Adley Rutschman Steps Up as Leader for Baltimore Orioles

The position is an obvious fit for Rutschman, whose father, Randy, is former college catcher and coach with a specialty in catching instruction. Even so, Rutschman said, he only warmed to catching as a senior in high school, in Sherwood, Ore. He loved interacting with pitchers, he said, and welcomed the extra responsibility, even if he did not actively seek a leader’s role.

“It doesn’t come naturally for me,” Rutschman said. “I’d say the thing that I’ve tried to do throughout my life is just work as hard as I can and control the controllables: attitude, effort, the way I go about my business. And when people see that, hopefully they see that I’m going to work hard behind the plate, and that I care about them as people. As far as being vocal, I just try to be as authentic as I can about what I’m feeling at that time.”

The Orioles hope Rutschman can help their top starting prospects, Grayson Rodriguez and D.L. Hall, adapt to the majors, and he brings enthusiasm to the task. After innings, Rutschman tends to greet pitchers on the field, before they even cross the foul line — a well-meaning habit that is endearing, to a point.

“He was going almost to the mound,” Lyles said, laughing, “and one of the guys made him stop doing that, like, ‘Just wait by the line.’”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/06/sports/baseball/adley-rutschman-orioles.html