Baltimore Orioles Superstar Already All-Time Franchise Great Behind Plate

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has been named the organization's best catcher of the century so far by Bleacher Report.

Aug 27, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) on deck before hitting against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Dodger Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report is in the process of releasing every MLB franchise's greatest player at each position of the last 25 years, or since the start of the 21st century.

The outlet released its list for the catching position on Saturday, and it comes as little surprise that the Baltimore Orioles were represented on the list by their current backstop, Adley Rutschman.

"Viewed as a generational catcher talent coming out of Oregon State, Adley Rutschman hit .411/.575/.751 with 17 home runs and 58 RBI in 57 games during his final collegiate season before going No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft," author Joel Reuter wrote.

It is absolutely the case that Baltimore's selection of Rutschman in the 2019 MLB draft marked the dawn of a new era for the Orioles, even if it took a few years for him and his cohort of talented youngsters to translate their pedigree into on-field success for the club.

Since his debut in 2022, Rutschman has been one of the league's premier offensive threats at the position, putting up a triple slash of .261/.351/.421, hitting 52 homers and driving in 201 runs. He finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, and he took home the Silver Slugger as the league's best hitter at the position in 2023.

His all-around value has been immense to the O's, as according to Fangraphs, he was worth 5.0 wins above replacement in 2022 and 5.4 in 2023 before slipping to a still-solid 2.8 this past year.

Coming out of his draft, expectations were sky-high, as it was basically immediately assumed that he was the heir apparent to J.T. Realmuto has the top catcher in the Major Leagues. Prior to his less stellar 2024, Rutschman led the catching position in fWAR between 2022 and 2023. Even still, he checks in at second place behind Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners since he entered the league.

The switch-hitting catcher will look to ascend back to the elite tier of the position in 2025, and if he does so, Baltimore as a whole could reverse its fortunes after a disappointing 2024 season when fans were expecting the team to take the next step toward legitimate World Series contention.

Despite a relative lack of team success this century, the Orioles still had some strong contenders for this spot. Bleacher Report named Matt Wieters, Ramón Hernandez and Javy López as honorable mentions for the organization's top catcher of the past 25 years.