Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has not performed to his usual standards this season.
Rutschman is in the midst of his worst showing in the majors in his young career, having posted a .253/.323/.398 batting line in his 567 plate appearances entering Monday, with 18 homers and 17 doubles.
Those numbers are skewed by what has been a miserable second half as Rutschman has produced a .197/.282/.289 batting line in 163 plate appearances since the All-Star break.
Rutschman is also aware of this. As Taylor Lyons of the Baltimore Sun relayed on Monday, Rutschman refuses to discuss his second-half swoon. Instead, he would prefer to focus on the Orioles’ run to the postseason, deflecting questions to the push for the playoffs.
He has a point. The Orioles entered Monday a half-game behind the Yankees for the lead in the AL East. Winning the division would give the Orioles some time off without having to worry about the wild-card round.
As the divisional race may come down to the final week as the Orioles and Yankees have a three-game series beginning on Sept. 24, the focus should be elsewhere.
This is also the type of response that should be expected. Rutschman has already established himself as a leader, with pitcher Corbin Burnes having said how excited he was to work with the young backstop. Shifting the attention from himself, and toward the team, is another sign of maturity beyond his years.
He is also keeping the focus where it belongs — on the Orioles’ push for a spot in the postseason.