About
Former Orioles catcher and 1983 World Series MVP Rick Dempsey is a member of the Orioles broadcast team after five years on the club’s coaching staff. He has been teaming with Jim Hunter and Tom Davis during this time hosting the “O’s Xtra” pre- and post-game shows on MASN 30 minutes before and immediately after each game. Dempsey also serves as an analyst on a selection of game broadcasts
Rick has worked for nearly 50 years in professional baseball. He played for 24 major league seasons with six teams, including 11 1/2 with the Orioles. Dempsey is tied for 8th all-time in seasons played and is one of only three catchers, along with Tim McCarver and Carlton Fisk, to play in four decades. He played on three World Series teams and won two championships, including 1983 when he was named the World Series MVP in the Orioles’ 4-games-to-1 triumph over Philadelphia.
Rick batted .233 with 96 home runs and 471 RBI in his career, which began with the Minnesota Twins in 1969. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 1973 and, in 1976, to the Orioles as part of a 10-player swap that also brought the O’s Tippy Martinez and Scott McGregor. He became the Orioles’ regular catcher in 1977 and for 10 years was the Orioles’ primary backstop, catching a club-record 1,222 games. After leaving the Orioles, Dempsey played for Cleveland (1987), Los Angeles (1988-90) and Milwaukee (1991) before returning to the Orioles for his final season in ’92. He ranks 14th all-time with 1,633 games caught and had a .988 career fielding percentage.
Dempsey began his post-playing career as a manager in the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets’ farm systems, compiling a winning record in three of five seasons. He was a member of the Dodgers’ major league coaching staff from 1999-2000 before returning to the Orioles as an analyst for Comcast SportsNet in 2001. From 2002-2006, he served as a first base coach, third base coach and bullpen coach on the Orioles coaching staff.
Rick and his wife, Joani, live in Westlake Village, a suburb of Los Angeles. They have two sons, John, who was a catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, and Christian. Rick’s younger brother Pat was a minor league catcher for several teams, including the Orioles. His nephew, Gregg Zaun, is a former Orioles catcher now broadcasting with Toronto. The son of an actor, Rick entertained crowds as a player during rain delays with his impersonations of Babe Ruth. He was elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1997.