Why did Adley Rutschman slump in the second half last season?
Will the Orioles be able to keep him in Baltimore?
How does prospect Samuel Basallo fit into the picture?
There are plenty of unanswered questions at catcher for Baltimore. But those shouldn’t overshadow that the Orioles’ future at the position is scintillating.
Despite his struggles in 2024’s second half, Rutschman is a two-time All-Star and undoubtedly one of the best catchers in baseball. Knocking on the door is Basallo, who is ranked by Baseball America as the sport’s best catching prospect and by The Athletic as MLB’s No. 3 overall prospect.
For most or all of 2025, the Orioles’ catching duo will be Rutschman and Gary Sánchez, who was signed this offseason for $8.5 million. But if Basallo, who is a nonroster invitee to spring training, performs in Triple-A the way he did in the minors in 2023 and 2024, he could earn his way onto Baltimore’s big league roster.
Basallo’s defense is far behind his bat, but that says more about his prowess at the plate than his skills behind it. The Orioles have repeatedly said that they believe in the 20-year-old as a catcher and will continue developing him there, but he has begun working at first base to add positional flexibility for when he reaches the show.
Whenever Rutschman and Basallo are in the majors together, the Orioles could stick with a two-catcher model and have Rutschman and Basallo split time between catcher, first base and designated hitter. Or the Orioles could roster three catchers — as they did for chunks of the 2023 campaign — to limit the defensive workload on Rutschman and Basallo and give manager Brandon Hyde in-game flexibility if one is at designated hitter.
“It’s easy to envision him as being a superstar in the big leagues someday,” Koby Perez, the Orioles’ vice president of international scouting, said during the winter meetings. “We’re hoping that comes sooner than later.”
The toll catching nearly 1,000 innings and playing almost every day took on Rutschman was one of the reasons given for his downturn in the second half. The 27-year-old hit .300 with an .830 OPS and 15 homers — elite numbers for a catcher — through June 27, but he posted a .189 average with only four home runs the rest of the season.
But Rutschman believes that he’ll leave that slump back in 2024.
“I always have confidence in myself,” Rutschman said last week during the Orioles’ Birdland Caravan. “I trust my ability to bounce back and work hard and get healthy and do all the things necessary. I’ve got great guys around me, great coaches, so I’m very excited.”
On the verge of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training next week, The Baltimore Sun is breaking down the roster position by position, examining the biggest questions at each spot and who will help the club attempt to make it back to the postseason for the third consecutive season.
After taking a look at the infield’s potential, the outfield’s makeup, their new-look rotation and a bullpen looking to bounce back, last up is the Orioles’ catchers.
Opening day candidates
Assuming health, there’s no competition here. It’s Rutschman and Sánchez.
The former New York Yankees backstop will likely play a similar role as James McCann did. Sánchez has hit slightly better against left-handed pitchers, and his defense has improved after struggling behind the plate earlier in his career.
If there’s an injury, the Orioles would have to turn to one of their four nonroster invitee catchers: Basallo, Silas Ardoin, Maverick Handley and David Bañuelos. Unless Basallo has a Colton Cowser-esque spring training, it’s unlikely that he’d be the choice since the Orioles would prefer he continue to develop in Triple-A.
Ardoin hasn’t played above Double-A, so Handley and Bañuelos would be the most likely choices. Bañuelos, a career .216 hitter in the minors, spent much of 2024 on the Orioles’ taxi squad and made his MLB debut, taking one plate appearance in April. Handley has played 153 career games in Triple-A and sports a solid .346 on-base percentage.
Biggest question
Can Rutschman bounce back defensively?
The focus on Rutschman is on his performance at the plate, but his defense was also worse in 2024.
Rutschman’s pitch framing, according to Baseball Savant, ranked in the 82nd and 84th percentile in his first two major league seasons, respectively. But his framing was worth minus-3 runs in 2024, which ranked in the 23rd percentile. His ability at throwing out runners stealing was also worse last season, but he remained elite at blocking pitches in the dirt.
If Rutschman’s “bounce back” also includes his defense, he could again earn down-ballot American League Most Valuable Player votes as he did in 2022 and 2023.
Then-Orioles rookie Adley Rutschman, right, and fellow catcher Robinson Chirinos celebrate a win over the Rays.
X factor
This person won’t take an at-bat or catch a single pitch, but his presence could benefit both Baltimore’s catchers and pitchers.
This offseason, Baltimore hired former Orioles backstop Robinson Chirinos to be Hyde’s bench coach. In addition to a normal bench coach’s duties, Chirinos will certainly help Rutschman, Sánchez and the Orioles’ pitching staff throughout the season.
Chirinos was Rutschman’s backup in 2022, which was Rutschman’s best season as a big leaguer.
“He’s an all-time human being,” Rutschman said. “He’s a great guy to play with. I’m really excited to have him around. He’s going to be a great energy guy, a great coach and super, super knowledgeable.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.