it’s been consistent since my dad retired, having an interest in being involved with the Orioles,” said Ryan Ripken.

Ripken, however, expressed optimism that the potential of a new ownership group will spark a long run of success for his hometown team.

“This is what we hope is going to be the golden age of Orioles baseball. The Orioles had a great run decades ago, but we’re talking about right now,” said Ripken. “The Orioles young prospects they have coming up, it’s extremely exciting. You would be foolish to think otherwise. This is such a great time and there is so much great upside with these young players. I think regardless of what happens, you just hope those guys you think are going to be cornerstones are going to be around.

“For me personally, I know that a guy like Gunnar Henderson, when the time comes, or Adley Rutschman, or even Jackson Holiday, I do believe in my heart that things will work out the way they need to because frankly I can’t see them going anywhere else. Why wouldn’t that be the goal to have these young guys, especially if you think this Orioles’ team is going to be good for a decade plus.”

Ryan Ripken played minor league baseball in the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles organizations, advancing as far as Class AA before retiring last year to pursue a career in sports broadcast media :: Photo courtesy of Bill Vaughn/Bowie Baysox

Ripken, who maintains close relationships with several of the Orioles young stars, who were teammates of his during his time in the team’s system, was asked about the possible impact of an influx of more money into the organization on members of the current team, especially those who are in line for mega contracts in the coming years.

“Quite frankly, I don’t think they are thinking about it,” Ripken explained. “Sure, some of these guys and their agents are going to want the best deal possible. To be honest, these players, they have to go out there and perform first and foremost. We know what they are capable of, but to get that big contract you are going to have to go and prove it for another year. The Orioles, and any team, is going to want to see, can you build on that; can you continue to get better, because it’s one thing to do it one year, it’s the next thing to continue to do it.

“I don’t think they are having a text about, ‘Oh, you know what, are we going to get a chance for more money.’ I think, they are so focused on how can they be great and, if they are great, the contracts and everything will take care of themselves.”

Ripken said he was unsure of what immediate impact the sale might have on the team’s spending in advance of the 2024 season.

“I don’t know what the philosophies are going to be,” he stated. “I think we can jump to conclusions like, ‘Well, they have to spend more money, right,’ but for me, it’s too fresh. I don’t think anything changes for this team right now. Right now, going into this season, it is how is your team going to be prepared for 2024. I think that is where the focus needs to stay as we see this whole situation unfold. Quite frankly, speaking from a fan’s perspective, you want this team to still be focused on this year. This 2024 Baltimore Orioles team, they have their sights set on trying to go after a World Series and that, to me, hasn’t changed. I guess we are just going to have to see on the philosophies.”