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Orioles select catcher Adley Rutschman No. 1 overall in MLB Draft

Posted at 10:57 PM, Jun 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-03 22:57:34-04

Catcher Adley Rutschman #35 of the Oregon State Beavers. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)

BALTIMORE, Md. (Orioles Media Relations) – The Baltimore Orioles tonight announced that they have selected catcher Adley Rutschman from Oregon State University with the first overall selection of the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Rutschman, 21, hit .411/.575/.751 (76-for-185) with 10 doubles, 17 home runs, 57 runs, 58 RBI, and 76 walks in 57 games during his junior season. He guided Oregon State to their 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. His .575 on-base percentage and 76 walks led all of Division I. During the regular season, he led the PAC-12 Conference in batting average, on-base percentage, and walks, and tied for the conference lead in slugging percentage.

He was named the 2019 PAC-12 Player of the Year, PAC-12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, All-PAC-12 First-Team, and PAC-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention. Rutschman was also named the 2019 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year as well as a Collegiate Baseball First-Team All-American. He is one of four finalists for the 2019 Golden Spikes Award, which honors the top amateur baseball player in the nation. He was ranked as the No. 1 overall draft prospect by Baseball America and MLB.com. He has been named a finalist for the 2019 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award and a Semifinalist for the 2019 Dick Howser Trophy, regarded by many as college baseball’s most prestigious award.

Catcher Adley Rutschman #35 of the Oregon State Beavers. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)

A native of Portland, Ore., Rutschman was a three-year letterwinner at Sherwood High School. He was named the 2016 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year, and Baseball Northwest ranked him as the No. 2 high school player in the state of Oregon during his senior year. He was a three-time All-State (two first and one second team) player and a three-time First-Team All-League player.

The 2019 First-Year Player Draft marks the second time in Orioles history the club has had the first overall selection in the MLB Draft, with RHP Ben McDonald in 1989 being the first. Rutschman becomes the first catcher selected No. 1 overall since 2001 when Joe Mauer was selected by the Minnesota Twins. He is the first catcher selected by the Orioles in the first round of the MLB Draft since Matt Wieters (No. 5 overall) in 2007.

The Draft will continue Tuesday, June 4, on MLB.com with rounds 3-10, beginning at 1:05 p.m., and conclude on Wednesday, June 5, on MLB.com with rounds 11-40 starting at 12:05 p.m.