The time has come for major league baseball teams to consider recalling their brightest minor league prospects, and the Baltimore Orioles followed suit on Saturday, announcing the promotion of top catcher Adley Rutschman.
• To read also: The big trio of the Blue Jays on the mound
“I could not be more excited, reacted Rutschman, Saturday afternoon, in a press conference. It’s incredible and it’s also the fact of being able to share this moment with the people around me and all my former teammates.
The 24-year-old Rutschman will have been patient before receiving the long-awaited call. Selected first overall in the 2019 draft, the American had been ready to make the jump for quite a while. He was finally scheduled to make his Orioles debut on Saturday night in a game scheduled in Baltimore against the Tampa Bay Rays.
big announcement
Through a video released by the Orioles organization, it was possible to see that it was the manager of the AAA school club, Buck Britton, who announced the happy news to Rutschman.
“You are not expected to be a hero, be Adley Rutschman, suggests Britton, trying to explain to the player why he was not used in a match played on Friday. Adley Rutschman is full of talent, so be yourself, especially when you go to Camden Yards and play in the major leagues for the first time.
As soon as the manager’s speech is over, the video shows several teammates of the young player at the Norfolk Tides, necessarily in the game, running to Britton’s office to celebrate.
The best hope
Rutschman will not have stolen his recall, he who was considered the number one prospect in major league baseball. He had also signed a record bonus of $ 8.1 million in 2019 after his draft selection.
Since the start of the current season, the catcher has played at three levels (A-strong, AA and AAA), posting an overall batting average of .309. He notably hit three home runs in 12 games with the Tides.
1
