Orioles' Adley Rutschman Records First MLB Hit, Triples Against Tampa Bay Rays
There was a palpable buzz at Camden Yards on Saturday night as MLB's top prospect and the Baltimore Orioles' top prospect, Adley Rutschman, made his MLB debut.
The catcher has been eagerly awaiting his call-up to the big leagues, having played in Triple-A Norfolk for the end of the 2021 minor league season and 12 games in 2022 as he was recovering from injury.
However, the former No. 1 of the Orioles has shown that it's time for him to play in the bigs and on Saturday, he didn't just make his debut, but made a statement, tripling in his third at-bat.
It wasn't pretty for Rutschman, a bloop that just snuck in down the right field line in the seventh inning with an exit velocity of 75.4 MPH.
However, it's a hit he and Orioles fans alike are going to remember for a long time. Something unique about the milestone is that Rutschman isn't the first big Orioles prospect to triple for his first MLB hit.
Former third baseman Manny Machado and catcher Matt Wieters both tripled for their first career hits in the show.
Wieters caught over 800 games behind the plate for the Orioles, helping orchestrate several postseason appearances, including an AL East title in 2014.
Machado had quite the career on both sides of the ball before getting traded over to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 and signing a massive, 10-year, $300 million contract with the San Diego Padres.
Orioles fans are hoping that Rutschman is going to be the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future.
Baltimore hasn't posted a winning record as a franchise since 2016 and with cornerstone pieces like Cedric Mullins and Trey Mancini on the roster, Rutschman will not only bring stability, but another piece to build around.
Despite his first MLB hit, the Orioles fell victim to Randy Arozarena, who hit two home runs for the Rays on Saturday.
