Question: What is wrong with Adley Rutschman? He hasn’t hit for almost a year now — for average or power — and he doesn’t even get on base much. From: Daniel Forte
Answer: Daniel, everyone with the Orioles and around baseball is mystified by Rutschman’s performance since last July’s All-Star break. No, he hasn’t hit for average or for power, but his percentage of strikeouts isn’t alarming. It’s actually a little lower than last year’s and not much higher than in 2023. His walk percentage is just a little lower than in 2023.
He’s hitting the ball more squarely this year than at any other time of his career. His percentage of barrels is at an all-time high, and his percentage of hard-hit balls is just below a career high. Rutschman’s line drive percentage is down,
If he were striking out more, that would be alarming, but he’s not. I think the Orioles will continue to be patient with him and hope that his batting average and OPS improve.
Question: It feels like the team isn’t talking with any urgency about where the season is going, which seems to start with Brandon Hyde’s moral victories he puts in every press conference after losses and includes a lot of platitudes from players. Is that accurate or are you seeing different? From: ifollowonlyos.bsky.social
Answer: I think you, like many other knowledgeable fans, are expecting more incisive self-analysis from the Orioles. The team is shocked by its lackluster performance, and players are taught not to panic. It is a long season, and though it’s looking unlikely they’ll have a successful season, the only way they’ll do it is by focusing on each game.
Today’s managers don’t’ scream and yell. That style of manager isn’t around now, and if they’re to get back into contention, they’ll have to put together 4 ½ months of quality play.
Yes, I would love to hear something new and different from players after losses, but losing is hard and coming up with new ways to say how disappointed the players are isn’t something they’re required to do or interested in doing.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.