The Baltimore Orioles sign drafted Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman with the first pick of the MLB draft three weeks ago. On Monday Rutschman and the Orioles agreed to a deal, which gives him an 8.1 million signing bonus. The deal previous record when Pirates gave Gerrit Cole $8 million in 2011. The No. 1 overall slot carries a value of $8.42 million.
Rustschman was the number one player on the MLB draft board. With the Beavers last season, he posted an outstanding batting line, .411/.575/.751. Also, Rutschman added 17 home runs in 266 plate appearances. Along with his impressive batting numbers, Rustchman has a 76 to 38 BB.K ratio. The former Oregon State star is switch hitter with power from both sides of the plate.
Along with his incredible batting numbers, Rutschman is a plus defender behind the plate. Some say he is the top catching prospect of the last decade. Some scouts have him rated higher than Buster Posey and Joe Mauer.
As a sophomore, Rutschman won College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors for the national champion Beavers. In his junior season, he earned Golden Spikes and Dick Howser Awards, given to the best Amateur baseball players in the country.
I think Rutschman will move quickly through the minor leagues and be up to play with the Orioles in no time. His defense is big league ready, but it will take him some time to get used to big league pitchers. For the Baltimore Orioles sake, Rutschman should be a can’t miss prospect and should lead the team for years to come. He should be a good building block for the Orioles to build a team around and be competitive.
The Orioles have also signed second-round pick Gunnar Anderson. He has back out of his commitment from Auburn to sign a 2.3 million dollar contract with Orioles.
