Adley Stan Rutschman was born on February 6th, 1998, in Portland, Oregon. Rutschman was taken with the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. At the time, he was the second Baltimore Oriole taken with the number one pick exactly 30 years after the O’s took Ben McDonald #1 in 1989.
After three seasons with the Oregon State Beavers in the PAC-12, Rutschman was sent to Delmarva to play for the Shorebirds (Baltimore’s single-A affiliate). In 12 games with the Shorebirds, Rutschman hit .154 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. In the same season, he also played in 20 games with the Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore’s high-A affiliate). Rutschman showed significant improvement, batting .325 with 1 home run and 15 RBIs. After the minor league season was cancelled in 2020 due to covid, Adley spent time with the Bowie Baysox (AA) and the Norfolk Tides (AAA). In 123 games between the two clubs, he had a batting average of .285 with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs. Rutschman showed off his above-average plate discipline as well, walking 79 times in 123 games.
After skyrocketing through the minors in ’21, Adley was ready for his major league debut. His debut came on May 21st, 2022, against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rutschman went 1-3 in his debut, and his first career hit was a triple that rolled around the right field wall. He collected his first career home run at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on June 15th, 2022, against the Blue Jays. Rutschman had a strong end to the season, as he hit .254 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs in 113 games. He continued his success in 2023, batting .277 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs in 154 games. Rutschman’s strong play at the plate and behind it helped lead the Orioles to a 101-61 record and a playoff berth in 2023. It’s important to note that the Orioles are 168-115 since his debut, which is one of the best records in baseball in that span. Only the Braves (186), Dodgers (184), and Astros (170) have more wins than the Orioles.
Adley Rutschman isn’t known for his power, it’s his great discipline that stands out. In 2023 he walked 92 times, which is the 9th-most in the league, and 3rd-most in the AL. Rutschman can hit all over the yard, and his speed is above-average (not just for a catcher). He had 52 extra-base hits in 2023, which was top-5 on the team. After not having the postseason he wanted to (.083 average), look for Rutschman to have an MVP-like campaign in 2024.
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