10 things to know about Adley Rutschman
Oregon St. star is Orioles' top Draft pick
Matt Kelly
@mattkellyMLBThe Orioles selected Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman with the No. 1 overall selection in this year's MLB Draft, making him the first catcher to go first overall since the Twins selected Joe Mauer in 2001. Here are 10 facts you should know about Rutschman, MLB Pipeline's top Draft prospect.
? Rutschman helped the Beavers win the 2018 College World Series and captured the tournament¡¯s Most Outstanding Player award after collecting a CWS-record 17 hits and driving in 13 runs. He tallied three hits and drove in two during Oregon State¡¯s title-clinching win over the University of Arkansas.
? If Rutschman is selected No. 1 overall, he would be just the sixth catcher in history to earn that distinction, and the first since Joe Mauer (Twins) in 2001. The other backstops were B.J. Surhoff (Brewers) in 1985, Danny Goodwin in 1971 (White Sox, didn¡¯t sign) and 1975 (Angels), Mike Ivie (Padres) in 1970 and Steve Chilcott (Mets) in 1966.
? Rutschman¡¯s 102 hits and 83 RBI in 2018 both set single-season records for the Beavers, with the hit crown formerly held by All-Star center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Rutschman¡¯s .408 average last year ranks third-best in school history.
? This season, Rutschman has already set a school single-season record by drawing 66 walks, and he has struck out just 36 times.
? On April 3, 2018, Rutschman hit a walkoff inside-the-park home run in the 10th inning against the University of Nevada, powering the Beavers to an incredible 8-7 win.
? He also played for the Oregon State football team during his freshman year. Rutschman was a kickoff specialist, averaging 59.5 yards per kick with 20 touchbacks. While at Sherwood (Ore.) High School, he kicked a state-record 63-yard field goal as a senior in 2015.
Rutschman also recorded one tackle that season -- when Stanford University¡¯s Christian McCaffrey broke through Oregon¡¯s State¡¯s kick return coverage. McCaffrey was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, of course, and is now an All-Pro running back with the NFL¡¯s Carolina Panthers.
? The Orioles own the first overall pick in this year¡¯s Draft, and the last time they drafted a switch-hitting catcher with their first pick was when they selected Matt Wieters out of the Georgia Institute of Technology with the fifth overall pick in 2007. That pick turned out pretty well; Wieters earned four All-Star selections and hit 117 home runs over eight seasons in Baltimore.
? If the Orioles do pick Rutschman first, he would be Oregon State¡¯s first top overall pick, and the first native Oregonian to be selected in that spot since infielder/catcher Dave Roberts, picked by the Padres in 1972.
? Rutschman¡¯s grandfather, Ad, is a coaching legend in the state of Oregon. Ad Rutschman is the only collegiate coach at any level to win multiple national championships in baseball and football, doing so with Linfield College in McMinville, Ore. Adley¡¯s father, Randy, is also a revered catching coach in the area.
? This isn¡¯t Rutschman¡¯s first go-around with the Draft. The Mariners took him in the 40th round of the 2016 Draft, but he did not sign with Seattle. At the time, Perfect Game ranked Rutschman as the 144th-best catching prospect in that year¡¯s Draft class.