The Baltimore Orioles, after years of terrible baseball, appear to be turning things around, thanks in no small part to top prospect Adley Rutschman's successful breakthrough into the majors. In only 113 games and 470 plate appearances since his call-up on May 21, Rutschman put up 5.3 WAR (per Fangraphs), on the back of elite hitting for a catcher and elite defense behind the plate.
However, the Orioles don't want to saddle Rutschman with a heavier burden than he could bear, hence their recent trade for James McCann from the New York Mets.
The Orioles' plan, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, is for McCann to take some “load off” Adley Rutschman. Baltimore is looking at the 32-year old catcher as a potential option at designated hitter and at first base against certain matchups.
James McCann had always provided solid backstop defense for his entire career, so this is a move that could only help the Orioles as they try and build on last season's promising 83-79 finish.
However, McCann may not be best suited for a DH/first base role. His batting production hasn't always been the best. In fact, in 2022, McCann hit for a putrid .539 OPS in 191 plate appearances, with his defense the only saving grace that allowed him to remain a positive contributor. Nevertheless, it'll still be up to Adley Rutschman to shoulder the majority of playing time in that position anyway.
Still, the Orioles believe that there is room for improvement in McCann's hitting. Rosenthal added that Baltimore front office believes that “he was unlucky with his results last season”. McCann had an expected average of .240 and slugging percentage of .414, marked improvements from his actual results. And with the 32-year old making $12 million until the end of the 2024 season, the Orioles will be hoping that McCann would, indeed, turn things around for his offense.
Follow Us
Subscribe