All You Need to Know About Projected Top MLB Draft Pick Adley Rutschman

The weakest position in Major League Baseball is undoubtedly catcher. Every team is looking for their next backstop of the future, and come Monday when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred takes the podium to announce the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 draft for the Baltimore Orioles, switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschman out of Oregon State is the likely name.

And he's an absolute game-changer.

The last catcher to go No. 1 overall was Joe Mauer back in 2001 for the Minnesota Twins, and it appears to have worked, as Mauer is a potential Hall of Famer.

But what makes Rutschman the unquestioned top pick? For one, his ability at the plate.

Adley Rutschman Stats

Rutschman has been named the 2019 Pac-12 Player of the Year and a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which acknowledges the best player in college baseball. After slashing .408/.505/.628 with nine homers and 22 doubles, while leading his Oregon State Beavers to a College World Series title last year as a sophomore, Rutschman has been even better as a junior.

In 55 games this year, Rutschman is slashing .419/.580/.765 with 17 home runs and 57 RBI, while also compiling twice as many walks (73) as strikeouts (37). He doesn't just hit homers and dominate that way, but he has a great eye for the strike zone, and does damage when you make a mistake.

Adley Rutschman's Top-Notch Defense

To be a successful big league catcher, you have to be able to defend your position. Teams will take lesser offense if they know you can do the job behind the plate and call a game.

Well, Rutschman can certainly do that. And you're not surrendering any pop, either.

Rutschman started catching back in third grade, which is a huge advantage, because he's had the time to develop and get use to a demanding position. His dad also had him play against older competition, which only expedited the process of him getting more comfortable with the increase in velocity.

He also pitched back in the day, and has a rocket for an arm, as his pop time from home plate to second base was clocked at 1.9 seconds, which would already put him in the top half of big league catchers.

Rutschman is a big kid at 6-2 and 216 pounds, so physically he has the body to hold up and withstand a long season. He's excellent at blocking balls, framing pitches, and throwing runners out on the base paths. Oh, and we can't forget about his ability to swing the bat, which is his ultimate strength.

It's rare to see a catching talent like Rutschman come around, and while you never really know how these things will play out, he's a safe bet to be great and one of the best catchers in baseball before long.