The Orioles don't think they need to fix Adley Rutschman: 'Last year is the exception'

Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun on Feb 16, 2025

Published in Baseball

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SARASOTA, Fla. — The Orioles saw two versions of Adley Rutschman in 2024. The first was the All-Star, one of baseball’s best young catchers and a player who had been on nothing but an upward trajectory since being drafted first overall in 2019. The second was a shell of that hitter, whose power and on-base percentage disappeared in the second half.

Rutschman never blamed an injury, though a foul tip hit him in the hand in late June and his numbers started to decline shortly after. What then-offensive strategy coach Cody Asche, now the club’s hitting coach, saw was a young player who endured the first real slump of his professional career and struggled to prevent mistakes and missed opportunities from compounding.

“The catcher has a lot of weight on their shoulders and when one part of your game is not where you like it to be, things start competing in your head and you’re just fighting things and looking for things and searching for things,” Asche said. “I think it was just a good learning process for Adley of how to control a lot of things that come with being a superstar and kind of being the anchor to a team.”

The expectations have always been high for the switch-hitting Rutschman, who was the first crown jewel of the Orioles’ farm system after they began their rebuild under executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. He reached the majors in 2022 and the Orioles began their ascension to perennial playoff contender with Rutschman, now a two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, leading the way.

They leaned on him as much as ever in 2024, especially in the second half when Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle landed on the injured list. But after the way his season ended, both he and Asche believe a clean slate is just what Rutschman needed to get back to the player he was for the first two and a half years of his MLB career.

“Honestly, for me, I got a lot of confidence in what I know I can do and I’m just excited to just go out and play, win and be with my guys,” Rutschman said. “I’m in a good spot right now and I’m just excited to get going. So, always moving forward. Obviously, I have confidence in myself to achieve what I know I can achieve and I have great people around me.”

There was no obvious flaw for Rutschman in the second half. His strikeout rate dipped significantly in July and August, and he continued to hit the ball to all fields. He hit fewer line drives, leading to more flyball outs. His average launch angle for the year was 18.8 degrees, up from 12.6 degrees in 2023 when he hit 31 doubles and a career-high 20 home runs.

Asche touted the importance of hitting line drives and Rutschman will be no exception this spring as he works on his timing.

“I think our players resonate with simple messaging,” Asche said. “A lot of times it’s, ‘Let’s get a good pitch, hit a line drive. Let’s not overcomplicate things.’ I think our guys really take to that. … I promise you, we’re preaching sound baseball philosophy and things that have worked in this game for 200 years — from Ted Williams to Pete Rose to Tony Gwynn. We’re all trying to get a good pitch, we’re all trying to hit hard line drives.”

The Orioles’ coaching staff stayed in touch with Rutschman this winter to monitor his offseason program, which included making some adjustments both at the plate and behind it. He’s already completed live bullpen sessions against both left-handed and right-handed pitchers in camp and roped a line drive off Cade Povich during an at-bat Sunday.

“He looks great,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We spent a lot of time this offseason talking with him. He was totally bought into his offseason plan, not only offensively but defensively. He looks really good right now. He’s as driven as he’s ever been and I expect him to have a good camp.”

The Orioles don’t believe Rutschman needs to make any major changes to regain his form. Still early in his prime at 27 years old, he’s already shown the caliber of player he can be at the major league level. All his coaches want to see him do is put his 2024 struggles behind him — and they already believe he’s well on his way.

“I think it was just good for Rutsch to just reset,” Asche said. “He showed up to spring training in, I think, a really, really good mindset, the mindset I’ve seen from Rutsch in years past. I don’t think it’s a big mechanical thing. I don’t think it’s a big mental thing.

“If you’re a fan watching Adley Rutschman, I would say that last year is the exception, not the rule, to what his career is going to look like. If he goes through struggles again, I think he’ll be better equipped to stop that snowball.”