The Baltimore Orioles have been a fun team to watch this season. After six straight seasons of missing the playoffs, Baltimore finds itself battling with the Rays for the AL East title. A big reason for their success has been Adley Rutschman. Rutschman has quickly established himself as a core player for them. Given how successful he has been early with Baltimore, the Orioles should extend his contract right now.
A Terrific First Season
Embed from Getty ImagesAdley Rutschman was a part of the first draft class under current Orioles general manager Mike Elias in 2019. He was the overall first pick of that draft which included current teammate Gunnar Henderson. Despite missing a season of development due to COVID-19 in 2020 and missing the early part of 2022 with an injury, it only took Rutschman two seasons to make it to the big club.
Since being called up to the show, Rutschman has been an instant success with the Orioles. He appeared in 113 games in 2022 finishing with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, and an OPS of .806. He also had 101 hits during that season. Adley Rutschman was also very impressive defensively as he threw out 31% of would-be base stealers. Rutschman would finish in second place in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Mariners star Julio Rodriguez.
An Even Better Second Season
Embed from Getty ImagesThis season, Adley Rutschman has made a big jump in his second season with the Orioles. Rutschman has hit 13 home runs, 41 RBI, and has an OPS of .807. He also recently appeared in his first all-star game and participated in the home run derby as well. Given that the bases are bigger now, it was expected that he’d have a drop-off defensively. He’s thrown out 20% of would-be base stealers which puts him just almost at league average. However, he hasn’t allowed a passed ball this season.
He’s Changed The Fortunes Of The Franchise
Embed from Getty ImagesRutschman’s impact on the Orioles stretches further than just his individual statistics. In just one year since he was called up, the Orioles record is 119-86. Prior to his call-up, Baltimore had lost over 100 games in the two out of the three seasons he wasn’t on the team. They even started off with a lackluster record of 16-24 prior to his promotion to the big club in 2022. It can be argued that his call-up completely changed the Baltimore Orioles as a franchise. It’s very rare that one single player can flip the fortunes of a club and Rutschman has done that for Baltimore.
Time For The Angelos Family To Pay Up
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Angelos family is notoriously cheap when it comes to signing players. After all, Baltimore opened the 2023 season with a payroll of $67,776, $483 ahead of only the Oakland Athletics. While John Angelos has said he wants to model his franchise after teams like the Rays, Tampa has managed to sign its own superstar Wander Franco to a long-term deal. There is no reason why Baltimore can’t sign Adley Rutschman to a long-term contract as well. I don’t think the Angelos family really understands what they have in Adley Rutschman. The Angelos family has alienated Orioles fans over the years, with the team’s fortunes turning around, extending Rutschman would be a great way to earn some goodwill from them.
In just two seasons with the Orioles, Adley Rutschman has exceeded the hype surrounding him. He has single handily flipped the fortunes of what used to be a perennial AL East cellar dweller. This season, Baltimore is looking like a serious playoff contender. Big things are on the horizon for Rutschman, it would be wise of the front office to ensure that all happens in Baltimore. The Orioles can’t afford to be cheap with this one.
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