Adley Rutschman will begin his pro career in the Gulf Coast League

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

June 25, 2019, 11:35am

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In introducing Adley Rutschman today, the top pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said Rutschman would begin his pro career in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League and then move on to short season Single-A Aberdeen.

"He's won a lot of awards this summer for his accomplishments in college and he's got a few more," Elias said at today's press conference at Camden Yards. "Then we'll send him to our spring training facility in Sarasota, Fla. Join the Gulf Coast League roster for a slow on-boarding process after the layoff he's had. And then shortly thereafter join the Aberdeen IronBirds of the New York-Penn League and start his climb up the minor leaguer ladder."

Rutschman, who agreed to a record $8.1 million signing bonus, is the second Oriole ever drafted 1/1 following LSU right-hander Ben McDonald in 1989.

"Every time I've signed a player in my entire scouting career there is always back and forth, but the important thing is this process went well and we all arrived at something we're very pleased about," Elias said

Rutschman has been in Baltimore the past few days.

"I'd like to thank the entire Orioles staff for their hospitality the last couple of days. For providing my family and me with a great experience. It's truly a beautiful city and I'm very excited to be here. It's been a long journey to get here to live out my dream.

"I had the opportunity yesterday to walk around the stadium and meet some fans. It's a special history. Just to be a part of the building process that is going on now, I'm truly humbled to be a part of that. Very excited to get going," he said.

Elias, who said Rutschman will take batting practice with the Orioles today, talked further about why Rutschman will eventually head to Aberdeen.

"I think we'll let his play determine how fast he moves. Every player is different. Every first round pick is different. I always believe in starting players at the lower level. It's very easy to transfer them if they are performing well. Almost all our college players will start with Aberdeen."

Elias talked about how this was such a big day for the Orioles.

"This is a big decision for our organization," he said. "We said all along this was probably the biggest decision that this organization is going to make He's part of the process we're going through to take this organization back to where it belongs.

"We are trying to bring in talent from every direction possible. Having the No. 1 pick is a special opportunity. But the important thing for us is this doesn't start and end here. We've signed another 29 draft picks so far and we'll sign more and it's a really good draft class on the whole. We've got the international signing period about to open up. We've got all kinds of avenues for taking our organization where we want it to go. A player of his caliber is not necessarily available every year in the draft.

"We are in a phase right now where we are looking for building blocks. By signing Adley Rutschman today we found a very big piece," Elias said.

Rutschman was asked what he might buy with that large signing bonus?

"I don't know, I'm pretty comfortable with my Honda Civic," he said.

Rutschman said he's already met some of the Orioles.

"I met some of the guys and they were very welcoming. I got to walk around yesterday and see the facility, very impressive. A beautiful yard."

After winning a long list of awards and being on a College World Series winner last season, Rutschman has been around pressure a lot. Now he'll face more as the top pick in the draft.

"I feel like there's a lot of pressure coming into the draft this year," he said. "Just with being projected as the No. 1 overall pick at the start of the season. I think I was able to handle the pressure very well this year. Basically it's about sticking to your process and trying to be the best player you can be."

Elias feels the building up of the Orioles farm took a big step forward in June.

"I think this draft has injected a lot of talent into the system, there is no question about that. It is important to remember as we do this, other teams are drafting too and they are signing international players too. We are not just racing against ourselves. But I think we did well and these guys will go out and play well over the next few years. I stick to my goal of elevating our talent pipeline into the top tier of teams. This was a big step for us."

Rutschman will have to learn to call pitches as he begins his pro career. Most top college programs call pitches from the bench and that happened at Oregon State.

"Over the past couple of years, our pitching coach did call the majority of the pitches. He gave me a little bit more freedom as we moved forward. Think our talks as I grew in the program became more in depth about why we threw guys the way we did. What was the thought process behind it and what to look for with the hitters swing and whatnot. Every time I played summer ball - whether it was the Cape (Cod League) or with Team USA - I was able to call my own pitches. Both of those were great learning experiences."

Elias was asked how much Rutschman will catch this year.

"He's definitely going to catch, but no one catches every day in minor league baseball. I think one consideration is we feel his defense is fairly polished, so we don't know that he needs to log a ton of development innings catching. The at-bats will probably be more important for his minor league development. But certainly we want to keep him catching. Get some experience catching in pro ball and pitchers that he hasn't worked with, pitchers from Latin America. There is a lot that goes into that. In terms of the exact amount, I don't know right this second. He will catch some, but it will probably be more of a part-time thing this summer. We'll use lineup spots however we can. So if its DH or first base, he's done that in college. I think we'll see him at a number of positions," he said.