Baltimore Orioles Star Listed as Top-5 AL MVP Candidate

The last Baltimore Orioles player to win AL MVP was Cal Ripken Jr. O's catcher Adley Rutschman is listed as a top-5 AL MVP candidate on Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies.

Jack Vita | Oct 24, 2023

Baltimore Orioles Star Listed as Top-5 AL MVP Candidate /

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Baltimore Orioles

The last time a Baltimore Oriole took home American League MVP honors, O's star catcher Adley Rutschman hadn't been born yet.

Rutschman, in his second Major League season, emerged as a superstar in 2023, slashing .277/.374/.809 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI, while playing a premium position. The no. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft was named an American League All-Star for the first time in his career this past summer.

Now, Rutschman is listed as a top-5 AL MVP candidate on Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. Rutschman ranks no. 5 on the list. In front of Rutschman is Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker, Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz and Los Angeles Angels pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. Here is a look at the top-5 list, with key statistics included:

5) Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore Orioles

154 G, .277/.374/.809, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 1 SB, 128 OPS+, 4.3 WAR

4) Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros

157 G, .284/.369/.886, 29 HR, 112 RBI, 30 SB, 142 OPS+, 5.4 WAR

3) Corey Seager, SS, Texas Rangers

119 G, .327/.390/1.013, 33 HR, 96 RBI, 2 SB, 170 OPS+, 6.9 WAR

2) Yandy Diaz, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays

137 G, .330/.410/.932, 22 HR, 78 RBI, 0 SB, 158 OPS+, 5.2 WAR

1) Shohei Ohtani, SP and DH, Los Angeles Angels

135 G, .304/.412/1.066, 44 HR, 95 RBI, 20 SB, 184 OPS+, 10.0 WAR

23 G, 23 GS, 10-5, 3.14 ERA, 132.0 IP, 142 ERA+, 4.00 FIP, 1.061 WHIP, 11.4 SO9, 3.04 SO/W

The last Orioles player to be win an AL MVP Award was Cal Ripken Jr., who took home the hardware back in 1991 and 1983. Rutschman was born in 1998. Only four Orioles have ever won an MVP Award: Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Boog Powell and Ripken.

The 2023 AL MVP Award winner will be announced sometime after the World Series wraps up in November. Ohtani is expected to win the Award for the second time in three years.

Published Oct 24, 2023

JACK VITA

Jack Vita is a writer and contributor to Sports Illustrated's Inside the Orioles, and host of the Jack Vita Show, a popular sports podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever podcasts are found. Jack is a 2017 graduate of Valparaiso University, in northwest Indiana. Since completing his degree, Jack has created his own independent sports media outlet (JackVita.com) and podcast (the Jack Vita Show). He has featured prominent guests from the worlds of sports and entertainment including Brian Urlacher, Scot Pollard, Bob Nightengale, Dan O'Dowd, and Survivor icons Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Danni Boatwright and "the Dragon Slayer", Coach Benjamin Wade. While studying at Valparaiso, Jack was the school newspaper's beat writer for the Valpo Crusaders men's basketball team, which won three straight Horizon League championships from 2015-2017. Traveling to cover the team, Jack had a front row seat to one of the nation's best mid-major teams, headlined by future NBA Draft pick Alec Peters and coached by NCAA Tournament hero Bryce Drew. Jack hosted a weekly sports radio show and provided play-by-play and color commentary services for ESPN 3 and the university's student radio station, WVUR-FM, 95.1 The Source, covering Valparaiso men's soccer, women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Jack also covered these sports, in addition to men's and women's tennis, baseball and women's soccer for the school newspaper, The Torch. While he was in college, Jack interned for and co-hosted Jewell On Sports, a sports radio program on AM 1050 WLIP in Kenosha, Wisconsin. There, he interviewed various pro athletes such as Ahman Green, Javon Walker and Javier Arenas, in addition to talking sports with the late, great Brad Jewell. Jack also interned for 22nd Century Media, a now defunct newspaper corporation that provided news to the North Shore of Chicago. With 22nd Century Media, Jack wrote post-game recaps, feature stories about local athletes, reviews of local restaurants and compiled the newspaper's "Pet of the Week" and "Athlete of the Week" sections, while providing copy-editing services. Before attending Valparaiso, Jack enrolled at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he studied for two years before transferring. He is a high school graduate of New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois. You can follow Jack on Twitter @JackVitaShow, subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, wherever podcasts are found, and reach him via email at jack@jackvita.com.