Should a rookie be seriously considered to be team captain of a Major League Baseball team?
There won’t be any anointment of one for the Baltimore Orioles this season — I mean, the team has only had an official one for just three of its 69 seasons, when Eddie Murray had the honor from 1986-88. … Historically, it’s just not an Orioles “thing.”
Throughout the 2010s, Adam Jones was considered one. He and manager Buck Showalter were the main faces of the franchise during the team’s resurgent era. He showed leadership qualities and embraced the Orioles’ history, a commitment to success and camaraderie right down through celebratory pie faces. Heck, it was Jones, who, four years ago this week, stepped aside and tossed the center field keys to prospect Cedric Mullins and insisted the rookie lead the team on the field from the dugout to open the game because, well, that’s what center fielders are supposed to do.
There have been some great Orioles who never donned the “C” for the Orioles, and four have busts in Cooperstown, namely, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken and Jim Palmer. Perhaps you’ve seen their statues at Camden Yards. Like I said, it’s just not an Orioles thing, apparently.
But there’s someone on the current roster of this team that is waking the echoes of “Orioles Magic” and grabbing the attention of the country as they continue to remain a contender for the postseason with just 50-some games left to play.
For much of the season, this collection of rookies and cast-offs from other teams leaned on veteran Trey Mancini — the last player in the dugout who had experienced playoff baseball with the team — for guidance. Mancini was always among the first to hug teammates after a big moment or slip on the home run chain of a player who just went deep. Something worked – just look at their win-loss record.
Some fans and media members were certain that the team would spiral off in a negative direction after Mancini was sent to Houston in a trade deadline-deal. Who could fill the void of a team leader that these Baby Birds could trust?
Why not the myth-turned-legend rookie whose big-league debut was overshadowed by a silly jersey-number controversy by many of the same fans and media members? Since May 21, when he finally broke into a game at Camden Yards after being the first overall pick of the 2019 draft, Adley Rutschman has immediately infused rocket fuel into the Orioles’ climb from the being the laughingstock of the league they have endured since its dismantling of a veteran-laden, playoff-experienced roster in 2018.
The Orioles lost that first game with Rutschman on the major-league roster to fall nine games under .500, but since then, they’ve gone 42-28 and are suddenly tied for the final wild-card position.
Rutschman has been far more than a joy-rider of this resurgence. The switch-hitter has become a doubles machine while batting in the heart of the order, and his prowess behind the plate — in both framing and blocking low pitches — is impressing observers around the league. Remember the days of Pedro Severino, where every pitch in the dirt became way too dramatic? … With a catcher as skilled as Rutschman, Orioles pitchers can be confident again that any pitch they want to try won’t end up at the backstop. Not willing to take the risk of pitching breaking balls and sliders is a big reason why pitchers were hit hard and often with ERAs ballooning. And you don’t have to move a left-field wall back 40 feet to recognize that.
This roster of young players is seeing his commitment, respect and dedication to the game and are soaking it up like a sponge; almost as if he was learning at the feet of Mancini until the trade. His teammates — many not much older than Rutschman himself — don’t seem to mind falling in line behind the rookie. They’re playing well, and the wins and the accompanying push up into the American League East and A.L. wild card standings is undeniable proof.
Rutschman isn’t just a game-changer; he’s a team-changer.
Now, back to the original topic. Is it too early to sew that captain’s “C” on his jersey, above the once-controversial No. 35?
Putting the “rookie” part aside, it’s not like he’s a kid who’s too young to drink legally; Rutschman is already 24 and doesn’t seem to blink at the attention under the bright lights of the major leagues. He’s proven his worth as a leader through four years at Oregon State and every stop in the Orioles’ farm system. He leads by example and doesn’t mind talking to everyone on the pitching staff after innings, whether they’re starters, closers, set-up guys or mop-up men. I’m just a casual observer, but he really doesn’t seem to be shaken off much by any pitcher after communicating what pitch he’s calling for.
Catcher seems to be a natural position to designate a team captain. If nothing else, the position is a bridge between the position players and the pitching room. As the game has become more position-specific over recent years, catcher has remained the exception. And it has to be since it marries the offensive and defensive aspects of a team like no other.
Still, some of the greatest catchers — Hall of Famers, even — in the history of the sport such as Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza were never team captains. Carlton Fisk had to wait until he was 42 years old when the White Sox designated him with the honor near the end of his remarkable career, which included his storied tenure with the Red Sox. Joe Mauer and Lance Parrish were never “official” captains, though they were absolutely leaders on those Twins and Tigers teams, respectively
Looking at catchers who were named captains, only the Cardinals’ Ted Simmons (27) and the Yankees’ Thurmon Munson (28) were in their 20s. Other catcher captains were Brad Ausmus (30), Buster Posey (33), Jason Varitek (33), and were well into their careers with Detroit, San Francisco and Boston, respectively.
Yes, it might be needless and rushed at this point of his career, but Rutschman seems to be on the right track for that respectable “C,” though I don’t think anyone would really have a problem with it in the Orioles’ clubhouse.
He’s already acting like one — and that’s really all you can ask for.
