Baltimore Orioles All-Star Catcher Motivated After His Postseason Shortcomings

The Baltimore Orioles have made an early exit in the playoffs the past two seasons, but their All-Star catcher is determined to change that this year.

Oct 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) hits a single against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning in game two of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have been one of the best regular season teams the last two years. However, they have not won a single playoff game in either of those campaigns.

This has lit a fire under Adley Rutschman.

He made his MLB debut in 2022, and he played well. The backstop slashed .254/.362/.445. Along with that, he finished 12th in the MVP voting and second in the Rookie of the Year race.

The former first overall pick enjoyed a great sophomore season in the bigs when he slashed .277/.374/.435 with 20 home runs, 80 RBI, 163 hits and a career-low 14.7% strikeout rate. He made his first All-Star game while also winning his first Silver Slugger award.

Last year was more of the same for Rutschman during the regular season. He had career-low OPS, but his 19 home runs and 79 RBI are respectable numbers. He was also able to bat .250 while collecting 143 total hits, despite having a very poor second half. He became a two-time All-Star with his stellar first half of the season.

The playoffs is where things get rocky for the catcher.

In five total postseason games, Rutschman has just two hits in 20 at-bats, and his strikeout rate has been higher than his regular season number.

He has yet to win a playoff game with Baltimore, and his poor play at the plate is part of the problem. However, it has lit a fire under him heading into the upcoming campaign.

“I didn't have to look very hard to find motivation this offseason. You're just pissed off for months. You're like, OK, let's lock it in. Let's go," Rutschmna said Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner.

This motivation has been evident during the early parts of Spring Training.

When Kostka spoke with manager Brandon Hyde about Rutschman, the manager gave high praise to the catcher.

"He's as driven as he's ever been," the Orioles skipper said.

It's clear the Oregon State product is the leader in the clubhouse. He is the player everybody turns to for guidance, and with him motivated, the rest of the team will follow suit.

As a team, Baltimore is looking good heading into 2025.

They lost Corbin Burnes to free agency, but their young core of players has remained intact. They are a very exciting team and they should make a third-straight postseason appearance.

If Rutschman can use this motivation to have a good year, the Orioles will finally make some noise in the playoffs.