Former MLB Executive Says Baltimore Orioles Superstar Is Best At Position

The Baltimore Orioles have a legitimate superstar on their hands after taking the league by storm since being called-up. One former MLB Executive thinks he's the best player at his position.

With only the World Series remaining before the conclusion of the 2023 MLB season, it's starting to get closer to awards time.

There's a good chance that the Baltimore Orioles will be represented heavily after the successful year they had, and an even better chance they'll be bringing home some hardware.

While the official MLB Awards won't be handed out until after the World Series, that hasn't stopped former MLB Executive, Jim Bowden, from naming his best players at each position.

Bowden, who writes for The Athletic, put together his All-MLB team after the season.

He believes that Orioles' catcher Adley Rutschman is the best catcher in baseball and awarded him that honor this year.

"He threw out 22 percent of base runners trying to steal, an above-average mark in the first year of the challenging new rules for catchers. He ranked in the 85th percentile in blocks above average, the 79th percentile in framing and the 81st percentile in pop time. His xwOBA was in the 92nd percentile," he wrote.

Rutschman has been more known for his bat than his defense since coming into the MLB.

He's been a dominant force at the plate, one of the reasons why Bowden put him on the All-MLB team.

"Jonah Heim of the Rangers finished a close second and impressed by ranking in the 97th percentile in framing and the 89th percentile in caught stealing above average. However, Rutschman’s bat gave him a slight edge," the former executive wrote.

Baltimore's superstar finished his second season of Major League Baseball with a slash line of .277/.374/.435, 20 home runs and 80 RBI, while hitting first or second in the lineup for the majority of the year.

Rutschman was selected to his first All-Star game this season as well, something that will become a norm throughout his career if he stays healthy.

The Orioles picked a good one when they selected him No. 1 overall in the 2019 MLB Draft.

Now, they'll need to keep him around as they embark on a journey to chase World Series titles.