Rutschman leading AL All-Star catchers voting

Adley Rutschman, grandson of Linfield coaching legend Ad, is having a stellar second MLB season with the Baltimore Orioles.

After finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, Rutschman now leads all catchers in the AL in All-Star voting by a comfortable margin.

With more than 460,000 votes, he leads second-place Jonah Heim of the Texas Rangers by about 140,000.

In 65 games so far this season, he is batting .276/.388/.416 with eight doubles, eight home runs and 28 runs batted in. He’s also drawn 46 walks, which leads the league.

Rutschman is trying to become the first Baltimore catcher to make the All-Star game since Matt Wieters in 2016.

This summer, the All-Star game is in Seattle, the closest major league ballpark to Rutschman’s hometown of Sherwood.

With Rutschman leading the way, the Orioles have been one of the best teams in the league throughout the first half of the season. At 42-25, they are tied with Texas for the second-best record in baseball.

The best team so far, the Tampa Bay Rays, happen to be in the same division as Baltimore, the AL East, and the Rays hold a five-game lead in the division.

Baltimore is still in good early standing looking at the Wild Card standings, however, as they have a four-game lead over the Houston Astros for the top spot.

The Orioles have not made the postseason since 2016, when Rutschman was a senior at Sherwood High School.

Outside of the All-Star game, fans’ best chance to see Rutschman is when the Orioles visit Seattle for a three game set the weekend of Aug. 11.

Fans can vote on All-Stars up to five times every 24 hours every day through June 22, with the top two at each infield position (excluding pitcher) advancing to the final stage of voting that will run from June 26-29.

For the three outfield positions, six players will advance to the final stage, with three earning starting spots.

The winner of the final stage will be the starter.

To vote, go to mlb.com/all-star/ballot.