He May Be Only 88 Games Into His Career, But Adley Rutschman Is The Best Catcher In Baseball
When ya know, ya just know.
The term "Can't miss" is overused in baseball. No one ever truly knows how good of a player someone will be. I was told for years that my Tigers had a young core full of can't miss guys. Those pitchers have gotten injured, and their other number one pick has a .580 OPS in his rookie season. While you can't give up on a core that is still so young, the disappointment is undeniable. Living up to the hype is a difficult thing to do. In many ways, you're almost set up to fail if you're drafted 1-1. That is, of course, unless you're Adley Rutschman.
There is something very endearing about the season Adley Rutschman is having, and in turn, the season the Baltimore Orioles are having. While I don't believe they'll make the playoffs, the day Adley Rutschman was called up was the day the Baltimore Orioles rose from the dead. Mike Elias has done a great job loading up on a farm system full of great young talent. But Rutschman was the crowned jewel of the whole thing and it took him a very short time to adjust.
I'm sure the title of this blog probably caused a few eyes to roll, but the truth is that the only thing that has prevented Rutschman from potentially getting MVP votes has been the number of games he's played. Adley currently ranks 3rd in baseball in fWAR among catchers. Only J.T. Realmuto and Sean Murphy are ahead of him. Realmuto has played 115 games. Murphy has played 124. Had Rutschman started the season on the Opening Day roster, odds are he would be far and away the most valuable catcher in baseball at this point.
Rutschman's big coming-out party came in the College World Series in 2018, when he put up some ridiculous numbers and helped Oregon State win the National Championship. It was almost inevitable at that point that he would be at least a top 5 pick the following season. With that hype came high expectations. Thus far, he's exceeded expectations. While his average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage aren't dazzling, he's made up for it with a tremendous eye at the plate and excellent power numbers, especially for a catcher. Even though it seems we'll have an automated strike zone at some point in MLB, Rutschman is in the 91st percentile in framing. Considering the fact that he's catching a lot of pitchers that he probably hadn't caught before this season, that's remarkable.
The impact of Adley Rutschman goes beyond what you see in the box score every night. While his numbers are good and getting better (he has a .918 OPS in the 2nd half), he seems to be fulfilling his destiny as a culture changer. It's very similar to me to Buster Posey's impact on the San Francisco Giants when he got called back in 2010. Rutschman doesn't have the luxury of catching Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, or Madison Bumgarner every night, but there is something to be said about finding that stability at the catcher position. The last time the Giants won the World Series without Buster Posey on the roster was in 1954. I assume Adley Rutschman will have a similar impact on the Orioles over the next decade.
Player development is so crucial in Major League Baseball. It has been proven repeatedly that where a player gets drafted isn't nearly as important as the organization that drafted him. The Dodgers are never at the top of the drafting order, yet they turn out stud after stud. You have to develop them correctly. But sometimes you have a guy like Adley Rutschman. The hype never went to his head, and the development was also secondary for a guy with his talent. He was never going to fail. Winning in the AL East is tough, but Orioles fans should take comfort in knowing the face of their franchise is living up to the hype.