The Baltimore Orioles reached 25 losses this Saturday and remain last in the East of the American League. They have not been able to shake the label of losers for more than five years. But this Saturday, the packed grandstands cheered happily at Camden Yards.
The winged lost again, this time against the Tampa Bay Rays. But the joy of those present celebrated a fact that may end up being iconic: the opening of a door that leads to a brilliant future, the one in which the novena has been working for years.
Adley Rutschman’s debut is the latest step the Orioles have taken on the road back to top competition.
The Portland-born catcher burned through the Minor Leagues before receiving the news of his MLB graduation. He hit .309 / .427 / .515 between Class A and Triple A, until the Birdies’ brass decided he was up for the challenge.
Rutschman is not just any prospect. For Baseball America he is the number one talent of all the rising youngsters. For MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus he is second in their rankings.
He is a receiver with so much potential that the Seattle Mariners took him as a teenager in the 2016 College Draft, when he was just in high school. He then he did not want to sign. And three years later, he made the leap from Oregon State University, already number one in the class of 2019.
THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Rutschman is just the tip of the iceberg that contains within it the formula that will make these Orioles competitive, until now the laughingstock of the Major Leagues.
MLB Pipeline, the site specializing in prospects from the Major Leagues themselves, ranked Baltimore in March as the organization with the best farm system today.
The orange troop has been in that position since mid-2021, after a thorough recruitment campaign that has been developing for years.
Pitcher Grayson Rodriguez will soon follow in Rutschman’s footsteps. He is number six in the overall count in the Minors, the best among all pitchers, and he has an arm that promises to make a difference in the Big Show.
Infielder Gunnar Henderson, outfielder Colton Cowser and pitcher DL Hall are also among the best recruits in baseball today.
The Orioles last had a positive record in 2016. Right now they are under .400, with 7 losses in their last 10 starts. But things are changing, almost imperceptibly.
“They’re not far from starting to compete,” Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said, according to The Associated Press. “Your time is coming.”
Baltimore has relied on veterans such as Venezuelans Robinson Chirinos and Rougned Odor, Puerto Rican Jorge López or old acquaintances from the likes of Bruce Zimmerman and Jordan Lyles, who lead a discreet rotation.
But there’s plenty of potential behind Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander, two bats created by the organization itself.
Kyle Bradish has just graduated as a bigleaguer and Australian Alexander Wells set solid records below, before moving up to the big team. Ryan Mountcastle just hit 33 home runs in 2021 and was sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting. John Means should be a legitimate ace again when he returns from surgery in 2023.
“I keep track of what our guys are doing in the Minors,” manager Brandon Hyde said. to the site FiveThirtyEight.com. “I’m on top of our guys at the top level. I read the reports every morning. We are getting close. Slowly”.
Baltimore lost this Saturday, once again. But the day before, he left Tampa Bay on the field, in a show of character that united young and veteran, drawing words of admiration from Kiermaier.
“This is a big project,” warns Mike Elias, the winged general manager.
That, for now, is not noticeable in the standings. But Rutschman’s rise is another step in the right direction. And even the rivals recognize that the time is coming for the Orioles.
