This week there was a big move made within professional baseball but it was not made at the MLB level. It was in fact made within the minor league ranks and involved someone in the Baltimore Orioles organization.
Earlier this week it was the 2019 number one overall draft pick Adley Rutschman who got the call that he is on the move. On Tuesday, the Sherwood High School product advanced through the Orioles minor league system from Short-A Aberdeen to Low-A Delmarva. The move comes just in time as the Shorebirds get ready for a playoff run.
Adley Rutschman Moving up the Ladder
The History
Ever since his high school days at Sherwood High School in Oregon, Rutschman had a way with the baseball bat. His first connection with major league baseball came when he was drafted in the 40th round of the 2016 amateur draft. Rutschman decided his next move wasn’t to hit the major league ranks but to play college ball at Oregon State.
The switch-hitting catcher would go on to have a strong career highlighted by his junior and senior campaigns. His junior season included a college baseball best 17 hits in the College World Series and an MVP honor. Rutschman then followed that up by becoming just the second Oregon State player since Michael Conforto in 2014 to be nominated for the award. He also became the first-ever player from Oregon State to win the Golden Spikes Award.
Rutschman was a .290 batter with 28 home runs across his entire three seasons at the collegiate level. That included a .419 batting average with 57 RBI in his farewell season with Oregon State.
The Professional Call-Up
Rutschman’s importance grew across major league scouts and managers. As a result, Rutschman recorded an MLB record $8.1 million rookie signing bonus record. It broke an eight-year record that was held by Gerrit Cole when he was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
All the hype had to be sidelined after Rutschman’s battle with mononucleosis to begin his time. Once he shook off that, it was off to the races beginning with his July 27th debut in Aberdeen. From there, his play has boosted him very far and included a ten-game hitting streak that shot his batting average and OPS from a mere .184 and .506 to a staggering .325 and .894 over the course of the final 20 games with Aberdeen.
While his power hasn’t matriculated just yet, Rutschman is playing out to be the savior that the Orioles were hoping for.
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Embed from Getty Images
