Catcher goes No. 1 in MLB Draft

Indians, Pirates each select RH pitchers

Associated Press

SECAUCUS, N.J.

Adley Rutschman heard the chatter for months that he’d be the top pick in the Major League Baseball draft.

The switch-hitting Oregon State catcher just kept slugging at the plate and throwing out would-be basestealers all season from behind it — making it an easy call for the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.

“It’s unbelievable,” Rutschman said from Goss Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, shortly after becoming the top pick. “Just to look back on how I was as a kid and seeing what my expectations were, how far I’ve come from there. It’s special.”

The announcement by Commissioner Rob Manfred at MLB Network studios marked the second time the Orioles led off the draft — they took LSU pitcher Ben McDonald in 1989.

“I met with all the teams over the course of the year and knew the Orioles were going to be the first overall,” said Rutschman, a 40th-round pick by Seattle three years ago. “As the year progressed and went along, it looked like it was a possibility more and more. It just worked out that way.”

With the No. 2 choice, the Kansas City Royals grabbed Texas high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the son of former big league pitcher Bobby Witt.

The younger Witt has draft-day bragging rights on his father, who won 142 games over 16 seasons after being selected No. 3 overall in 1985.

“Now I’ve got him beat,” Bobby Witt Jr. said.

The Witts became the highest-drafted father-son duo, topping Tom Grieve (No. 6, 1966) and Ben Grieve (No. 2, 1994). They are the seventh father-son combination of first-rounders, and first since Delino DeShields (1987) and Delino DeShields Jr. (2010).

“The dreams are kind of turning into reality,” the younger Witt said.

The Cleveland Indians took right-handed pitcher Daniel Espino with the 24th pick. Espino is originally from Panama, but moved to the United States in 2016 and played high school baseball at Georgia Premier Academy. He has fastball that can exceed 100 mph.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Illinois high-schooler Priester Quinn with the 18th pick. Quinn is a right-handed pitcher who starred as a wide receiver and a defensive back for a state-championship winning football team.

The 21-year-old Rutschman had been the favorite to go first overall since he led Oregon State to the College World Series championship last year and was selected the most outstanding player. He followed that up with a dominant junior season at the plate — and behind it. He hit .411 with a career-best 17 homers to go with 58 RBIs and a school-record 76 walks, and threw out 13 of 27 runners attempting to steal.

Rutschman, a native of Sherwood, Oregon, is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award given to the country’s top college player. He was also the Pac-12 player of the year for the Beavers and the conference’s co-defensive player of year.

His selection marks the seventh time a player drafted as a catcher was taken with the top pick, and first since Minnesota tabbed Joe Mauer in 2001.