Cal Ripken Jr. Booking Agent Details
Cal Ripken Jr. spent 21 seasons from 1981-2001 with the Baltimore Orioles. Even thought he started and ended his career at third base, Ripken is best known for his time at shortstop. Ripken’s career was highlighted by twice being named AL MVP, 19 All-Star selections, 8 Silver Slugger Awards and 2 Gold Glove Awards. He was also the 1982 AL Rookie of the Year and won a World Series with the Orioles in 1983. Ripken is one of ten players in MLB history to record 400 home runs and 3,000 hits, joining Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Eddie Murray, Carl Yastrzemski, Dave Winfield, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez and Aldrian Beltre. Ripken was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 after recording the 4th highest percentage of votes ever and tallying the second largest vote total in history. In 2018, Ripken was awarded the Smithsonian Great Americans medal.
Known as baseball’s Iron Man, on September 6, 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s Major League Baseball record of 2,130 consecutive games played. On July 14, 1996, Ripken broke Japanese baseball legend Sachio Kinugasa’s world record when he played in his 2,216th consecutive game. Ripken’s streak ended voluntarily on September 20, 1998 at 2,632 games. His 2,131th consecutive game played was voted by baseball fans in a MasterCard-sponsored MLB promotion as the most memorable moment in baseball history.
Upon retiring from baseball, Ripken began efforts to grow baseball at the grassroots level. In his hometown of Aberdeen, Maryland, he built a baseball complex that includes Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium, home of the Orioles short season Class A affiliate. Due to the complex’s success, he opened locations in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In 1999, Babe Ruth League Inc. changed the name of its 5-12 year-old division (the organization’s largest) to Cal Ripken Baseball. Currently, more than 700,000 kids around the world participate in the division. In 2015, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred named Ripken as a Special Advisor for youth outreach and programs.
Ripken has served as an ambassador internatinally for baseball. He was named by the U.S. State Department as a Special Public Diplomacy Envoy in 2007 and has traveled to China, Nicaragua, Japan and the Czech Republic. Ripken is also very involved with philanthropy. In 2001, he and his family started the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation that utilizes sports programs to teach life skills by bringing underserved kids, youth partners and police offers together. Also, the foundation’s Youth Development Park program helps build multi-purpose synthetic fields in which kids can play in a safe, clean environment.
Additionally, Ripken is a best-selling author, including Parenting Young Athletes The Ripken Way; The Only Way I Know; The Longest Season; Play Baseball The Ripken Way and Get In The Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Make The Difference. In 2011, Ripken, released through Disney Book Group a series of baseball-themed youth novels.
Sports Speakers 360 has been the industry leader in booking athletes and sports speakers for over 20 years. As one of the most respected and established sports talent agencies, let us show you why thousands of corporations, organizations and non-profits have entrusted Sport Speakers 360 in helping them secure athletes and sports speakers at the best prices. Whether you’re looking for a motivational sports speaker for a sales meeting, a baseball Hall of Famer for a corporate meet & greet or a current football star for a product endorsement, we’ll use our expertise, knowledge of the industry and wealth of contacts to make the process fast, simple and seamless. For information on Cal Ripken Jr. speaking engagements, appearances, and speaking fees, contact a booking agent at Sports Speakers 360 today!
Watch Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball Hall of Fame video where narrator is speaking about Cal Ripken's baseball career.
