Baltimore Orioles Star Named MVP Favorite for 2024
The Baltimore Orioles made the trade for Corbin Burnes because of the way their young stars have played.
Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and others have all proven they can play at the big league level, leading Mike Elias to reward them by adding a pitcher of Burnes' caliber so they can compete in the postseason to try and win a World Series for the city.
Still, Rutschman, Henderson, Burnes, and any other player on the Orioles need to produce.
If they don't, Baltimore can expect another early postseason exit.
With another year under their belt, that shouldn't be the case. What's getting lost in this is that they were better about two years earlier than expected.
With new expectations, it's going to be interesting to see how the young guys react.
Pressure isn't always a good thing, but they did show last season when they won the AL East that they won't be fazed by the pressure.
Speaking of new expectations, Rutschman might have more than anyone else in baseball.
The switch-hitting catcher is already arguably the best in baseball at his position and should only continue to improve.
MLB.com ranked him as an MVP favorite in 2024, putting him in the conversation with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Corey Seager, and Julio Rodriguez.
He's proven that he deserves to be in those talks and has an opportunity to do so again in 2024.
It should be noted that Buster Posey, Joe Mauer, and Ivan Rodriguez are the only three catchers who have won an MVP award throughout the past 47 seasons.
Rutschman has a chance to join that elite crew if he performs and the Orioles are in the mix to win the division again.
