Adley Rutschman 2023

[Malike]

Just now, Ripken said:

Agreed.  So how much longer do you think he'll be here and how much better do you expect his 26-29 seasons to be over this one?  I love the kid, but it's okay to feel like he's not meeting expectations or going to be some long term franchise guy, which is what you might hope for out of 1-1.  

I think he'll be here for his service time. I also think he's going to be better than Weiters, though, I don't think he's going to be Buster Posey. He's going to justify that 1:1 in my opinion. .800 OPS catchers are not dime a dozen players and I think that's what he's going to be. 20 HR's .800 OPS with some years the numbers are likely better. He missed his whole age-22 season, he would have been in Baltimore at 23 but things happen. He's certainly not a bust.

[turtlebowl]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

I think there is something to this (perhaps more so than the overuse thesis). It seems like he is evolving into a Markakis type of hitter with 20 HR power but an emphasis on OBP. With two strikes, he is trying to make good contact and draw walks. Some of that may be coming from hitting leadoff. He clearly has some untapped power that we're not seeing as much in game. The question is whether it is sacrificing so much power that it is worth trying to change who he is as a hitter. Personally I would still need to see a lot more for a lot longer to consider messing with his approach.

 

As I stated earlier, I think he is swinging harder recently and not centering the ball so he finds himself in 2 strike counts and then the emphasis for him changes to making contact.  Earlier in the year I just felt like he was more under control with his swing earlier in counts so he was making hard contact more often.  

I think he is one of the guys that is torn between hitting for average or for power.  Unfortunately HR's aren't going to be his thing (25+) unless he is willing to sacrifice in other areas.  As I said earlier and someone else mentioned it, he is similar to Markakis.

The question is, why is he all of a sudden trying to overswing? 

BTW, all you have to do is watch his hips to see what his intentions are.  When the rotation goes into supersonic that is when he is going for it and at times will lose balance.  I think he will figure out the right thought process, just probably over thinking things which is a big part of the sophomore slump.

[Frobby]

8 minutes ago, Ripken said:

Yeah, and the way Cs wear down, and the fact we are very likely not going to extend him (which is probably wise).  All of that plays into the fact that we didn't get some franchise, generational guy at 1-1.  It's okay to feel a bit let down after ALL the hype.

It’s interesting to me how most catchers wear down, but some don’t. Carlton Fisk played until he was 45, Bob Boone 42, Rick Dempsey 42, Brad Ausmus 41, Tony Pena 40, Ivan Rodriguez 39, Yadi Molina 39, etc.   Yet other guys are done at 30-32.   

[Ripken]

20 minutes ago, Frobby said:

It’s interesting to me how most catchers wear down, but some don’t. Carlton Fisk played until he was 45, Bob Boone 42, Rick Dempsey 42, Brad Ausmus 41, Tony Pena 40, Ivan Rodriguez 39, Yadi Molina 39, etc.   Yet other guys are done at 30-32.   

Yeah, those guys were unicorns but there's a lot of luck and randomness, too.  If you can avoid injuries and get enough rest your odds of surviving longer are surely better.  Catcher is such a tough position and the O's are riding Adley pretty hard this season.  Again, I love the kid, but I'm hardly upset that he doesn't have some 10-12 year deal here.  And, if I'm being honest, and if we could do it again, I'd take Witt.  On the other hand, I'd sign Gunnar for almost any big/long deal right now.

[rm5678]

Adley dropped down to 2nd in the batting order tonight, with Gunnar leading off.

[Etch]

Adley is Weiters redux? Is that disappointing?

Edited September 16, 2023 by Etch

[Moose Milligan]

Anyone changing their tune in here or no?

[Nightbird]

AR absolutely clutch today ! 
Woooooooow !!!
2B, HR, Tagged the runner at Homeplate, RBI single, saved a wild pitch in xTras, , winnng run ...

[fansince71]

Man o man , just seen the highlight of AR’s HR and I don’t ever want to hear Matt  Wieter’s  name mentioned in the same breath as Adley Freaking Rutschman! When did Wieters ever turn around a 101mph heater? 

[OriolesMagic83]

On 9/15/2023 at 9:19 PM, Etch said:

Adley is Weiters redux? Is that disappointing?

Adley is quite a bit better than Weiters.  Other than the first couple of years, Weiters struggled to get his OBP over .300, resulting in him batting in the bottom half of the lineup.  Other than Weiters arm, I would take Adley in pretty much every other category.

[Spy Fox]

8 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Adley is quite a bit better than Weiters.  Other than the first couple of years, Weiters struggled to get his OBP over .300, resulting in him batting in the bottom half of the lineup.  Other than Weiters arm, I would take Adley in pretty much every other category.

Yes. Adley's batting eye and OBP skill is what make the Wieters comparison moot.

Even if they wind up similar players in terms of power and defense, the .360ish OBP vs Wieters' .325ish is a major difference. 

[now]

8 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Anyone changing their tune in here or no?

Yep, I'll buy a ticket on the Clutch-Rutsch bandwagon, after that display.  

(And in fairness, I guess Wieters had his moments too). 

Edited September 18, 2023 by now

[Tony-OH]

I think we're one or two season away of knowing who Rutschman is at the plate. I've read through all the arguments and looked at his stats, and I think overall he's had a nice year and it depends on your expectations on whether you think he's a disappointment or not.

What can not be debated with any merit though in my opinion is that Rustchman has been absolutely a huge reason for the turn around for this franchise and was absolutely the right pick at 1-1. He's a huge reason the Orioles are where they are right now.

So whether you believed he was the switch-hitting Mike Piazza with Johnny Bench defense, or you just felt he was an above average major league catcher, what no one should argue is that Rutschman is one of the most valuable players on this team.

I do believe many players have "sophomore jinx" seasons and yes, Rutschman has been used at historic playing time levels for a catcher (including DHing), but he's a guy who's as valuable as any on this roster for lots of reasons, and I for one am glad he's an Oriole.

[Sports Guy]

9 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

I think we're one or two season away of knowing who Rutschman is at the plate. I've read through all the arguments and looked at his stats, and I think overall he's had a nice year and it depends on your expectations on whether you think he's a disappointment or not.

What can not be debated with any merit though in my opinion is that Rustchman has been absolutely a huge reason for the turn around for this franchise and was absolutely the right pick at 1-1. He's a huge reason the Orioles are where they are right now.

So whether you believed he was the switch-hitting Mike Piazza with Johnny Bench defense, or you just felt he was an above average major league catcher, what no one should argue is that Rutschman is one of the most valuable players on this team.

I do believe many players have "sophomore jinx" seasons and yes, Rutschman has been used at historic playing time levels for a catcher (including DHing), but he's a guy who as valuable as any on this roster for lots of reasons, and I for one am glad he's an Oriole.

He’s not the best player on the team but he is the most important player.

[Babkins]

Adley Rutschman put this team on his back yesterday, just as he has done since May 21, 2022. So grateful he’s ours.