BALTIMORE -- Jared Banner hasn’t even been the general manager of the Orioles for two weeks. Hired on Oct. 19, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native quickly got to work before being introduced at a press conference on the ground floor of the Camden Yards warehouse on Tuesday.
But Banner isn’t wasting any time learning about Baltimore and the storied past of its baseball franchise, which has been here since 1954.
“Right now, I’m looking to listen, learn, understand Orioles tradition and culture,” Banner said, “and see what new, fresh perspective I can add.”
Who better to do that from than Cal Ripken Jr.?
Ripken is synonymous with Orioles baseball. The Havre de Grace, Md., native spent his entire 21-year MLB career at home in Baltimore. He became the Iron Man, playing 2,632 consecutive games, an AL/NL record unlikely to be broken. His No. 8 has been retired by the O’s, and he was a first-ballot inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Currently, Ripken is a member of the O’s David Rubenstein-led ownership group that purchased the team in March 2024. The 66-year-old legend often sits in the first row behind home plate at Camden Yards, and earlier this year, he took on a more hands-on role with the Orioles’ player development staff.
When Banner was interviewing for Baltimore’s GM role, he interviewed with president of baseball operations Mike Elias, president of business operations Catie Griggs and various members of the ownership group -- including Ripken.
On Wednesday, Banner and Ripken met for lunch, continuing a consistent dialogue that has been taking place in the short time since Banner was hired.
“I’ve already spent a lot of time with him, in person and on the phone. He’s going to be very involved,” Banner said. “We want smart, talented people around us, no matter what form or shape they come in, and in his case, he’s the Iron Man. That’s awesome. So I’m looking forward to that.”
This past season, Ripken worked closely with upper-level coordinator of instruction Mike Shildt, who was hired to help develop players at the top of Baltimore’s farm system. The emphasis was largely on the fundamentals of the game -- the little things that can make a big difference.
Ripken has also been a strong resource for Elias, who remains the club’s president of baseball ops and will be working in tandem with Banner atop the department moving forward.
“We were really thankful for the work that went on with [Shildt]. Cal was very impactful, too, kind of working from the background,” Elias said. “We really wanted to bolster our fundamentals and kind of X’s and O’s prep to go along with all of the great stuff that our group does on the hitting and pitching side and defensive skills. But sort of teaching the finer points of the game, I think, is something that across the league can use more emphasis these days. And so, boy, what better experience to have talking to our kids than those guys?
“So that is something that we want to continue. I think we did a good job making a lot of improvements this year, and now, with Jared’s involvement, too, we’re going to be able to accelerate that.”
Banner’s phone calls haven’t been exclusively with Ripken. He’s been calling all around.
Of course, Banner has been chatting with manager Craig Albernaz, who will be returning for a second season at the helm in 2027. The two share strong player development backgrounds, and they’ll be working together to try to get the O’s -- who have missed the postseason each of the past two years -- back on track.
“I can tell he’s hungry for information, he wants to make the team better, just like we all do,” Banner said. “So we’re going to find a way to figure it out. It’s a puzzle, and we’re problem solvers.”
Other Orioles legends have also been in contact with Banner. He’s talked to Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, the greatest pitcher in O’s history, who now works as a broadcaster for MASN. Banner has also chatted with Orioles Hall of Famer Adam Jones, who is employed by the club as a special advisor to Elias and community ambassador.
Banner believes these discussions will make himself -- and, most importantly, the Orioles -- better moving forward.
“I’m excited to learn from those guys, spend time with them,” Banner said. “They’re sharp baseball minds.”