Rolling with Adley Rutschman: The May call-up that turned the Orioles into contenders

BALTIMORE - Adley Rutschman's call-up to the big leagues changed the direction of the Baltimore Orioles.

Exactly one year ago Sunday, the top prospect in baseball walked onto the diamond at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The catcher made his Orioles debut on May 21, 2022.

And Rutschman didn't waste any time contributing.

He tripled and walked against Tampa Bay in the Orioles' 6-1 loss.

The Birds were just 16-24 to start last season before Rutschman's promotion.

They went 67-55 the rest of 2022 and finished with an 83-79 record while remaining in the playoff hunt through September.

This year, the Orioles own a 31-16 record, which is the second-best in all of baseball.

Rutschman is batting .279 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 37 walks.

Since joining the Orioles, in 159 games, he is hitting .261 with 20 home runs, 66 RBIs, 102 walks and 93 runs scored.