Rutschman named Most Valuable Oriole for '22

BALTIMORE -- Catcher Adley Rutschman didn’t make his Major League debut until May 21, but he made up for lost time and became the glue of an Orioles team that was in the Wild Card race until Sept. 30.

For his contributions with the bat and behind the plate, the O’s announced on Monday that Rutschman was voted the winner of the 2022 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award by members of the local media who cover the team on a regular basis.

“It’s a great honor,” Rutschman said. “I’m very fortunate to play this game and be able to come out and compete. The guys around me make this experience. I’ve said it all year. It means a lot. I’m very thankful.”

Rutschman’s enthusiasm on the diamond is second to none. He greets the pitcher after he gets a big out to end the inning. After the last out of every victory, there’s Rutschman giving the pitcher a hug.

“I’m not sure where that came from,” said right-hander Jordan Lyles. “When he first came up, we thought it was a college thing, but he has made a point to meet us at the foul line and give us a fist bump. Good or bad, he is there. I never had anyone that does that. But maybe it’s his thing. I let him do his thing. I’m here to enjoy watching him come up.”

Rutschman becomes the third rookie to be named the winner of this award since its inception in 1954, joining right-handed pitchers Gregg Olson in '89 and Rodrigo López in 2002. He is just the third catcher to be named Most Valuable Oriole, along with Gus Triandos in 1958 and Chris Hoiles in '93.

Entering Monday’s action against the Blue Jays, Rutschman had a slash line of .254/.361/.448 (100-for-393) with 13 home runs, 70 runs scored, 42 RBIs, 63 walks and an .809 OPS in 111 games.

Rutschman leads the Orioles and Major League Baseball rookies in FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement (fWAR) with 5.1, which ranks ninth among all American League hitters. That is the third-best fWAR by a catcher in his rookie season in MLB history, trailing only Los Angeles (NL)'s Mike Piazza (7.4, 1993) and Boston's Carlton Fisk (6.6, '72), and the second best by an O's rookie in franchise history, trailing Bobby Grich (5.4, '72).

Rutschman, 24, has appeared in 91 games behind the plate, making 82 starts. His 17 Defensive Runs Saved lead the O’s and are the second most by a catcher in the Majors. He has thrown out eight of 33 runners attempting to steal, and his 1.93 second average pop time on steal attempts of second base is tied for sixth in the AL and 10th in MLB among catchers with at least 10 attempts, according to Statcast.

“I told him during his first start, ‘Have some confident fingers. Be confident in it. Don’t second guess yourself,’” Lyles remembered. “Hopefully, he took that and ran with it. He is really good.

“In between innings, it is a big deal to go over hitters. He is helping us offensively, but he still makes time in between innings to go over [opposing hitters’] at-bats with the pitchers.”

Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde felt the Orioles improved once Rutschman joined the team.

“With Rutsch, we started playing a lot better when he got here,” Hyde said. “Just the way that he is behind the plate, leadership skills, he is way beyond his years. The at-bats he takes are like a veteran. He is only going to improve offensively. He is only going to improve defensively, too.

“His ability to impact the game on both sides [of the ball] is enormous, especially behind the plate in a prime position where you are working with pitchers. Our pitching has improved dramatically this year. Our catching has been a big part of it. So Rutschman has been right in the middle of our improvement this year. He has had a really good rookie year and [is] a big part of our turnaround.”

Entering the 2022 season, Rutschman was the consensus top prospect in baseball, earning the No. 1 overall ranking from The Athletic, Baseball America, ESPN, FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline. Last season, he was named the Orioles' Brooks Robinson Minor League Co-Player of the Year and represented the O’s at the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Coors Field in Colorado.

The Most Valuable Oriole Award is named in honor of the late Lou Hatter, a former sports writer for The Baltimore Sun who covered the Orioles for 27 years. Balloting for the Most Valuable Oriole Award was conducted last month with voting on a 5-3-1 basis. Also receiving votes were Félix Bautista, Austin Hays, Jordan Lyles, Jorge Mateo, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Rougned Odor and Anthony Santander.