Before stopping in a huddle of media members at Leidos Field, Adley Rutschman had to answer an important question from Aberdeen IronBirds general manager Jack Graham: What did he want his walk-up song to be?
Rutschman, the Orioles’ top prospect, took his time, answering other questions from reporters before turning his attention to that one and settling on Kanye West’s “Gorgeous.” It might not play long at Ripken Stadium, with Rutschman, 24, beginning a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday with the Orioles’ High-A affiliate as he works his way back from a right tricep strain suffered on the cusp of major league spring training.
Rutschman caught Tuesday and batted second amid a collection of other top Orioles prospects, with Connor Norby ahead of him and César Prieto, Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser behind him. He hit a hard lineout to left in his first at-bat then pulled a double into right from the left side before working a six-pitch walk as a right-handed hitter in his final plate appearance, catching the first five innings. Mayo, Baltimore’s fourth-round pick in 2020 and their No. 10 prospect, added a pair of home runs in the IronBirds’ 10-2 victory.
“I wouldn’t have been mad at myself whether I had gone 0-for-4 or 4-for-4 today,” Rutschman said after the game. “It’s just trying to stay with the process and see some pitches again and just try and get that timing back so that we can continue to move forward and get better.”
Aberdeen manager Roberto Mercado was pleased with Rutschman’s performance, adding he will likely also serve as a designated hitter during his time with the IronBirds as part of the organization’s plan to build him back up to where he was before the injury.
“The way he plays the game, I think, is great for all our guys to what it takes to get to the next level and continue to grow,” Mercado said.
The contest marked Rutschman’s first in High-A, having skipped the level amid the canceled 2020 minor league, but a return to Aberdeen. Weeks after the Orioles drafted him in 2019, he joined what was then the Orioles’ short-season club for his first taste of affiliated ball. He quickly found familiarity in the area, particularly remembering the places he’d eaten.
“I think from just like a mental, physical standpoint, there’s been a lot of strides,” Rutschman said beforehand. “You always kind of think about what kind of headspace you were in at that time, and I remember coming here and being interviewed in this dugout and just kind of wide-eyed and not really knowing what was going on, just trying to fit in and make sure I was not stepping on any toes and just make sure I’m doing everything right. But I think now definitely a little bit more confidence in what we’re doing and kind of how I want to approach my everyday play.”
He admitted patience, though, remains a work in progress, at least when it comes to baseball. As Rutschman rehabbed his injury, he watched Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., drafted one pick after him in 2019, and Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson, selected first overall a year later, make their debuts. If not for his injury, Rutschman might have already done the same as those players, who he knows from playing with and against them. He’ll likely return to Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit .312/.405/.490 in 43 games last year, before the Orioles call him up.
“You’re excited for them more than anything,” Rutschman said. “I think it kind of is just even more motivation to continue to push forward.”
Also joining Aberdeen from extended spring training is left-hander DL Hall, Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect who is continuing his progression from a stress reaction in his pitching elbow. Rutschman said he, Hall and No. 2 prospect Grayson Rodriguez — a right-hander ranked as baseball’s top pitching prospect who has starred with Norfolk — often talk about a future where they all share the clubhouse at Camden Yards.
“I think it’s hard not to,” Rutschman said. “It’s one of the things you try not to really get too excited or think about the future too much because I think we all try and stay present as much as we can. You want to enjoy the time you have right now, especially since you’re in the minor leagues for two, three, however many years you are, and if you’re just constantly looking at the big leagues and, ‘Oh, I want to be here,’ then I think you kind of take for granted the time you have right now, especially to make the relationships with the guys on the team. I think that’s the biggest thing, but definitely there is that aspect of we look forward to be able to contribute to a team, try and win, and win together.”
Hall echoed that feeling.
“It’s definitely a thought that goes through our heads, I can’t lie,” Hall said. “It’s very exciting, not just with us, but with all the guys we have coming up and everyone that we have in this farm system, just a lot of talented guys. It’s super exciting to know the future of the Orioles is in good hands, for sure.”
In describing himself as “a few weeks away from being truly let loose,” Hall isn’t certain of the concrete plans for him in Aberdeen, saying he’ll work his way up from there a level at a time until hopefully reaching the majors sometime this season. In the meantime, he said he’s paid for an MiLB TV subscription to keep up with Rodriguez and the Tides.
“Told him he needs to start striking more people out,” Hall said with a chuckle.
Like Rutschman, Hall said it’s hard to be patient, especially as he approaches five years since he was drafted 21st overall in 2017. He called joining the Orioles this year his “ultimate goal,” but he understands the organization’s caution with him.
“It’s kind of a thing in baseball that you kind of grow used to just because you see it happen with so many prospects and things like that,” Hall said. “They never rush you too much. It’s been a long journey, but I’m looking forward to this year and actually being able to progress.”
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