Happy Adley Rutschman Day to all those who celebrate! When the Orioles catcher steps up to the plate tonight in St. Louis, it will officially be two years since he made his debut against Tampa Bay in Baltimore. We didn’t know for sure at the time—as Birdland collectively watched Adley strikeout in his first AB—but that day would undoubtedly change this franchise forever.
In some ways, it’s easy to measure the effect Adley’s presence has had on this Orioles team. The Orioles played 365 games in between the day they drafted Adley No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft and the day he made his debut on May 21, 2022. In those 365 games, they went 129-236, compiling a .353 win percentage and putting them on pace to win 57 games out of every 162. Since Adley first put on the black and orange of the O’s, Baltimore has a record of 197-131 and is winning 97 of every 162 games they play.
However, Adley’s effect on this team consistently seems to transcend just wins and losses. Before the arrival of their transcendent backstop, the Orioles were a franchise largely devoid of hope. Before 2022, whenever they trotted out onto the field (at Camden Yards or elsewhere), it felt like their only purpose was to be the other team’s punching bag. Since Adley stepped into the lineup and behind the plate, we’ve seen the perspective on the Orioles go from a national laughingstock to a quietly hopeful team, that quiet hope grow into downright boisterous belief and that belief blossom into unwavering conviction that these boys can bring a World Series trophy back to Baltimore.
All that being said, Adley hasn’t changed this franchise just through vibes and hope. It’s his on-field production that has seen him rise from the No. 1 prospect to the No. 1 catcher in all of baseball inside of two years. So to celebrate Adley Day, I look back at all the things he’s already accomplished and the accomplishments lurking on the horizon.
Already done: Setting the American League record of 106 series (and counting) without being swept
On the horizon: Breaking the MLB record of 125 straight series without being swept
At this point, it is impossible to talk about Adley’s effect on the Orioles without mentioning the O’s’ sweepless streak. Before Adley reached Baltimore, the AL record for consecutive series without suffering a sweep was 83. The Orioles blew past that number last September and haven’t slowed down—becoming one of only three teams to ever go 100+ series without being swept.
Adley has been in the lineup for 105 of those 106 series and he’s helped bring an increased level of consistency to both the Orioles lineup and their pitching staff. From the start of the 2021 season up to Adley’s debut, the O’s were putting up 3.95 runs/game. Since Adley’s debut, the offensive output has jumped to 4.77 runs/game. In 2021 and 2022, Orioles pitchers had a 5.31 ERA when not caught by Adley. Since May 21, 2022, pitchers caught by Adley have a 3.77 ERA.
While the Orioles’ success during the streak isn’t only tied to Adley Rutschman, it’s hard to overstate the role he’s playing in keeping it alive—especially when he does things like this to keep the streak from ending. If the O’s are going to break the MLB record from the Cardinals of the 1940s, they’ll need to keep it going through the end of July this year. With Adley and the rest of their young stars in tow, that seems exceedingly possible.
Already done: Appearing in the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game
On the horizon: Starting the All-Star game for the AL
Adley made waves last summer when he returned to the Pacific Northwest for his first All-Star appearance. He made even more noise when he put on a show in the Home Run Derby while hitting homers from both sides of the plate. The only thing Adley didn’t add to his resume last All-Star Weekend was All-Star Game starter, serving as the backup to the Rangers’ Jonah Heim.
This year, Adley is already putting up a strong case to represent the AL in Texas this July. He leads all AL catchers with a 2.1 bWAR and second in hits and HRs. His biggest competition will come from Royals’ catcher Salvador Perez, who’s having a resurgent season after a down 2023.
If the voters in Birdland can help vote Adley in once voting opens, he’d be the first Oriole to start at catcher for the AL since Terry Kennedy in 1987. Adley would also become the first Orioles catcher since Gus Triandos in the 1950s to have multiple All-Star appearances and at least one start. It feels like an eventuality that Adley will become the yearly starter for the AL in the Midsummer Classic. There’s no reason that his reign can’t start in 2024.
Already done: Winning a Silver Slugger award
On the horizon: Winning a batting title
Adley collected his first Silver Slugger award in 2023 after leading all AL catchers in hits (163), on-base% (.374), doubles (31) and runs scored (84). This year he’s one paced to set career hits in hits, runs scored, batting average, home runs, RBIs and OPS. After already establishing himself as an offensive force at catcher, Adley is only trending upward and so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he takes home another Silver Slugger this year.
And so, I set my sights on something bigger that’s within Adley’s grasp. Among qualified American League hitters, Adley currently ranks 5th with a .304 average. Right now he’s 37 points behind Perez for the league lead, but let’s not let that gap deter us from dreaming. After all, Perez is a career .269 hitter who’s never hit above .292 in a full season. The same can be said for Astros SS Jeremy Peña, who’s currently second with a .328 average but is a career .268. There’s plenty of time and reason to expect that both of those players will come back down to earth.
If/when Perez and Peña start to regress, I expect that Juan Soto—currently third with a .316 average—will become the man to beat in the American League batting title race. If Soto maintains his current pace, Adley would need to hit around .322 for the remainder of the season to edge out the Yankees outfielder for the title.
It is certainly a tall task, but not beyond the Oriole catcher’s abilities. If he pulls it off, Adley would be the first catcher since Joe Mauer in 2009 to win the batting title—and the first Oriole since Frank Robinson in 1966.
