We can attempt to define his impact by pointing out that the Orioles were 16-24 before Adley Rutschman made his major league debut on May 21, 2022. But it is so much more significant than that. They weren’t just 16-24 in the 40 games before Rutschman’s arrival. They were 194-392 in the 586 games before Adley Rutschman’s arrival, starting with the 2018 season. That’s an agonizing .331 winning percentage.
The pain Orioles fans had felt since 2018 was overwhelming. But Rutschman, the former Golden Spikes Award winner and No. 1 overall pick who evoked comparisons to anyone from Buster Posey to Johnny Bench, was thought to be the potential savior.
We just couldn’t have known how quickly it might happen.
PressBox is proud to recognize Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman as our 2022 Mo Gaba Sportsperson of the Year. Our decision indeed reflects the exceptional rookie season he put together. Rutschman hit .254/.362/.445 in 470 plate appearances, finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting and broke Cal Ripken Jr.’s franchise rookie record for doubles, finishing with 35.
But even more than that, it reflects how Rutschman’s arrival powered the Orioles to a 67-55 finish and how he has provided hope for a downtrodden fan base.
Rutschman joined PressBox’s Glenn Clark and Luke Jackson for a lengthy conversation in December to discuss his magical first season in the big leagues and in Baltimore.
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
PressBox: How do you describe what 2022 meant to you personally?
Adley Rutschman: First off, making it to the big leagues was always just a lifetime goal for me, but once you get there it’s just the next step. To be with a group of guys, having the veterans we had and to have the season go the way it did, it was extremely special. The guys were just unbelievable to be around. It was a pleasure to be at the field every day. The coaching staff, just the culture that they’re creating, it’s just fun to be around.
PB: There was speculation that you would make your major league debut on Opening Day until you came down with a sore elbow in March. Were you nervous about the injury before you found out it was a right triceps strain? How did the injury happen?
AR: I’m just glad that it wasn’t as serious. You fear the worst. Anything with injuries, I’m the first person who’s on WebMD. I’m that guy. The fact that it was nothing serious at all and I was able to come back and just continue to feel better as the rehab progressed and finish the season off strong, feeling good going into a healthy offseason, that was huge. But definitely at the time, all you want is an opportunity to be able to play and either know that you didn’t play well enough or you played well enough. That’s all you can ask for. Injuries are just so tough on you mentally. Honestly, I don’t really know [what happened]. It wasn’t a specific event. I wish I could pinpoint it to one thing, but I can’t. It’s tough. I don’t know. It’s weird.
PB: Who were the first people you called after Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton told you about your promotion to the big leagues? What were those 24 hours leading up to your debut like?
AR: The first people I called [were] Mom and Dad, let the family know so they can hopefully try to get flights because it was like 11, 11:30 at night. Everyone in the clubhouse was [mostly] already gone. We were watching the Orioles play after our game got done because I think they were in extra innings. Pretty much everyone was gone from the clubhouse. It was late at night, called me in and told me. It was late, had an early flight the next morning. No one knew publicly. I was on a flight at like 6 in the morning. Got into Baltimore at like 8:30 or something, took a nap for 30 minutes and then went to the field and played. It was a hectic day, but you know it’s going to be like that and you just enjoy all of that.
PB: You explained previously that you do this every time you’re at a new ballpark, but the clip of you looking around at Camden Yards has resonated. Have you gotten a sense for what that moment meant to everyone else in Baltimore? Has that made the moment more special to you, knowing how cool it was for everyone else?
AR: It’s tough to kind of view it from other people’s perspectives because I have my own. People have told me that it was cool for them, but whenever I look back at that clip, I always just think about what I was seeing at that time, just looking all the way up into the third deck and just trying to kind of relive that. The emotions that came with that moment are usually what come back when I see that video. It’s kind of tough for me to see it from any other perspective, but just an amazing moment. I’m glad now that I took the time to appreciate that.
PB: What emotions did you feel in that moment?
AR: It’s tough to describe — the fact that you’re achieving a goal that you set, you’ve got people cheering for you, people who are supporting you. It’s just kind of that culmination that comes into play, into fruition. It’s a special moment, really, is all you can say about it.
PB: You haven’t been in Baltimore long, but because you had been in Bowie with a lot of fans coming out to the games, did you already feel a connection with the city and the fan base before you arrived? Do you feel yourself becoming part of the fabric of the community a little bit?
AR: I think it started for me after I got drafted and I came out onto the field. They were playing the Padres at home in June [of] 2019. You hear the crowd cheer and the love and support that followed with that. That gives you a sense of pride and a sense of ownership as far as trying to make people happy and create some excitement. It definitely helps to feel that support. You feel that at Oregon State, and the next place you go you don’t know what to expect. That was just a great welcome.
PB: You went 8-for-56 in your first 15 major league games. Was there a moment that was particularly frustrating for you during that stretch?
AR: Especially at the catching position, you always have a role to play, and if I let results dictate my body language on the field then I’m doing a disservice to all of my teammates, all of my pitchers and everyone around me. No one wants to be around a guy with bad body language, and it doesn’t help anything. You can always still contribute even if you have a bad day at the plate. I think it’s really hard to do that, but having good guys, good coaches around you just helps tremendously. That’s what you try to do. It doesn’t always happen. But that’s what you shoot for because you want to still have that good atmosphere in the dugout and everything. One guy can bring that down, and you don’t want to be that guy that does that.
PB: Was there a moment it clicked for you as a hitter in the big leagues?
AR: It was kind of a slow process. Those first 15 games, you’re trying to combat the nerves of stepping into a big league box. I felt like I was seeing pitches well from the start, but when you are missing pitches you should hit and you’re wondering is it a swing thing, do I need to make an adjustment, or is it just the nerves? You’re wondering, “What is it? How do I combat it?” After a couple weeks, I was able to calm down a little bit more, kind of settle in. When I got pitches to hit, I was able to square them up and it got better from there. I felt more myself at the plate. I don’t know. I’d like to say it was just a little bit of time, but I can see why guys struggle coming up.
PB: Was there anything that surprised you as a catcher once you got to the big leagues?
AR: You’re calling games against big league hitters who are very good at adjusting. We had a great staff to be able to help with the analytics of calling games. Our staff made it easy to transition, but there is always a little adjustment.
PB: How did your relationship with the club’s pitchers and pitching coaches evolve throughout the season in terms of preparation? What was it like to work with them?
AR: Definitely it’s hardest in the beginning when you don’t know the guys as well, their stuff, everything. It’s tougher in the beginning, but as you go forward, as you get to know the pitchers better, you kind of know what they want to do. And as you’re facing teams more and more or you’re facing teams repetitively in-league — like 10-plus times — you try to adjust. You know what you did last time and you’re kind of just seeing what we’re going to do this time. Are we going to change it? Are we going to adjust on this guy or this guy? A lot more of it at that time becomes kind of in-game.
PB: You were in such a unique situation being the face of the franchise before you had even become a major leaguer, which is truly unique and almost unprecedented within baseball. Who helped you handle the pressure of being Adley Rutschman the past couple of years?
AR: Honestly, I’d say it’s my friends and family who helped me deal with pressure the most. It started in college, really. After my sophomore year, I think I was the No. 1 prospect going into the next year. You can only go down from there. There’s nowhere to go but down. With that, there’s a lot of conversations that go into really like, “What does that mean? How do I approach this year?” The pressure that I put on myself is to attack every day and get the most out of every day. If I compartmentalize that and I’m working as hard as I can and setting goals for myself and at the end of the day I have no regrets with how I prepared for the season, for that day, any results that come about from that, I can live with because I’ve achieved my goals and expectations. That’s how I approach it. It may not be the right way, but that’s how I see it.
PB: You mentioned your family. Did you lean on anyone in particular in texts and calls when you were feeling any doubt?
AR: Most of the conversations as far as baseball went were with my dad, [Randy]. He understands how baseball works, and he understands how taxing it is mentally as well. We have a good dialogue on that front.
PB: Is it particularly special that not only are you living out your dream playing in the big leagues but you’re doing it with people who climbed the minor league ladder along with you?
AR: Yes. That all adds to the experience and your ability to play every day. When you have that kind of support system around you, guys you enjoy being around, guys who can support you mentally and help you out, provide that camaraderie every single day, it just makes for a better atmosphere and only adds to your play.
PB: Do you and the players you came up with openly discuss winning a World Series together? Is that a conversation you guys have at all? Or is that too big to talk about right now?
AR: That’s the next thing. You make it to the big leagues, you get there and now you want to have an impact and you want to win a World Series and anything shy of that is less than the goal. It’s tough to describe. When I was in college, we were at Oregon State. Winning a national championship is all we talked about. There was no making it to the playoffs. There was no, “Oh, let’s make it to Omaha. Let’s make a super regional.” It was winning a national championship or nothing. And when you go to work every single day, that is your goal in mind. I think the group of guys we have, we always ask the question: “What would you rather do? Would you rather be an eight-time, perennial All-Star or would you rather win one World Series?” And the answer for every single guy is win a World Series, because no one ever talks about your individual achievements with your friends. It’s always about the memories you made together, and those memories come from winning championships together. That’s something that comes down to what you value as a person, and the kind of guys we have in our clubhouse value team memories and friend memories over anything else. I think that’s kind of the culture piece that we had at Oregon State, and the guys we have right now have that same thing. So at least, if nothing else, we have a good mindset for a good culture.
PB: What has the coaching staff done to help build that culture?
AR: It starts with the staff and it starts with the veteran guys in the clubhouse. They set the example, and all the younger guys follow. To me, it’s phenomenal. They’re very welcoming. They’re teaching. They say what they want to do, and they set a clear plan. It’s not about the individual. It’s a team-oriented culture. That’s the way they treat it, and that’s the way our business is gone about every single day. Any decision is oriented off that.
PB: How has your relationship grown with manager Brandon Hyde? Does it help that he is a former catcher? Have you had any key conversations with him?
AR: The catching piece is a great part because he understands the catching piece, he understands the team piece. He has a tremendous amount of feel but also the ability to lead. Everyone respects him. Not only is he a great manager, he’s a great person. He’s great at communicating. He has a good feel for the game. I remember talking with him after I first got up there and when I was struggling. He kind of gave me that peace of mind to be able to just kind of continue on and just keep going — keep doing it — and the confidence to know that you’re going to get there. Those little things, they add up over time. He does them very well. No shock that he was Baseball America‘s Manager of the Year. It was deserved.
PB: You’ve mentioned a couple times the veterans you got to play with in 2022. Was there anything you took from Trey Mancini that you can draw on for the rest of your career?
AR: For the amount of success he’s had, what he went through, it’s the way he treats people, the way he acts as a veteran, the way he goes about his business. I think all of that is something I’ve admired. You just watch. You watch and you learn and you see how people behave and how people interact. That’s a guy who you want to emulate. That is the gold standard for what you want to do, the kind of person you want to be. You can see it in the way that fans treat him, the way other people treat him. It’s really amazing. He’s a really inspirational guy.
PB: Have you found a favorite restaurant or coffee shop in town? Is there anything you’ve learned about this city that you’ve particularly enjoyed?
AR: I’m starting to learn my way around Baltimore a little bit. Jimmy’s Seafood has always treated me extremely well and they have tremendous food, so I’ve got to give them a little shoutout because they do a great job with the Orioles guys. Extremely nice people over there. I don’t know if I have gone back to the same order twice just because they have so many items on their menu. I’ll get sushi one time, crab another, a burger the next — just kind of go all over the map with what they have. I’m still trying to check off items [from] the menu. Sushi is my seafood [of choice].
PB: Was there anything besides your debut that stood out to you as something that you’re going to remember forever from this first season?
AR: The winning streak we had we knew it was special, but it was cool to come out every single day and, “Hey, let’s see how long we can go,” you know? Because you’re in the moment and it’s in the middle of the season. But I do remember being in the middle of that. I think we were in Chicago [and] we were at eight or nine games at that time. It was pretty cool because it hadn’t happened in awhile. We had a couple points where we had walk-off wins. [The Mancini walk-off against the Angels in July] stands out.
PB: What about going down the hill in Williamsport?
AR: That was a blast. That whole day was unbelievable — the way that game ended, almost seemed scripted. It was great.
* * *
Best Debut
Orioles fans were patiently waiting — OK, scratch that, they were checking Twitter every 30 seconds — for Rutschman to debut when they were greeted with the news on the morning of May 21. The catcher went 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk against the Rays, joining Matt Wieters and Manny Machado as hyped Orioles prospects to triple for their first big league hit. Brett Phillips struggled to pick the ball up in the right field corner, giving Rutschman a chance to go for three. We’re not ruling out that Phillips was aware of the triples tradition.
Best Turnaround
It’s no secret that Orioles pitching had some issues prior to the 2022 season. From 2017-2021, the Orioles posted team ERAs of 4.97, 5.18, 5.59, 4.51 and 5.84. But it wasn’t just the pitchers who needed to get better. The Orioles routinely trotted out substandard defensive catchers during that time, too. In 2022, the club improved its defense behind the plate and in the infield, identified some talented arms and pushed the left field fence back. With that, the team’s ERA dipped to 3.97. One eye-popping stat? Dean Kremer had a 3.02 ERA in 92.1 innings throwing to Rutschman, including a shutout against the eventual World Series champion Astros Sept. 23.
Best Home Run
One of the wildest games the 2022 Orioles played was a 15-10 win against the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards Aug. 19, during which Rutschman hit a two-run home run off Kutter Crawford in the bottom of the fourth inning. We were big fans of all 13 of Rutschman’s homers, but this was the most majestic one. The 422-foot blast was 108 mph off the bat with a 28 degree launch angle. We even liked the one-handed catch by the Red Sox fan in right center.
Best Celebration
There were many things Orioles fans immediately loved about Rutschman, and his excitement when celebrating a win with the pitcher who recorded the final out of a game certainly fits. Fans especially dug the bear hugs with 6-foot-8, 270-pound Félix Bautista, who took over as the club’s closer after Jorge López was traded. Rutschman and Bautista switched to a thumbs-up, fist-bump celebration late in the season. We prefer the bear hug, but we understand keeping celebrations fresh, too.
Best Plate Discipline
Rutschman is the plate discipline savant Orioles fans had been waiting for after watching overaggressive young hitters for years. He walked in 13.8 percent of his plate appearances in 2022, which would have been eighth in the major leagues if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. Fellow rookies Gunnar Henderson and Terrin Vavra followed suit, posting walk rates of 12.1 and 11.7 percent, respectively. Oh, and there’s more where that came from. Swing decisions have been a major emphasis down on the farm for the Orioles.
Photo Credits: Colin Murphy/PressBox and Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles
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