It’s long been assumed that the Orioles’ rebuild would turn, at least in terms of competitive intent, when 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick and now baseball’s top prospect Adley Rutschman finally ascended to the big leagues.
Without coming out and saying it directly, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias indicated as much Friday in his lengthy media session at Camden Yards addressing the club’s losing streak by acknowledging that both Rutschman and top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez are “certainly on the radar screen for 2022 in a big way.”
As the losing continues apace for the Orioles and they turn a season in which progress seemed possible into one in which the league’s worst record (38-83) and the first overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft are far more likely, such notions are invaluable.