Presenting a very deep MLB 2022 rookie All-Star team

Catcher

Adley Rutschman was viewed as a can’t miss prospect when he was called up to Baltimore in mid-May, and the 6-2, 220 pounder hasn’t disappointed.

Drafted by Baltimore as the first pick in 2019, the former Oregon State star is hitting .255 in more than 400 pate appearances with 1 home runs. Hs 130 OPS+ — placing him 30 percent better than his peers—is exceptional for any veteran, much less a player with less than a full season of big league experience.

He has a +1.8 Win Probability Added.

Defensively Rutschman has been exceptional. His measurable include +16 Defensive Runs Saved, a total that is second in all of MLB behind only the Yankees’ Jose Trevino (+18).

In the most significant non-measurable — his handling of a pitching staff — Rutschman has won near-unanimous praise from those around the Orioles for his maturity at the tender age of 24. He is given outsized credit for projecting the 2022 Orioles from certain AL East tail-enders into playoff contention.

With just two weeks remaining in the season, it seems unlikely that the Orioles will actually reach postseason play (they are five games behind the Mariners).

But nobody thought they’d be above .500, which they are. In Baltimore, they credit Rutschman for leading much of the turnaround, some going as far as to anoint him as the first face of the franchise since Cal Ripken.

That is high praise indeed.