Adley Rutschman Stats & Scouting Report College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Track Record: The Orioles were made to wait longer than expected to see the 2019 No. 1 overall pick tear through the minors the way a generational amateur talent is expected. A College World Series champion and Most Outstanding Player for Oregon State in 2018 and the BA College Player of the Year in 2019, Rutschman got a late start to his 2019 pro debut due to illness, then spent the summer of 2020 at the Orioles’ alternate training site refining his swing and beginning to build rapport with some of the top pitching prospects in the organization. His delayed first full season, however, could not have gone better. Beginning at Double-A Bowie, Rutschman was the top prospect in Double-A Northeast and appeared in the Futures Game before ending his season with Triple-A Norfolk. He hit .285/.397/.502 with 23 home runs and a 79-to-90 walk-to-strikeout ratio in 123 games. He led all minor league catchers with 543 plate appearances.

Scouting Report: Rutschman’s calling card at the plate is his elite plate discipline, with his 14.5% walk rate the best in the organization and in the top 10% of all qualified hitters in the high minors. He paced the Orioles’ internal swing decision metrics and rarely swings and misses, with a 6.7% whiff rate. His uncanny understanding of the strike zone means his already-modest strikeout numbers could fall as he advances to the majors and higher quality umpires. When pitchers do come into his zone, Rutschman can do damage. In the midst of his one rough stretch of the season, he and the Orioles identified an issue with his load and landed on a change that allows him to let the ball travel deeper. In doing so, he was able to drive the ball more consistently by staying on plane with the pitch, all without sacrificing power or contact to do so. His line drive rate was 17.2% at Bowie, but with the changes taking hold, that rate jumped to 26.6% the last two months at Triple-A. The adjustment helps Rutschman better tap into his potentially elite power while elevating his average when he’s staying in the ballpark. Defensively, Rutschman made strides calling games and built on his strength of developing relationships with pitchers, who raved about working with him. He’s already an advanced receiver and his strong arm helped him cut down 27% of basestealers. While his skill set is major league-ready, coaches and teammates appreciate how tirelessly Rutschman works to improve and shows genuine efforts for helping them do the same.

The Future: The composite of all of Rutschman’s skills makes for a player who looks like he can be an above-average major leaguer in 2022. A forecast of multiple all-star appearances and consideration for MVP honors isn’t far-fetched. Rutschman will be the cornerstone of the Orioles’ planned turnaround, and his success in Triple-A means there’s not much left for him to accomplish there. If he’s not on the Opening Day roster, it won’t be long before he’s suiting up behind the plate at Camden Yards.

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