Buck Showalter Sends Strong Message on Adley Rutschman’s Future
With the season on the line, the Baltimore Orioles’ bats just couldn’t perform or produce enough to compete. A second consecutive postseason sweep has fans questioning the viability of one supposed franchise cornerstone. Because while most of the Orioles’ batters disappointed, only Adley Rutschman entered the postseason already slumping at the plate. Over 58 games following the All-Star Break, the former first overall pick batted a lowly .207/.282/.303 line, to go along with three home runs and 33 strikeouts. Rutschman recorded just one hit in the three-game series loss against the Kansas City Royals, to cap off a disappointing year.
Compare that to his .276/.339/.441 line (as well as his 16 home runs) from the first half of the season, and it’s easy to discern why there’s unease about Rutschman’s future. But while fans are concerned about Rutschman’s second-half dip in 2024, one former manager feels strongly that there’s no need to be concerned. Buck Showalter, who served as Baltimore’s manager from 2010 to 2018, has come to the defense of the 26-year-old catcher. He made his case in an Oct. 17 interview with Ryan Ripken. “Don’t bet against this kid,” Showalter told Ripken. “The best development of players happens in the offseason sometimes…Adley Rutschman is fine. He’s going to be a good player for a long time, and he will figure this out. He’ll be better as the result of some of the struggles.”
Rutschman and the Orioles head into the 2024 offseason with a laundry list of improvements to make, respectively. How much they accomplish could determine if a postseason appearance next year will feature Baltimore’s first postseason win since 2014. The rebuild has taken place. Now it’s time for the Orioles to take the next step.
