His debut with the Aberdeen Ironbirds didn't go the way Adley Rutschman wanted it to go. He went 0 for 5 at the plate in his role as the DH. But in game two....things improved immensely he went 2 for 4 and made his debut behind the plate. He threw out two Hudson Valley runners attempting to steal second base. He told the Baltimore Sun after his catching debut:
“It feels really good, I haven’t thrown anyone out in over two months, so it’s been a good thing to be able to get comfortable again on defense,” Rutschman said. “Like I was talking about earlier, just being able to catch a new staff is always fun for me because it’s new arms, it’s new curve balls, it’s new sliders every pitcher’s got their strengths and things they want to work on and just different ways to go about their business.”
The above video interview is after his first game but its nice to see how comfortable he seems in his role as a minor league ballplayer. His Manager and his parents were also interviewed about his arrival in Aberdeen and he has the town buzzing:
So now Adley will settle in with the Ironbirds. The Class A team is on the road today facing Mahoning Valley at 4:05 pm pacific time. The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are in Northeast Ohio.