Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman was called up on May 21, after the franchise made sure they would get him for six additional seasons after 2022.
Universally viewed as the top prospect in baseball, Rutschman helped transform a losing franchise into a playoff contender in a matter of months.
When he arrived, the O’s were 16-24.
Now, as of September 29 in the afternoon they are 80-76 and still fighting to make the postseason.
It’s not a coincidence that Rutschman’s arrival resulted in a positive season for Baltimore.
He is a game-changer behind the plate: he has excellent makeup and work ethic, terrific defensive skills, leadership, great abilities to communicate with pitchers and call games, a great pop time, and he is no slouch with the stick.
Making Franchise History
In fact, he just made franchise history after hitting his 33rd double of the year.
“MAKING HISTORY! With his 33rd double of the season, Adley Rutschman has set a new O’s rookie record in doubles, surpassing Cal Ripken Jr.” the O’s tweeted.
MAKING HISTORY!
With his 33rd double of the season, Adley Rutschman has set a new O’s rookie record in doubles, surpassing Cal Ripken Jr. pic.twitter.com/zOTG4lbNTo
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 29, 2022
Whenever your name is mentioned in the same sentence as Ripken, you know you are doing a great job.
Rutschman, on top of his abilities as a defensive catcher, is slashing .254/.358/.447 with 13 home runs, 33 doubles, and 4.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in his first season as a major leaguer.
He would be a surefire Rookie of the Year candidate if it wasn’t for Seattle Mariners phenom Julio Rodriguez.
The best thing of all is that Rutschman is still 24 years old, so he will be a fixture in the Orioles lineup for years to come.
It was about time Baltimore had such a productive player.
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