Buck Martinez: Adley Rutschman ‘Reminds Me An Awful Lot Of Ted Simmons’

Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez is impressed by the Orioles’ season for two reasons — the young talent and manager Brandon Hyde.

Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and a refurbished bullpen have taken the Orioles to heights beyond anyone’s initial expectations.

Rutschman and Henderson have hit the cover off the ball. The two have hit .255/.364/.446 and .319/.373/.565, respectively, entering play Sept. 21. Combine that with their defense and leadership and these young guns have taken the Orioles to the next level to compete in the AL East.

Martinez, a color commentator for the Orioles from 2003-2009, is truly surprised by Baltimore’s turnaround and its wealth of young talent.

“The Orioles are a terrific story no matter what happens from this point forward,” Martinez said on Glenn Clark Radio Sept. 16. “They won 52 games last year and they’ve already won [76 this year]. I know Brandon Hyde is not satisfied with that and I know they have the postseason on their mind as well, but what a season they have had.”

Specifically, Martinez is most impressed by Rutschman, saying the Baltimore backstop is a generational talent who will lead the team into the future. Rutschman has been the centerpiece of the team’s plan since he was taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.

“He reminds me an awful lot of Ted Simmons, and I think his catching skills are even better than Ted Simmons,” Martinez said. “So you’ve got a switch hitting catcher that’s a leader, and when he came up on May 21, he just turned the team around.”

Martinez’s adoration for Rutschman did not end with the comparison to Simmons, a Hall of Famer and eight-time All-Star.

“The catcher can really energize the team with his body language and how he does things,” Martinez said. “I really like the way that Rutschman goes to the pitcher at the end of an inning and puts his arm around him and talks about that last inning.”

“[It] just gives you so much confidence that he has that pitcher’s best interest in mind before he ever thinks about himself as a hitter, and that’s what you want from your catcher,” Martinez continued. “I think they have a real gem. Matt Wieters was the same type of player, and I think that Adley Rutschman is going to be even a little bit more impactful than Matt Wieters was in Baltimore.”

Martinez believes Hyde deserves credit for the Orioles’ turnaround as well. Hyde was hired from the Cubs ahead of the 2019 season, having been part of the rebuild that led to a World Series title in 2016. But the first three seasons were rough for Hyde in Baltimore.

“I think [Hyde] deserves a lot of credit, because the first three years, he had to be marvelously patient because they were getting their brains beat out. They lost 110 games last year,” Martinez said. “Knowing Brandon, he’s upbeat, he’s encouraging, he’s a relatively young guy at 48, and I think he can relate to all of this.”

A former catcher and manager, Martinez understands Hyde’s vision and managerial style. Martinez caught for the Royals, Brewers and Blue Jays from 1969-1986. Martinez later managed the Jays in 2001 and for part of 2002.

“[Hyde] understands every different level of player, because he was a bench coach in Chicago with the Cubs. He was a first base coach. He has all the different perspectives that you want,” Martinez said. “And of course — what I think is most important — he was a catcher [in the minor leagues]. And a catcher has a different perspective on the game than anybody else because they’re the only people on the field that see everything in front of them.”

“I respect Brandon and I think he’s the perfect guy for this team and obviously to get the results that he has this year is pretty remarkable,” he added.

Martinez envisions a renewed rivalry between the Orioles and Blue Jays in the near future. Both clubs are loaded with young talent and are looking to become the new kings of the AL East.

Tensions have flared between the two teams this season, most recently with a benches-clearing argument between Orioles reliever Bryan Baker and the Blue Jays. This sets the stage for a season-ending series between the Orioles and Blue Jays Oct. 3-5.

“Over the years, I think this going to be another terrific rivalry in the AL East,” Martinez said.

For more from Martinez, listen to the full interview here:

Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox