Saturday’s Bird Droppings: Where Adley Rutschman is playing baseball in Maryland

Good morning, Birdland!

It has been a busy couple of nights for the Orioles to wrap up this week. Of course they had the marathon game on Thursday night against the Angles. Then on Friday there was the Billy Joel concert at Camden Yards. And tonight we get the top draft pick in the 2019 draft, Adley Rutschman, making his Maryland debut with the short-season Aberdeen IronBirds at Ripken Stadium. Sure, all three of these things are happening in different locations, but each of them is Orioles adjacent, so it counts.

The O’s are taking their time with Rutschman. His debut in the GCL was delayed for a few days, and fans grew frustrated. But everyone needs to relax. He is a kid who has played a lot of baseball over the last couple of years. A little bit of down time could do some good.

Not to mention, it will not impact his potential arrival in Baltimore in the slightest. As a college hitter, he is likely to zoom through the minors. The Orioles need to do what they can to ensure his timeline aligns itself with some of the other promising talents in the system as much as possible without stunting his growth.

Links

Orioles Designate Nate Karns, Promote Dillon Tate, Place John Means On IL - MLB Trade Rumors
It sounds like the John Means injury is minor, and he will return to the roster after just 10 days. The Dillion Tate promotion is quite interesting, though. He has had a heck of a season working out of the Bowie bullpen, but it is a tad surprising to see him skip over Norfolk. However, we have all seen what the Norfolk relievers have to offer, and it’s not a whole lot.

Wojciechowski throws an other gem; Orioles having a good month - Baltimore Baseball
One of the benefits of being a rebuilding team is discovering a player like Asher Wojciechowski. This is a guy that entered his age-30 season with less than 80 big league innings despite being a professional for nearly a decade. All of the sudden, he is part of a big league rotation and has a shot to stick for not only the remainder of this season but for 2020 as well. Who knows how long he can keep stringing together these positive outings, but it’s fun to watch for now.

Draft Class Driving Change In Minor League System - Birds Watcher
There has been a lot of movement in the Orioles minor leagues this week. Promotions aplenty. A few players released. This post provides a quick overview of everything that has taken place.

Beating the Red Sox is all that matters - The Warehouse Podcast
It’s out best episode yet! (It’s an OK episode.)

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Preston Guilmet, a reliever for 10 games with the 2014 O’s, is 32. Ryan Flaherty, the longtime utility man for some good Orioles teams between 2012 and 2017, celebrates his 33rd. Floyd Rayford, a third baseman/catcher for two stints with the O’s (1980-82, 1984-87), turns 62 today. And finally, happy 67th birthday to Rich Dauer, a steadying force in the Orioles infield from 1976 through 1985.

1959 - Barry Shetrone, a Baltimore native, becomes the first home-grown player to play for the Orioles following the franchise’s move from St. Louis. He goes 2-for-4 with a triple in a 5-2 O’s win over the Detroit Tigers.

1969 - The Orioles beat the White Sox 17-0 to register the franchise’s biggest shutout victory of all time. Jim Hardin is the winning pitcher. Frank Robinson drives in five runs while hitting two home runs.