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Adley Rutschman 2023 Player Outlook: Immediate Success in the Bigs Makes Him Expensive in 2023
2 years agoBaseball's top catching prospect made his long-awaited debut in 2022 and he did not disappoint. The young backstop slashed .254/.362/.445 with 13 homers in 470 plate appearances. After getting acquainted with big-league pitching, things were even better as Rutschman slashed .275/.399/.462 in the second half. He was not only one of the best hitting catchers in the league down the stretch; he was one of the best hitters overall. His 18% K% and 82% contact rate are elite marks, and rare to find from such a young player. All of this sets the expectations high for year two. The good news is that all of the underlying metrics look great. He puts a ton of balls in play and keeps the ball off the ground. The Orioles added James McCann this offseason, which should lighten the load behind the dish for Rutschman and give him more starts as the DH - which is a good thing for his fantasy stock overall. The problem is that there are no discounts on Rutschman this year, as he's a top-five catcher off the board and often goes inside the top 60 picks. That price might be prohibitive with plenty of cheaper options at the position, but Rutschman could be a fantasy baseball game-breaker in 2023 as such a great hitter at a tough position to fill.
