The Orioles True All-Star Catcher Is Samuel Basallo, Not Adley Rutschman

Major League Baseball got it wrong.

The Baltimore Orioles got it wrong.

The wrong catcher from this franchise is the sole representative for this team in the All Star Game. And it isn’t even close. By any metric possible, By any scouting mechanism possible, save for some defensive ones in which Adley Rutschman, apparently an old 28, outshines Samuel Basallo, just 21, but we all know the mid-summer classic isn’t a showcase for blocking and framing behind the plate.

If you want to make the case for starter Brandon Young, I might buy it, though the competition is tougher at that position. But catcher? Big Sam belongs. 'Ol man Adley could use the extra rest.

There was only one O’s backstop to take. The one making history in a ridiculous fashion night after night, though you wouldn’t know it if you merely consumed Orioles broadcasts or read their game notes and paid attention to what they peddle to the media. Again, this isn’t even up for debate.

Where once Adley got all the accolades as the guy most responsible for wins and losses with his command at such an important position in his first two seasons, well, Sammy has a better winning percentage both when he plays and when he catches this season, and has better stats for the season and far superior stats since May 1.

Basallo has more clutch hits and infinitely more power, especially when you factor in he caught just 200 games in the minors and how ridiculously young he is (the 25th player in MLB history to catch 60 games before turning 22), with twice as many HRs in that span than anyone in history.

Sammy Was Better In The First Half

Numbers don't lie:

Season Stats Adley Sammy

Games Played at C 46 (44 GS) 42 (40 GS)

O’s Record as C 21-25 21-21

O’s Record When In Lineup 25-33 31-33

Plate Appearances 254 277

HR – RBI 8 – 45 14-42

OPS .774 .789

Men On Base .277/.333./.518 - .851 .282/.357/.536 - .894

RISP .293/.333/.552 - .885 .295/.375/.557 - .932

Defense

Nah, not buying itas an explanation for the American League taking the wrong catcher.

These two are nearly even in innings caught; Rutschman has been the opposite of a horse, catching four days in a row twice all season, as much as Basallo. Basallo has twice recently caught day game after night game, which they wouldn’t think foisting upon their underachieving veteran who is one of the worst everyday hitters in baseball since June 21, 2024.

Rutschman is having his best defensive season since 2023, especially throwing out runners, but he is 23rd in MLB in innings caught entering play Monday. Basallo has a better arm – he needs to improve accuracy, which Adley still needed to do at age 24 - but the organization should have been pushing MLB to get him down the road to Philadelphia and reward him and let him start to hang around the best in the world at what they do.

Oh, and don’t forget the Opening Day starter, Trevor Rogers, has now made it pretty clear he wants to throw to Basallo and credits Basallo a ton for helping him regain his confidence and salvage what was becoming another epically lost season for him.

Recency Bias

And considering that Opening Day was the first time Basallo had been on a roster at that point in the season, and with Adely trying to atone for consecutive utterly lost seasons in every aspect of play (perhaps most damning, in terms of leadership even beyond his horrible on-field collapse), the first three weeks were his showcase.

Basallo was taking his lumps, trying to figure some things out as one of the youngest players in the game and extremely young for a catcher (Adley spent most of his age 21 in a rookie league that doesn’t even exist anymore and Low-A ball). So, how are things working out between these two since, oh, say May 1? Pretty large sample size, right?

Adley Sammy

OPS .670 .806

BA .218 .268

OBP .295 .324

SLG .376 .482

WRC+ 87 123

Innings Caught 257 221

What are we doing here people? One of these guys is producing like an All Star regardless of what position he played, and played at such a young age, let alone while playing the toughest position in baseball. The other belongs in AAA with this production.

The on-base and batting average for Adley, an allegedly ready-for-MLB-when he drafted, since his early-season tear, is back to being - guess what – the EXACT SAME GUY HE WAS FROM 6/21//24 TIL OPENING DAY THIS YEAR.

Rutschman has one homer in his last 29 games. He gets ridiculous amounts of time off.

They try to prop up his numbers by letting him DH all the time (I’ll let you in on another secret – like forcing this faux All Star into the two or three hole every night, this ain’t working out for the 1-1 switch hitter can't miss kid, either). Rutschman leads the Orioles with 51 games and 214 plate appearances as a DH for Baltimore since 6/21/24 ... and he has one homer and 18 RBI serving in that role, in that span.

Impossible, but true.

Failure, personified, by the player and by the pathetic front office that tries so desperately to con you while knowing this has been a failure. Took me two minutes to run those numbers - you don't think the calculator worshippers in The Warehouse are privy to this split?

Rutschman has a slash of .198/.290/.283 (.573) as a DH since June 21, 2024 that is so beyond abject failure it’s difficult to quantify (I re-ran the numbers twice on baseballreference.com and fangraphs.com because it just didn’t seem to be real).

But that’s how Elias gaslights you and that’s how they play favorites to try to cover their own backsides.

Because the guy who should be the All-Star is the one who a rookie puppet skipper tried to shame, and the face of the collapse (Player Edition) is the one they tell you is untouchable and pristine and too valuable to ever try to win without.

But everyone in baseball knows they haven’t won a damn thing with Adley, and they never will with his contract expiring after next season.

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