Adley Rutschman Gets The Call at No. 1

Image credit: (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)

Adley Rutschman maintained his status as the No. 1 prospect for the draft the entire year. On Monday night, his selection as the first overall pick became official.

The Orioles drafted the Oregon State catcher with the top pick of the 2019 draft. In a conference call with reporters following his selection, Rutschman said he intended to sign and get his professional career underway.

“I am very excited to get started in my career,” he said.

Growing up in Sherwood, Oregon, Rutschman recalled his small town upbringing being an influential part of his journey to Corvallis, a College World Series and now Baltimore. When asked about his familiarity with the franchise, Rutschman admitted that although he has never been to Baltimore and is a “West Coast guy,” he has heard it is a beautiful city and he is excited to get familiar with the organization.

Rutschman might be the face of the Orioles rebuild and he emphasizes how fortunate he is to have his name called.

While he was widely expected to be the top overall selection, the silence of the Orioles organization had Rutschman somewhat unsure of what was going to happen.

He had been in contact with Orioles general manager Mike Elias, who gave him the call shortly after 7 p.m. EST.

“We spent as much time as possible analyzing every angle of this and we landed at Rutschman,” Elias said. “We’re thrilled with the decision, but not it’s a decision we came to easily.”

The past 48 hours have been a whirlwind for Rutschman. He is not sure what to expect as far as how quickly he will rise in the organization, but he is confident in the value he can bring as a catcher.

“I feel like as a catcher I work hard and being able to control staff like I can is a huge part of being a catcher,” he said. “Adapting to different pitching personalities, finding out what each one of their strengths; I feel like I’m invested.”