Adley Rutschman

Simba famously told us in The Lion King he laughed in the face of danger, and Rutschman certainly did the same in the face of those wondering if there would be a sophomore slump for the young catcher. The 25 year old backstop was a key cog of the AL East champion Orioles lineup finishing as the eighth-most valuable fantasy catcher and the only catcher who could claim at least 20 homers, 80+ RBIs as well as 80+ runs on their resume. If not for the misconfiguration of left field in Camden, Rutschman would have joined Cal Raleigh as the only catcher with 30 homers but that monstrosity is where most pulled flyballs go to die. Rutschman has already earned a reputation for a very discernable eye at the plate as he walks nearly as often as he strike out which is a rarity for both his age and his position. Baltimore values the bat and gave him 46 games at DH so he provides plenty of volume with the added bonus of hitting first or second in the lineup. Simply put, the acquisition cost is worth it. Read Past Outlooks