Struggles of Adley Rutschman Have Been Biggest Failure for Baltmore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have been held back by the struggles of Adley Rutschman.

Sep 19, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) drives in a run on his fourth inning double against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

It has been a disappointing second half of the season for the Baltimore Orioles, as they find themselves struggling. 

Since the All-Star break, the Orioles are three games under .500, as they are limping into the playoffs. Baltimore has struggled in pretty much all aspects of the game, as injuries have crippled their pitching staff and their lineup is really underperforming. 

On paper, Baltimore has one of the most talented lineups in baseball, as they are really deep top to bottom. While players like Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander are having excellent seasons, they have had some key players struggle. 

One of the main culprits for the struggles of the lineup has been All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman. 

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN recently spoke about Rutschman’s struggles this season being the biggest failure for the team this year. 

“Biggest failure: Baltimore's injury-riddled lackluster second half opens a lot of possibilities for this slot. But we'll zero in on one aspect, which is the puzzling season on offense from Adley Rutschman. His defensive numbers remain strong, but Rutschman's third season has seen an across-the-board decline with the bat. Most puzzling has been a 4% dip in walk rate from a hitter who seemed almost preternaturally selective at the plate.”

Since the All-Star break, Rutschman has been lost at the plate, as he has totaled a .199 batting average, three home runs and 18 RBIs in 52 games. In the first half of the year, the talented catcher totaled a .275 batting average, 16 home runs and 59 RBIs. The drastic difference in performance has been a puzzling one.

The extended slump for the All-Star has been a big blow to Baltimore’s offense, as he was a middle of the order hitter for them in recent years. Having their talented catcher struggle has hurt the depth of the lineup for the Orioles, and they unfortunately don’t have the pitching staff to pick up a slumping lineup. 

Considering that Baltimore made the big move to acquire Corbin Burnes before the start of the campaign, they seemed like a team that was all-in this season. However, it’s hard to have a lot of confidence in this team right now with how they have played for the last two months. 

The struggles of Rutschman have been a big issue for the team, but he hasn’t been the only problem for the team. However, the shocking decline in production from the star catcher has been a contributing factor in the Orioles falling apart in the second half of the year.