Baltimore Orioles Star Will Win MVP One Day, Says Blue Jays Manager

The Baltimore Orioles are filled with stars, but their catcher may be rising to the top of the heap with his play this season.

May 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Adley Rutschman. / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has played two full seasons in the Majors. In that time he’s finished 12th in American League MVP voting in 2022 and ninth in voting in 2023.

One day, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider says, the young catcher is going to climb to the top of that mountain.

On Wednesday his Blue Jays were the recipient of Rutschman’s heroics as he hit a walk-off home run to lift the Orioles to a win at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It was quite the blast and it kept his batting average above .300 for the season.

His best single-season batting average was .277 last year. The left-handed hitter already has nine home runs and looks like a lock to surpass his season-best 20 set last season when he played in 154 games.

To Schneider, there is no doubt where Rutschman is heading.

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN #WALKOFF HOMER! pic.twitter.com/OtmJD5yGLO

— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2024

"He's going to win an MVP,” Schneider told reporters after the game. “He's an organization-changer for them, obviously. He commands the zone, and he can do damage."

His slash numbers through 40 games are superb — .314/.350/.509/.859 with 27 RBI.

But, to be honest, most saw this coming.

The 26-year-old slashed .277/.374/.435/.809 with 31 doubles, a triple, 20 home runs and 80 RBI last season. He walked 92 times and struck out 101 times. He was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger at catcher, both for the first time.

In 2022, when he made his debut, he finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

He’s just another example of the work that the Orioles have done in their farm system in recent years. He was Baltimore's first-round pick in 2019 out of Oregon State (No. 1 overall) and was in the Majors by 2022. And that was with the 2020 minor league season being wiped out due to COVID-19.