Adley Rutschman’s Switch-Hitting Prowess in Home Run Derby Had Twitter Going Wild
Ever since his 2022 MLB debut, Orioles catcher and former No. 1 MLB draft pick Adley Rutschman has looked like a burgeoning star. And while he’s still working on leading Baltimore to the postseason, he got a chance to step into the baseball spotlight during Monday night’s Home Run Derby.
And though his appearance was short-lived, it was undoubtedly a memorable one.
The switch-hitting Rutschman began his first-round matchup against White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. standing in the left-handed batter’s box. After hitting 20 home runs in the initial three-minute period, he returned for the 30-second bonus round—this time as a right-handed hitter—and proceeded to crush seven home runs in eight swings.
For his career, Rutschman has much better numbers as a left-handed hitter against right-handed pitchers, though you wouldn’t know it watching Monday’s showing. In 199 career games, he has 25 career homers—21 as a lefty and just four as a righty.
Though Rutschman was bounced after Robert crushed 28 homers in his first-round turn, the 25-year-old catcher wowed many with his switch-hitting skills. Check out some of the best reactions to Rutschman’s performance below.
