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BALTIMORE -- The first 25 years of this century have brought a ton of ups and downs for the Orioles. At the turn of the millennium, they were early in a playoff drought that reached 14 seasons before Baltimore returned to the postseason in 2012.

No team in the American League won more games across the 2012-16 seasons than the O¡¯s, who racked up 444 victories and made three postseason appearances during that span.

The Orioles had another six-year playoff drought from 2017-22, which featured three seasons of 108-plus losses. Then, they made back-to-back postseason appearances in ¡¯23 and ¡¯24, winning 101 games in the former and 91 in the latter.

With 2025 representing the quarter-century mark, it¡¯s a good time to reflect. So today, let¡¯s name an All-Quarter-Century Team for the O¡¯s. (Hat tip for the idea to my MLB.com colleagues Alex Stumpf and Jordan Bastian, who did this exercise for the Pirates and the Cubs, respectively.)

Catcher: Matt Wieters
Even if Wieters never quite became the superstar many expected when the Orioles took him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2007 Draft, he was still a four-time All-Star and two-time AL Gold Glover during his eight-year run with Baltimore from ¡¯09-16. In the ¡¯11, ¡¯12 and ¡¯13 seasons, he slugged 22, 23 and 22 home runs.

Honorable mentions: Javy L¨®pez, Adley Rutschman

First base: Chris Davis
Davis, an Oriole from 2011-20, should be remembered more for his peak than the disappointing conclusion to his career. The powerful slugger belted 197 home runs from ¡¯12-16, twice leading MLB in homers (53 in ¡¯13 and 47 in ¡¯15). His 53-homer 2013 campaign is a franchise record.

Honorable mentions: Jeff Conine, Ryan Mountcastle

Second base: Brian Roberts
An easy choice here, as Roberts played 1,327 games during his 13-year stint in Baltimore from 2001-13. He was a two-time All-Star who twice led the AL in doubles (50 in ¡¯04 and 56 in ¡¯09) and once in stolen bases (50 in ¡¯07).

Honorable mentions: Jerry Hairston Jr., Jonathan Schoop

Shortstop: Miguel Tejada
There are several strong options at shortstop, but let¡¯s go with Tejada, who was an All-Star in each of the first three seasons of his initial four-year run with the Orioles from 2004-07. (He returned for a brief time in ¡¯10.) Tejada hit .305 over 716 games for Baltimore, and his MLB-high 150 RBIs in ¡¯04 are an O¡¯s record. He also led the AL with 50 doubles in ¡¯05.

Honorable mentions: J.J. Hardy, Gunnar Henderson

Third base: Manny Machado
Machado played only two games at third in the Minors, yet the shortstop immediately looked like a natural at the hot corner when he arrived as a 19-year-old in 2012. He won Gold Gloves in ¡¯13 and ¡¯15, frequently making incredible plays. He was a four-time All-Star during his seven-year stint with the O¡¯s, hitting 162 homers and 197 doubles.

Honorable mentions: Melvin Mora, Ram¨®n Ur¨ªas

Left field: Austin Hays
Hays played seven seasons in Baltimore from 2017-24, but he was most impressive during his three-year peak from ¡¯21-23. He racked up 97 doubles, 54 homers and 198 RBIs in 420 games during that span and played tremendous defense in left (which became quite large at Camden Yards from ¡¯22-24). He was a first-time All-Star in ¡¯23.

Honorable mentions: Nate McLouth, B.J. Surhoff

Center field: Adam Jones
The face of the franchise for much of his 11-year stint with the Orioles from 2008-18, Jones was a leader during an exciting era of baseball in Baltimore in the mid-2010s. He was a five-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glover and a one-time Silver Slugger, playing 1,613 games for the team. His 1,781 hits rank fourth in O¡¯s history behind Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. (3,184), Brooks Robinson (2,848) and Eddie Murray (2,080).

Honorable mentions: Cedric Mullins, Corey Patterson

Right field: Nick Markakis
Inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2024, Markakis flew a bit under the radar during his time in Baltimore (which is how he liked it). But he was a two-time Gold Glover (¡¯11 and ¡¯14) who was a model of consistency on defense and offense. Markakis hit .290 with 316 doubles, 141 homers and 658 RBIs over nine seasons with the O¡¯s from 2006-14.

Honorable mentions: Jay Gibbons, Anthony Santander

Designated hitter: Trey Mancini
Mancini deserves a spot on the team, and this is a good way to get him onto it, considering he was the DH quite a bit near the end of his Orioles tenure (which spanned six seasons from 2016-22). His best season came in ¡¯19, when he collected 38 doubles and 35 homers while hitting .291 in 154 games. He missed the ¡¯20 season due to Stage 3 colon cancer, which he beat before returning to baseball in ¡¯21.

Honorable mentions: Ryan O¡¯Hearn, Luke Scott

Starting pitcher: Chris Tillman
No pitcher has logged as many innings (1,145) or earned as many wins (74) for the O¡¯s this century than Tillman, who spent his entire 10-year MLB career in Baltimore from 2009-18. He earned his lone All-Star selection in ¡¯13, when he went 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 33 starts.

Honorable mentions: Wei-Yin Chen, Kevin Gausman, Jeremy Guthrie, Rodrigo Lopez, Sidney Ponson

Closer: Zack Britton
Britton began his eight-year stint with the Orioles (2011-18) as a starter. But he was converted into a relief role in ¡¯14 and became one of the best closers in the sport. From 2014-16, he had a 1.38 ERA and 120 saves over 204 appearances. His ¡¯16 season earned him a fourth-place AL Cy Young Award finish, as he pitched to a 0.54 ERA and earned an AL-high 47 saves.

Honorable mentions: F¨¦lix Bautista, Jim Johnson