The 2022 season can be summed up as The Year of Adley Rutschman for Orioles fans. Picked first overall out of Oregon State back in 2019, the catcher came out of college with huge expectations and the ambitions of an entire franchise on his shoulders. It almost seemed impossible for a player to live up to that kind of hype. But in his rookie season he did just that, serving as the single biggest reason why the team pulled off a 30-win turnaround and now looks poised to become a threat in the American League.
But before all of that positivity could take place, Rutschman’s season started on a low note.