Getty Image / Paul Rutherford
The hype around Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has been around for almost a decade now. The 2019 first-overall pick has been dazzling baseball fans since he arrived at Oregon State in 2017.
Rutschman, who was also a kicker at Oregon State for one season, was pedestrian in his first season at Oregon State, before lighting the world on fire his final two years there en route to being named the Dick Howser award winner, given out to the best player in college baseball each year. Shortly after, the Orioles made him the first pick in the draft as a centerpiece of their massive rebuild.
Orioles fans had to wait till last May for Adley Rutschman to play for the big league club, but he was mighty impressive.
He had an OPS over .800 while providing arguably the best defense at the most pivotal defensive position in the league. And, the Orioles were incredible once he came up, going from arguably the league’s worst team to on the cusp of making the postseason.
Expectations are higher than they have been in Baltimore for quite some time, as Rutschman is part of a young core that includes already established MLB stud Cedric Mullins, and the game’s top prospect, Gunnar Henderson. Add in the sport’s top pitching prospect who will be making his MLB debut anytime now in Grayson Rodriguez, and it’s an exciting time to be an Orioles fan.
But, they actually have to play and win some games, and on opening day, Adley Rutschman made sure they did just that with a history-making day.
Adley Rutschman has been to the plate six times today, and he has reached base six times. He's 5 for 5 — a first-inning home run followed by four singles — with a walk and four RBIs. He is the first catcher with five hits on Opening Day since at least 1900, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 30, 2023
That is pretty good, I’d say. People were fired up.
Don’t even need to see the other games played to know who the #openingday DAWG is
Adley Rutschman 5-5 what a game incredible @Orioles— Nice Catch Percy (@DAWGMLB) March 30, 2023
Adley Rutschman is incredible.
Like he’s going to be the greatest catcher of all time incredible
— hvt (@redsoxandstuff) March 30, 2023
The Orioles beat the Red Sox, 10-7.