26 Jul 1998: Infielder Cal Ripken Jr. #8 of the Baltimore Orioles talks to his son Ryan and wife Kelly during a game against the Seattle Mariners at the Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Mariners defeated the Orioles 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Doug P

When it comes to professional athletes synonymous with one franchise, you can make an argument that the relationship that stands out most is Cal Ripken Jr. and the Baltimore Orioles. The Hall of Fame shortstop broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games played record while playing entirely with the Orioles and in all likelihood we may never see a single athlete play so many games with the same team.

So it’s only right that the Orioles give a shot to Ripken’s son Ryan to try to make his way through the organization.

The club signed the younger Ripken, a 23 year old first basemen, to a minor league deal after he spent time in the Washington Nationals organization. Here’s the news via the Baltimore Sun:

Infielder Ryan Ripken, the son of Hall of Fame infielder and Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., has been signed to a minor league contract for Short-A Aberdeen and will report to extended spring training.

“Ryan’s a guy we had some interest in coming out of the draft; obviously, not just because he was Cal’s son,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s a big, strong kid. We had some good reports on him and we’re looking forward to giving him an opportunity.”

Showalter acknowledged that Ripken’s lineage was a factor, but reinforced it wasn’t the only reason the club wanted him.

Ripken was originally drafted by the Orioles but didn’t end up signing with the club. The Nationals chose not to keep him in their system this season and the Orioles picked him up. While it does make for a nice story, Ryan Ripken probably doesn’t have the major leagues in his sights anytime soon as he has a career .205 average and just 3 home runs in his minor league career. But it does make a nice story for now as he reports to A ball.

[Baltimore Sun]