what if I told you...that the worst fucking team in baseball...was actually the best fucking team in baseball
This crowd tonight is awesome. Everyone knows this team is gonna blow and sounds like a playoff game, fabulous.
Os should let a random fan bat in place of Chris Davis. Dude is 0 for his last 62 appearances or something going back to August.
Jesmuel Valentine signed to a minor league deal. Made his debut with the Phillies in 2018 but struggled mightily, sent to Bowie to start. Wonder how this affects Richie Martin in the future.
If you can read this whole book, you're a better man than me but really good article on our probable pick. Spoiler A billboard guy for the Orioles? An inside look at the ‘practically perfect’ Adley Rutschman’s path to potentially being MLB’s top overall pick Dan Connolly May 7, 2019 60 CORVALLIS, Ore. — Adley Rutschman wasn’t having an Adley Rutschman night. The Oregon State junior catcher — and potentially the Baltimore Orioles’ No. 1 overall pick in next month’s amateur draft — wasn’t dominating against an overmatched Washington State club. In four previous plate appearances, he had a four-pitch walk, a bloop single, a popup and a strikeout. A lunch-pail night for most baseball-playing mortals. But this is Rutschman, the guy Oregon State fans refer to as “Clutchman,” after he won the 2018 College World Series’ Most Outstanding Player Award, set a tournament record with 17 hits and helped lead the Beavers to their third national title. This is Rutschman, whom teammates jokingly call Captain America for his clean-cut persona and muscular physique; Rutschman, whose old-school coach says is the most complete player he’s encountered; Rutschman, whose high school counselor calls him “practically perfect”; Rutschman, who one baseball scout said, “Checks every single box I have.” So, on this clear and chilly late-April evening at Goss Stadium in Corvallis, Rutschman has been a temporary disappointment as he walks to the batter’s box with the bases loaded and Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” blaring. One scout, who is watching the 21-year-old switch-hitter for the first time, expresses surprise that Rutschman’s bat isn’t as quick as advertised. The strength is there, but the bat speed has been — gasp — ordinary tonight. In this plate appearance in the seventh inning, Rutschman’s bat is staying on his shoulder as the nervous Cougars right-hander delivers three straight balls. With a 3-0 count, the 3,800 fans in the stadium assume correctly that Rutschman has the green light. He’s batting over .420, and he’s hitting .500 with the bases loaded. He’s gonna get a shot here. You don’t have to see the thigh-high fastball to know what happens next. Just hear it. It’s not one of those annoying pings when ball meets aluminum bat. It’s a crash. Like sledgehammer to car door. Rutschman watches it for a split second and then begins his 14th home-run trot of the season as the ball keeps soaring, up and over — far over — the scoreboard in right field. It travels an estimated 446 feet. An exit velocity of 110 mph. The scout who was slightly concerned about Rutschman’s bat speed laughs. “Well,” the scout quips, “that certainly justifies an $8 million signing bonus.” Adley Rutschman is hitting better than .400 this season and is nicknamed “Clutchman.” (Dave Nishitani / Oregon State) To get the full view of Rutschman’s potential, you first must climb his family tree. His grandfather Ad Rutschman is an Oregon legend. A three-sport star at Hillsboro High, he returned to his alma mater to teach and coach, winning three baseball state championships and one in football. He then was hired at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. At his collegiate alma mater, he flipped the accomplishments, coaching three NAIA Division II national champions in football and one NAIA title-winner in baseball. He’s the only collegiate coach — at any level — to win national championships in both baseball and football. He’s in multiple Halls of Fame, including the National College Football Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 1998. “I was in high school when I was like, ‘Wow. This dude is unbelievable. A truly unbelievable human,’” Rutschman said of his grandfather. “He spits out wisdom like nobody else.” Ad Rutschman, now 87, attends most Oregon State home games to watch his grandson play. He has a well-rehearsed line that brings smiles whenever it’s uttered. “He used to be my grandson,” Ad Rutschman says. “Now I’m his grandfather.” He’s still Ad Rutschman, though, coaching royalty in the Beaver State. In the Goss Stadium stands before a recent game, he was attempting to navigate the concourse to have his picture taken but was stopped every few seconds by a stream of admirers. “Here he goes, shaking hands and kissing babies,” his son Randy joked. The multi-generational apple doesn’t fall far from the legendary tree. Randy Rutschman, Ad’s son and Adley’s father, is a retired school teacher and baseball/football coach in suburban Portland. “He is the pied piper of Tigard (School District),” Randy’s wife, Carol, said. “Kids love him. He knows everybody’s name. He was the (district’s) teacher of the year. He’s that guy.” Randy Rutschman could have gone to Oregon State to play baseball but instead started for four years for his father, mainly as Linfield’s catcher. After his playing days were over, Randy Rutschman turned to teaching and coaching and spent years on the staff at Division III George Fox University (Ore.), where he built a stellar reputation. “He’s the best catching coach I’ve ever worked with,” said Oregon State interim coach Pat Bailey, who worked with Randy Rutschman at George Fox. “I think if you talk to people nationwide, Randy Rutschman is one of the best catching coaches in the entire country.” So when the Beavers play a home game, you can expect an elite catching instructor and a College Football Hall of Famer to be watching together from the stands. “I can’t wait for the next ballgame,” Ad Rutschman said. “I’ve told Adley he’s causing me to live another 10 years.” Ad Rutschman and Randy Rutschman, who both coached in Oregon, have been major influences in Adley’s life. (Dan Connolly / The Athletic) The Orioles have drafted No. 1 overall once in their history — 30 years ago, when they chose LSU right-hander Ben McDonald. Given McDonald’s reputation as one of the greatest college pitchers ever, it was a can’t-miss, surefire pick in 1989. But McDonald, who endured a heavy workload as an amateur, battled shoulder injuries that ultimately ended his career by age 29. Unlike his organization’s unfamiliarity with the top overall pick, this will be the fourth time new Orioles executive vice president Mike Elias has drafted in this stratosphere. He was an amateur scouting director with the Houston Astros when they selected No. 1 in three consecutive years. Elias drafted All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa (2012); disappointing starter Mark Appel (2013), who is out of baseball; and starter Brady Aiken (2014), who failed to sign with the Astros (as compensation for Aiken, Houston received the second overall pick in 2015 and selected budding superstar Alex Bregman). “It’s a rare opportunity, and for an organization that is in the mode of acquiring talent, of building for the future, this is probably the biggest component of that in terms of this year,” Elias said of picking first overall. “So we want to do great with this.” Elias said the Orioles haven’t decided who they’ll pick and might not make that determination until draft day. “I would say we’re strongly considering five players at this point,” Elias said, “and keeping our eye on maybe one or two more than that.” The 6-foot-2, 216-pound Rutschman is widely considered the most likely No. 1 pick. But according to sources, the Orioles are also seriously considering Texas high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and University of California first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who won the Golden Spikes Award for baseball’s top amateur in 2018. Others who could be in the conversation include high schoolers C.J. Abrams, a shortstop/center fielder from Georgia; Florida outfielder Riley Greene; and Arizona State center fielder Hunter Bishop. The Orioles appear to be targeting only position players at No. 1, which has a slot value of roughly $8.42 million. Elias has — or will have — personally scouted and interviewed each of the club’s top candidates. He’s already met with Rutschman and his parents, and though he won’t comment on any individual meetings, the family came away impressed with the Orioles’ 36-year-old executive. “He’s really a young, up-and-coming, brilliant guy who not only has the business side of it, but he played at Yale himself,” Randy Rutschman said. If Rutschman is the Orioles’ top target, Witt Jr., the son of longtime major-league pitcher Bobby Witt and nephew of Orioles scout Doug Witt, is 1A. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound, five-tool shortstop, Witt, who turns 19 in June, is considered this year’s best prep prospect and has been compared favorably to Correa. He has been on the Orioles’ radar for more than a year and has continued to excel in his senior year at powerhouse Colleyville Heritage High, batting over .500 with 31 extra-base hits — including 13 homers — in his first 31 games this season, according to MaxPreps.com. The Orioles are in an enviable position, choosing between an elite high school shortstop and an elite college catcher. Additionally, both receive high marks for character, as does Vaughn, who is one of the most polished college bats in recent years. The right-handed-hitting 21-year-old is viewed as a first baseman/DH at the next level, which may hurt his chances of going No. 1. It’s possible the Orioles’ final determination comes down to money; they might attempt to save some of their allotted $13.8 million (first 10 rounds) so they can better utilize that pool in subsequent rounds. They have four of the first 79 picks in this draft. “The way the system is set up, clubs are incentivized to try and maximize their bonus pool. And we will certainly look to do that. Occasionally, the first pick is something that can be utilized in that way,” Elias said. “But, overall, we will be concentrating on: How do we extract the most value, in total, from our bonus pool and from our picks that have been assigned to us?” Rutschman is expected to be advised by Beverly Hills Sports Council, Witt by Octagon Baseball, where his father is a certified agent, and Vaughn by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). The Orioles have extensive working relationships with all three prominent agencies. The Kansas City Royals pick second June 3, followed by the Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers. But it all starts with the Orioles — for the first time in three decades. “I saw a Royals scout recently, and I said, ‘You guys start your smear campaign yet to make sure Adley falls?’” Oregon State pitching coach Nate Yeskie joked. “They’ll throw a party if he falls down to them at No. 2.” Adley Rutschman chuckles at the memory. His dad knows so much about baseball, so much about catching, so much about hitting. Yet Randy Rutschman is simply too unassuming to impose his will on his son. “Most of the dads you see at games coaching their kids, they are pushing their kid to do something,” Rutschman said. “But my dad was completely different. And I didn’t realize that this was such a weird thing until I heard so many stories from other kids.” Rutschman remembers spending summer afternoons taking batting practice from his father. One time, he couldn’t hit at all, rolling over, pitch after pitch. His dad seemed oblivious. “He’s just tossing BP, happier than a clam that he’s getting out there on a beautiful day to throw BP. And all (of a) sudden I get upset, and I’m like, ‘Dad, you gonna say anything or are you just gonna let me flounder over here?’ And he’s like, ‘You want me to tell you what you’re doing (wrong)?” Rutschman recalled. “I’m like, ‘Yes. Please.’ Every other dad tells their kid. Every other dad would have said on the first swing when they rolled over, ‘Hey, you’re doing this?’ But not with him.’” It was then when Rutschman realized if he wanted his dad’s help, he’d have to ask. Randy Rutschman wouldn’t tell his son to go to the field to hit or throw. But he always had a bucket of balls on standby in his car. “I felt like if I had to push him, that he wasn’t going to stay with it. Being a teacher and a coach, I’ve seen some parents that really pushed their kids, and they didn’t have the internal passion,” he said. “It was always him saying, ‘Let’s go out and hit.’ I don’t think I ever said, ‘Hey, we need to go work out.’ He was really self-driven.” At age 8, Rutschman won the regional Pitch, Hit & Run competition in Seattle despite dealing with a stomach illness and, according to his dad, told The Oregonian newspaper, “I can never see myself not playing baseball.” In fourth grade, when asked to pick a future career, Rutschman wrote, “Major League Baseball.” “The teachers were always like, ‘OK, but let’s put down a real job, Adley,’” Rutschman said. “But I always believed it in my heart that I was gonna play professional baseball.” Rutschman’s high school baseball coach, Jon Strohmaier, remembers the first time he saw the third-grader playing in an organized game. In his first at-bat, the kid walked on four pitches. “On the next pitch, he stole second. Second pitch, he stole third. Third pitch, he went halfway down the line, the catcher threw it to third and he ran home,” Strohmaier said. “And I said, ‘Wow.’ I don’t think I’ve ever seen any kid do that, let alone a third-grader. “That was my first Adley Rutschman encounter.” Located 18 miles southwest of Portland and originally inhabited by the Tualatin Indian Tribe, Sherwood, Oregon, was once a sleepy, blue-collar farming town. There is still some evidence of that vibe, like at the intersection of Washington and First Streets in Old Town Sherwood, where three corners house the bedrocks of small-town America: a bank, a law office and a bar/restaurant (Clancy’s, known for its “famous” clam chowder). The fourth corner is a nod to the transformation of small-town America: a yoga studio. Encompassing 4.5-square miles, Sherwood has been bursting at the seams throughout the past two-plus decades as Nike Inc.’s grasp on suburban Portland tightened, Silicon Valley companies drifted northward and incoming families searched for good, safe schools. Sherwood’s population, according to the 1990 census, was 3,093; by 2000 it had mushroomed to 11,791 and it’s now estimated at nearly 20,000. “I’ve been here 11 years, and we went from about 1,100 students to about 1,750. It’s a huge increase,” said Sherwood High School counselor Patti Micheo. “There was that shift from blue-collar farmers to high-tech (companies) moving here, and because we want our kids in a safe town. We want our kids in a family-oriented place. So now we’re huge. And people are still moving here.” Like in many towns throughout the country, the high school remains the heartbeat of the Sherwood community. And high school sports are the lifeblood, especially the football team, which has maintained title-contender status as it moved up in classification from 3A to 5A to now 6A, the largest in Oregon. From 2010 to 2013, the Bowmen made it to the state title game four straight times, winning twice, including in Rutschman’s freshman year. There have been other superb athletes who have passed through these halls, but Rutschman is arguably the best. “I would have to say yes,” said Strohmaier, Sherwood’s former baseball coach. “Seeing what he has done at the next level, both in football and in baseball. He probably would have been a heck of a basketball player, too, if he had decided to do that.” Rutschman was a starting fullback, an all-league linebacker, and an all-state place-kicker. He was an all-state baseball player twice and was selected in the 40th round of the 2016 draft by the Seattle Mariners, but he chose Oregon State instead. His banner for winning Gatorade’s Oregon Baseball Player of the Year hangs in the Sherwood High gymnasium. And there’s another, less public reminder of Rutschman at the school. In the Sherwood High counseling office is an array of handprints of students traced onto the wall. Adley Rutschman’s hand is front and center. (Dan Connolly/The Athletic) Above Micheo’s door in her counseling office is an array of handprints of students traced onto the wall, a tradition started by a student heading to the University of Oregon to play football. In the center of the wall is the silhouette of Rutschman’s right hand — his throwing hand — with his signature and year of graduation. “I always tease Adley,” Micheo said. “‘When you are rich and famous, I’m gonna sell pictures of that handprint and say I knew you when.’” Baseball is Rutschman’s forever sport, but his football legacy includes “The Kick.” As a youth, he had the leg strength for place-kicking but couldn’t get the ball through the uprights. His father gently suggested that maybe he try punting instead. Then, in fifth grade, Rutschman broke his hand playing football and had to avoid contact in practice for a few weeks, giving him time to work on his kicking game. “All he did every day was kick for two hours straight, and pretty soon the ball started going end over end,” Randy Rutschman said. “By the time he was in high school, he was pretty good.” Fast-forward to November 2015, his senior year and a second-round playoff game against rival Tigard. Leading 35-7 with the ball on the opposition’s 48-yard line and three seconds left in the first half, Sherwood head coach Greg Lawrence made an unusual decision. “My coaches were wondering why I was calling timeout, and I said, ‘Well, have you seen Adley kick?’ Pregame, he was kicking 55-yarders,” Lawrence said. Confusion abounded, but Rutschman excitedly ran onto the field. Meanwhile, the opposing coach called a timeout, attempting to ice a high schooler before halftime on a 63-yard attempt. “He walked out on the field, and he is talking to his kids, and then he turns, and he just stares at Adley. Gave him the stare,” Lawrence said. “It didn’t faze Adley a bit.” The snap was a little off, so Rutschman waited a moment for his holder to get the ball upright on the tee. Then, with the wind at his back, Rutschman’s powerful left leg walloped the ball. “It kind of started off left of the goalpost and had that lefty tail that pushed it right back into the uprights, and it had the distance,” Rutschman said. “It was unbelievable.” In his coach’s words, “the place went crazy.” His team ran into the home locker room with a 31-point halftime lead and ultimately won 41-20. According to The Oregonian, the field goal broke the state high school record by 8 yards and was 5 yards shy of the national mark. Briefly, Rutschman was the talk of Oregon — with most stories mentioning he was the grandson of the legendary football coach. The next Monday morning, Micheo, the counselor, walked into a classroom and announced she was there to check on Rutschman. “I said, ‘Adley, how is your foot?’ And the whole class just cracked up. And he laughed and said, ‘I’m doing fine,’” Micheo recalled. “So, he’s humble, he’s kind. He’s just a stellar human being. He’s practically perfect in every way.” He also could have been an NFL kicker if he had kept working at it, Lawrence said. Rutschman played at Oregon State his freshman year, handling kickoff duties and totaling 20 touchbacks. He never attempted a field goal but had two successful onside kicks, including recovering one himself. He also had a solo tackle against Stanford University, when the returner broke coverage and headed toward the open field. The returner was a guy named Christian McCaffrey, the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year that season and now an All-Pro running back with the Carolina Panthers. Rutschman said he was so excited that he bounced off the field to absolutely no fanfare. His teammates didn’t realize he had tackled the superstar. But he’ll always have that moment — and a particularly hilarious exchange with the slightly embarrassed McCaffrey. “I tackled him, and he was like, ‘Are you the kicker?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah,’” Rutschman said. “And he was like, ‘Awww.’ You know, kind of one of those, ‘Awww, jeez.’” Playing college football in front of huge crowds and in iconic stadiums such as the Rose Bowl helped prepare “Clutchman” for stages such as the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Football crowds typically are larger and louder than what he has experienced in baseball. “It’s pressure situations. And I think that helped me ease into college baseball playing in front of 3,000 here at Goss,” Rutschman said. “I think all of it’s good for you, and it’s kind of being comfortable being uncomfortable.” In another sense, playing collegiate football for a year might have delayed Rutschman’s baseball development at Oregon State. He couldn’t give his full attention to the sport while attending football practices and games; that’s why he gave up the gridiron before his sophomore year. As a freshman, his switch-hitting swing wasn’t quite primed for big-time college baseball. It’s typically in the fall when baseball coaches work extensively to get their newcomers ready. And they didn’t have that full opportunity because Rutschman was kicking footballs, too. Being an offensive force, though, was not why Oregon State handed Rutschman its starting catcher’s job shortly after his 19th birthday. “His freshman year we asked him to just focus on the catching piece because we felt like we were very advanced with regards to our offensive team,” Yeskie said. “And being the unselfish person that he is, he said, ‘Yeah, sure. You got it.’” Rutschman played 61 games for a team that won the Pac-12 and lost in the College World Series semifinals. He hit .234 with a lowly .306 slugging percentage. That summer, he played in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League and struggled more, batting .164 with a .179 slugging percentage while using a wood bat. By then, however, he had fully committed to adjusting his offensive mechanics and timing. “It was just finding out how my body worked and how to create a swing that was effective for how my body was able to work,” he said. “Then I started working on bat path. That was kind of the second aspect. You need a good base in order for your bat path to be good.” The process took about six months, but it clicked by the time his sophomore season started. The results were startling. Rutschman batted .408 with nine homers, 83 RBIs, a 1.133 OPS and more walks than strikeouts. All while providing consistently excellent defense. Adley Rutschman is one of the best at “framing” pitches, according to MLB scouts. (Scobel Wiggins / Oregon State) Heading into this season, there were concerns that his offensive production would dip, simply because the Beavers’ lineup lost three first-rounders (including Orioles’ supplemental pick Cadyn Grenier) and several other quality hitters from 2018. “If someone would have predicted that he would hit .400 this year, I would have said it was impossible. Because he doesn’t have the same people in front of him or behind him that he had last year,” his grandfather Ad said. “We knew they’re going to pitch differently to him this year. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had been below .300.” Instead, Rutschman’s numbers have improved for a 2019 team that’s tied for first in the Pac-12 (17-4 in the conference; 31-14-1 overall). Through 46 games, Rutschman has 16 homers, 53 RBIs, a .429 average, a .576 on-base percentage and an unreal 1.381 OPS. He has already set a Beavers’ single-season record for walks — 59 — and has struck out 32 times. “He’s a thoroughbred racehorse among ponies. His body just works differently than others,” said OSU assistant coach Ryan Gipson. “He does things, especially with the bat, just about every game that are special.” Bailey, who has been close friends with the Rutschman family for more than a decade, admits he might have used an extreme tactic when he recruited Rutschman out of high school. “I called his mom, dad and Adley up and had him put me on speakerphone, and I told everybody, ‘If Adley doesn’t commit to us in the next week, I’m coming up and burning your house down,” Bailey said. “Randy laughed, and I said, ‘We’re good friends. You know I’m not joking.’” Bailey didn’t have to resort to pyrotechnic threats. Rutschman had wanted to wear the Beavers’ orange and black for years. Oregon State had been recruiting him since he was a sophomore. At that time, Rutschman was a pitcher who could reach the mid-90s with his fastball and command several other offerings. Arm trouble midway through his high school career pushed him temporarily to other spots on the diamond. And by his junior year, he had fallen in love again with catching. That’s where he settled as a senior, along with the occasional mound appearance to close out games. Once he committed to play for the Beavers, he was penciled in as their starting catcher before he graduated from high school. He was that advanced defensively. And he’s gotten better. What does he do well behind the plate? “The better question would be, ‘What doesn’t he do back there?’” said Oregon State pitcher Grant Gambrell. Teams don’t run on Rutschman’s strong, accurate arm; he’s thrown out eight of 16 would-be basestealers in 2019, including all three attempts in the month of April. His “pop time” to second base — the duration between catching a ball at home plate and throwing to second — is consistently below the major-league average of 2.0 and often in the 1.7 to 1.8 range. His blocking is well above average, in part because of his tremendous flexibility — the flexibility of a dancer? Hold that thought — and his pitch framing is, well, “insane.” “That’s the only word I can use to describe that. Insane. There are so many catchers out there that don’t have his gift,” Gambrell said. “He steals so many strikes for us, it’s incredible.” One scout said Rutschman would be an above-average pitch-framer in the majors right now. It’s because his body is “so quiet” behind the plate that he doesn’t distract umpires with movement, and he catches the ball with his body centered, so he doesn’t appear to be reaching when he’s shifting a pitch into the strike zone. His catching mechanics aren’t perfect. One scout thinks his tendency to hop into position as a pitch is thrown must be eliminated or tempered in the pros. Another scout would like to see Rutschman catch the ball more smoothly on his glove side but said that was nitpicking. One scout who watched former Orioles first-rounder Matt Wieters (fifth overall, 2007) and Seattle first-rounder Jason Varitek (14th overall, 1994), both switch-hitting receivers at Georgia Tech, grades Rutschman ahead of those eventual All-Stars and Gold Glovers. Strike three is called for the third out and Rutschman bounces out of his crouch and sprints to mitt-bump his pitcher. Same thing happens on a third-out fly ball or grounder. When a Beavers pitcher completes an inning, he invariably is greeted by Rutschman around the foul line, well before the hurler reaches the dugout. “When he first started doing it, I thought, ‘Come on, Ad, this isn’t high school,’” Bailey said. “But I think now that I’ve seen it, I think it’s a major positive.” Yeskie, who pitched five seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization, said he tried to warn Rutschman that maybe not every pitcher would welcome in-your-face interaction with the catcher. But Rutschman wasn’t deterred. He kept doing it. And the rah-rah ritual grew on Yeskie. “Because he grows on you. It’s just his personality,” Yeskie said. “So when he goes to the mound to meet those guys coming off, I think it’s just a little reassurance — ‘Hey, great job,’ or, ‘You know, maybe that wasn’t the best, but we got through it and let’s get ready for the next one.’ It’s just nice to know that you’ve got somebody in your corner.” Leader. That’s the word so many of Rutschman’s teammates use to describe him. It’s the small things, like organizing a group of a dozen players to see “The Avengers: Endgame” on the night of its release. Or the big things, like the constant encouragement. “He means everything to this team. We’d be nothing, honestly, without him,” Gambrell said. “He’s a great captain. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great friend. He just makes all of us better people, in general, and better players. We’re just really fortunate to have him on our team.” After every game, Oregon State’s players sign autographs on their way to the clubhouse for a postgame meeting. Rutschman is always the last one inside because he keeps signing for fans. He doesn’t leave until the crowd has dissipated or until an OSU staff member ushers him away. Adley Rutschman doesn’t stop signing autographs until fans have had enough or until the Oregon State staff comes to get him. (Dan Connolly / The Athletic) Last year, before an important divisional contest, Rutschman was warming up the Beavers’ starting pitcher and had his serious game face on, one that, according to his pitching coach, “looks like he’s ready to go down and bust the wedge on a kickoff.” As they headed toward the mound, a teenager with Down syndrome, who had dealt with Rutschman previously, yelled out to the catcher. Rutschman immediately recognized the boy, smiled, grabbed him in a bear hug and then promised he would see him after the game. Then Rutschman walked away and his game face returned. “To juggle that moment, especially with that young man, to make him feel like the most important kid in the stadium that day, I think that’s very unique to be able to handle those types of situations,” Yeskie said. “To me, that’s more than the home runs or throwing a guy out or any of that other stuff. That’s who he is as a person.” Dig deeply enough and Rutschman stories bubble out. Like when he was a junior in high school and promised his woodshop construction teacher, Jon Dickover, that he would run a hitting clinic for Dickover’s Little League team. One hot Saturday morning in the spring, Rutschman made good on the promise, working with Dickover’s son and the other kids on the team. He also brought a surprise — water balloons, which the kids hacked at during a wet session of BP at the end of the clinic. And Rutschman did it on the morning of his junior prom. “Most students would be worried about getting their tux ready, washing their car, getting ready for the prom that night,” Dickover said. “But here is Adley, up there doing the baseball thing with these kids. That’s what really touched me.” Rutschman can nerd-out. Especially about “The Avengers” movie franchise. “He knows everything about it. He knows all the teasers, the spoofs,” said Oregon State infielder George Mendazona, one of Rutschman’s roommates. “Every YouTube trailer that’s ever come out on it, he’s looked it up.” Rutschman’s favorite “Avengers” character is Iron Man. But his teammates have a different take. “Whenever the movie is playing and Captain America comes out, that’s the quote on the team. ‘Rutsch, Rutsch, it’s you. You’re starring, you’re starring in this movie,’” Mendazona said. “It’s just a running joke with everybody.” You can almost see the marketing campaign forming in Baltimore. Or Kansas City. Or Chicago. “He’s the All-American guy,” Yeskie said. “He’s just like a gallon of milk, a bale of hay. He’s as Americana as it gets.” OK, but Oregon State’s superhero must have a kryptonite, right? “Shoot, I don’t know,” says Beavers first baseman Zak Taylor, who also played with Rutschman at Sherwood. “He says he can swing dance really well. I’d like to see that in person.” Yes, this kid swing dances. Rutschman took a one-credit swing-dancing course last semester because he thought it’d be fun and a way to show off at a wedding or two. “I’ve always been intrigued by dancing,” Rutschman said. “I think it’s a great skill to have or to try and develop. I want to be as cultured and be able to do as many things as possible.” He convinced roommates Mendazona and outfielder Preston Jones to take the course with him. They had a blast and approached it the way competitive athletes would. “It was always looking at the other guy while you’re dancing,” Mendazona said. “Trying to show them what kind of moves you can get off.” Mendazona said there was no clear winner among the three, but Rutschman is the only one still dancing. He’s now taking a Lindy Hop class. So, he can cut a rug. But what’s his Achilles’ heel? Mendazona claims Rutschman is the weak link in their “Fortnite” video-game battles, but Rutschman categorically denies that assertion. “Maybe pingpong? I haven’t seen him on a table. Pool? We could try that out, too,” Taylor said. “I’m gonna find something that I’m better than him at.” It’s a common theme among Oregon State baseball players. “I haven’t come across anything that he’s not exceptionally good at. Which is hard to believe, but it’s very true,” said Beavers pitcher Bryce Fehmel. “He wins at everything.” Rutschman offers a little advice to the downtrodden. “Bowling. It comes out of my hand, and it’s like, it just goes wherever it wants. There is no control,” Rutschman said. “If you ever want to beat me, take me bowling. You’ll beat me 1,000 times out of 1,000. That is by far, hands down, my worst quality.” Just another example of Rutschman helping his teammates. “Bowling?” Fehmel says. “Maybe. I might be able to beat him at that.” Being the No. 1 overall pick would validate the hard work and passion Adley Rutschman has for baseball, he says. (Zachary Lucy / Oregon State) For a young man about to hit it ludicrously rich, Rutschman exudes humility. That’s perhaps why he suddenly seems a bit uncomfortable with one question in a breezy and lighthearted 45-minute interview: How important is it to be the No. 1 overall pick? He begrudgingly and refreshingly admits he wants to be considered this year’s best. It’s not simply an ego thing, he contends. It’s validation of his hard work and passion for the sport. “It’s one of those things that you hope for, you dream of as a kid, being the first overall pick. It really is. There’s nothing else that really compares to your name being called first,” Rutschman said. “But then again, you don’t want to have a mindset where you want 1-1 just because of (the esteem) behind it. I don’t think that’s healthy. But for me, yes, I think 1-1 — it is the dream.” If the Orioles call his name, he’ll be the first catcher to be picked No. 1 overall since Minnesota high schooler Joe Mauer in 2001. He’ll be the first top overall pick in the storied history of Oregon State baseball and the first native Oregonian to go 1-1 since University of Oregon infielder/catcher Dave Roberts was selected by the San Diego Padres in 1972. Not only would he be Sherwood High’s first top pick, but he’d also be its lone first-rounder. “There’d better be an Adley Rutschman parade in Sherwood, because it’s pretty rare that a kid gets drafted from here, period,” said Sherwood High business teacher Tracy VavRosky. “If he were to go No. 1, that’s absolutely mind-boggling.” VavRosky grew up in Oregon as an Orioles fan during the team’s heyday and has maintained that allegiance for 50 years. So much so that his family’s labradoodle is named Ripken. So, what would it mean to VavRosky if one of his favorite students was selected by his favorite club? “Just knowing Adley would make it special no matter where he went, wherever he goes. But No. 1 to the Orioles? That’s as good as it gets for my family,” VavRosky said. “If that were to happen, I’m gonna cry.” It should happen, according to those who know Rutschman the best. “He can be your franchise player, 100 percent,” said Taylor, Rutschman’s longtime teammate. “It’s not just the baseball side of things. It’s the guy you want in the locker room. It’s a good person that does good for the community. It’s something a franchise can pride themselves on.” Yeskie, the pitching coach, puts his own spin on why Rutschman should be the top pick in 2019. “Adley’s a billboard guy. You put Derek Jeter on the billboard. Christian Yelich in Milwaukee on a billboard. They personify what an organization is about and what they want things to be. “That’s this guy. He’s a billboard guy.”
Read most of that and I'm still not sold he's the pick. I think I'm a tad bit higher on Witt Jr. TBH.
Also really excited about grabbing Keon Broxton for pennies. May not be worth a shit, but good move from Elias
This seems promising. Guess I'm on board with Adley. Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP (No. 4, MLB No. 97) -- 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K (Class A Delmarva); Keegan Akin, LHP (No. 6) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K (Triple-A Norfolk); Michael Baumann, RHP (No. 25) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (Class A Frederick); Alex Wells, LHP (No. 26) -- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (Double-A Bowie) Four O's top prospects were on the mound, across all four levels, from low A to Triple-A, and they didn't disappoint, combining to strike out 28 batters and allow just two runs in 25 innings. GrayRod, 19, faced three above the minimum as he completed a career-high seven innings to improve to 6-0 in eight starts for the Shorebirds. He’s yet to allow more than two earned runs in any of his eight turns this season -- he’s allowed two earned runs only once -- and leads all South Atlantic League hurlers (min. 40 IP) with a 1.47 ERA. His WHIP (0.84) ranks second, and he’s held opposing hitters to a paltry .161 clip while posting 61 strikeouts against 12 walks in 43 innings. Akin, who hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any starts this season, has now allowed five earned runs across his past four starts. Baumann lowered his ERA to 3.23 with his third scoreless start of the season for the Keys. And at the Double-A level, Wells threw 97 pitches (70 strikes) over seven innings to record his third straight scoreless start. His 1.72 ERA through seven starts (36 2/3 IP) would rank fourth in the Eastern League if he had enough innings to qualify.
Draft night bitches. Give me Witt Jr or death. Fuck Adley....elite college bat that can't hit with wood. Give me the 5 tool SS all day. Idk how to tag em but the @Royals will get the better prospect because we pass on him.
Wasn't sure if there was a Baltimore thread so I'll post it here. Wife has an interview in Towson this week. We're actually at my in-laws this weekend so going to drive down and take a look around (they live 90min away in PA). She's a final candidate so looking more at a potential move. Any areas we should check out? Good places to live? I know next to nothing about the area #Baltimore Orioles #Baltimore Ravens #Washington Football Team #Washington Capitals #Washington Nationals #Maryland Terrapins
I appreciate the honesty lol. My mom grew up in Cumberland but don't know much else smh It's a pretty big promotion if she were to get offered so we're starting to do our research now
I enjoyed living in that area a lot. It's not everyone's cup of tea but avoid most of the city for living purposes but otherwise it's really not that bad going into for games or the Harbor or Federal Hill. Areas to check out in my opinion would be. Odenton/Gambrills/Crofton/Annapolis/Arnold/Ellicott/Columbia/Severna Park/Severn. There's other good areas and places to live as well. Just make a must haves list and wants and go from there.
Thanks for the recs. Well have 4-5 hours to look around and if she gets an offer well probably do a weekend out there before making a decision. We're early 30s with a 1 year old, so we want this to be our last move. So it's a pretty big decision
H/T thoughts on northern Towson? Wife's family is from Lancaster Pa so we'd like to stay closer to Pa border plus housing seems cheaper this way (at least according to my prelim Zillow search). I'm currently having lunch in Cockeysville
Just hope our guys can stay healthy enough to trade away. Pitching rotation is an absolute abomination to the sport outside Means.
when Adley debuts, the lineup should be an entertaining one. but I mean yeah the pitching staff should be illegal
It's almost time for this thread to actually be active again soon. Young team that is actually fun to watch but more importantly they are performing. 5 games away from .500 after sweeping Texas.
Grayson and Gunnar #4 and #5 overall prospects now. Fine with trading Mancini but seems time to start building for near future and not distant future That said, think I want Andruw Jones’ kid in the draft over any college guy
there are 3 high school bats that seem like good picks - Jones would be the best, agreed. but they might try to save some money with another one and spend that on the next two picks
Holliday supposedly asking for same money as Jones. Termarr Johnson is intriguing as they say he’s best bat in the draft and would go under slot plus he’s an infielder after so many outfield picks