Adley Rutschman

Simba famously told us in The Lion King he laughed in the face of danger, and Rutschman certainly did the same in the face of those wondering if there would be a sophomore slump for the young catcher. The 25 year old backstop was a key cog of the AL East champion Orioles lineup finishing as the eighth-most valuable fantasy catcher and the only catcher who could claim at least 20 homers, 80+ RBIs as well as 80+ runs on their resume. If not for the misconfiguration of left field in Camden, Rutschman would have joined Cal Raleigh as the only catcher with 30 homers but that monstrosity is where most pulled flyballs go to die. Rutschman has already earned a reputation for a very discernable eye at the plate as he walks nearly as often as he strike out which is a rarity for both his age and his position. Baltimore values the bat and gave him 46 games at DH so he provides plenty of volume with the added bonus of hitting first or second in the lineup. Simply put, the acquisition cost is worth it.

Rutschman began the season on the minor league IL with a triceps issue. When healthy, he quickly advanced from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk before being called up on May 21. He started slow, posting a 137/.228/.196 line after 13 games, but then settled in to go .271/.380/.481 the rest of the way. Rutschman played excellent defense, finishing second among catchers with 18 defensive runs saved while exhibiting solid framing and an excellent arm. His plate discipline is stellar as demonstrated by a 13.8% walk rate and 18.3% strikeout clip. Rutschman's low 38.4% groundball rate helped him compile extra base hits with a below average fly ball exit velocity. His 35 doubles to 13 home run ratio should tilt more to the long ball as he continues to develop. As is, Rutschman is one of the top backstops in the league, assured of the lion's share of playing time for Baltimore. His ceiling is the top fantasy catcher.

On merit, Rutschman should have made his big-league debut last summer, but the Orioles are blatantly delaying his arrival, as he is the franchise cornerstone and once his clock starts, time is officially ticking on this regime showing progress in the standings. We've been saying he is the best catching prospect in over a decade for a few years now, and that remains the case. He has easy plus power to all fields, makes excellent swing decisions, and should always run high on-base percentages. Rutschman's hit tool is quite good, particularly relative to other catchers. He won't chip in on the bases, but he has a favorable home park and will occupy a favorable spot in the lineup, so he should be a four-category monster. Depending on the new CBA, Rutschman could break camp with the big club or he could be up in late April. His intangibles are off the charts, so he is a good bet to get the most out of his abilities.

The best catching prospect in recent memory, Rutschman may have debuted in 2020 if the Orioles were headed for a playoff berth, per GM Mike Elias. That didn't happen, but all signs point to Rutschman debuting sometime in his age-23 season. A switch hitter with at least 60-grade all-fields power and excellent strike zone awareness, Rutschman could hit .300 with 30 home runs annually while providing plus defense behind the plate and being one of the better team leaders in baseball. In dynasty leagues, Rutschman is already a top-two catcher, and the preferred option over J.T. Realmuto for any rebuilding team. The worse the replacement level catchers are in a fantasy league, the more value he has. An assignment to Double-A would signal that he is months away, while an assignment to Triple-A would signal he is weeks away from getting the call.

Not only was Rutschman one of the best college hitters in the 2019 draft class, but he has elite defensive tools behind the dish, making it an easy call for the Orioles to select the Oregon State product first overall. He had very poor luck on balls in play in the Gulf Coast League and Sally League, so take his .254/.351/.423 slash line across three levels with a grain of salt. His 27:20 K:BB in 37 games illustrates the switch hitter's superb control of the strike zone. He uses the whole field and should be able to hit 20-plus home runs annually without selling out for power. Rutschman won't be much of a stolen-base threat, but that's hardly a knock for a catching prospect. Baltimore's competitive window won't open anytime soon, which could delay Rutschman's debut until 2021. He is a better real-life prospect than a fantasy one, but is still the best fantasy catching prospect since Buster Posey.