Orioles' Star Rutschman Receives Huge Praise in Catcher Rankings
The Baltimore Orioles season in 2023 was so successful because of the way their young talent played. Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and others were huge parts of what the Orioles accomplished.
The 101 wins were impressive, but doing that as early as they did was what showed people Baltimore team is close to being major contenders.
If they can win 101 games and the American League East already, what does the future hold for them?
While that still remains to be seen, having players like Henderson and Rutschman will almost guarantee an exciting future.
On Wednesday, MLB Network released their Top-10 catchers in baseball and Rutschman found himself at the top of the list.
According to the list, Rutschman is the No. 1 catcher in baseball. He beat out Will Smith, Sean Murphy, and JT Realmuto.
Lists and predictions don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. It's all about what teams and players do in the actual season. However, Rutschman getting the respect he deserves is great to see, especially after the disrespect Orioles fans have had to deal with before last season.
The 25-year-old posted a 4.3 WAR and slashed .277/.374/.435 with 20 home runs, earning a Silver Slugger award and ninth place finish in MVP voting.
If he can continue hitting the way that he did in 2023, it's tough to say any catcher in baseball is better than him. His defense was great, too, ranking in the 85th percentile in blocks above average, 81st percentile in pop time, and 84th percentile in framing, according to BaseballSavant.
The sky is the limit for Baltimore's superstar catcher.
