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Adley Rutschman and the Baltimore Orioles entered 2025 with high expectations. Rutschman established himself as one of the best catchers in the sport in recent seasons, while the O's had become a consistent playoff contender. As of this story's writing, however, Rutschman is hitting just .208 while Baltimore is in last place in the American League East with a 15-31 record. Rutschman's struggles have been a talking point in 2025, and he recently addressed his slump, via Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner.
“I obviously believe in my ability, and my ability to be a good player,” Rutschman said recently. “I hate seeing the numbers at where they are. But, you know, I’m working every day to try to figure out that 1% every day that’s going to give me an edge to be able to go out and have batter results on balls in play.”
Rutschman will enter Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers with a lackluster .208/.299/.338/.637 slash line. His underperformance has been impossible to ignore, but there is a reason why the Orioles catcher is a two-time All-Star. He still has the talent to be one of the better players in MLB.
Rutschman said he is hoping for improved results on balls in play. His BABip (batting average on balls in play) suggests that he has been unlucky this year. He currently holds a .228 BABip, by far the lowest mark of his career. His career BABip stands at .283.
Additionally, Rutschman's 39.4 hard-hit percentage would be the highest mark of his big league career if the season ended today. His 15.5 strikeout percentage is also below his career 16.1 strikeout percentage.
The underlying numbers suggest that Adley Rutschman may be able to find his footing sooner rather than later. As long as he keeps hitting the ball hard and putting the ball in play, Rutschman will probably begin to see better overall results.
