Five Hundred Hits

A Father on the Mound

During the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle, Randy Rutschman stood on the mound and threw to his son. Adley switch-hit 27 home runs in the first round before elimination, then stayed on the field with relatives to watch the rest of the event. Randy had played baseball at Linfield College, where Adley's grandfather Ad was a Hall of Fame football coach. The family's athletic roots run through the Pacific Northwest. At Sherwood High School, Adley was a two-sport star. In a rainy, windy playoff game against Tigard his senior year, he lined up for a 63-yard field goal with seconds left in the half, watched it curve through the uprights for an Oregon state record, and could not help smiling.

Five Hundred

On May 4 of this season, Rutschman collected his 500th career hit. The Orioles took him first overall in the 2019 draft and signed him for a then-record $8.1 million bonus. He debuted on May 21, 2022, and has played 572 games for Baltimore across five seasons — a .254 average, .342 on-base percentage, 122 doubles and 69 home runs.

At Oregon State, he was named College World Series Most Outstanding Player in 2018 after helping the Beavers win the national title. In 2019 he claimed multiple national player of the year awards. As a freshman at Oregon State, he also played football as a placekicker, averaging 59.5 yards per kickoff.

The Clubhouse

Austin Hays spent time with the Rutschman family around the 2023 All-Star events and came away talking about the upbringing — the close bond with his parents, Carol and Randy, and his sister Josie. Hays called him a phenomenal player who is also a really solid person in the clubhouse and off the field. He has been an All-Star three times and won a Silver Slugger in 2023.

He is 28, still catching for Baltimore, with 540 hits and counting.

Reporting: Portland Tribune, Sports Illustrated, Oregon State Athletics, CBS Sports, Wikipedia. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.