The minor leagues are back

The minor leagues are back

SHINE.

AFTER A PANDEMIC YEARWITHOUT PLAYERS TENDING THEFARM, THE MINOR LEAGUES HAVERETURNED.

WMAR-2 NEWS SHAWNSTEPNER HAS MORE ON THEORIOLSHINE BRIGHTEST.*PK* After a summer ofbarren ballparks and desolatediamonds, minor league baseballis back.

The professionaldevelopment leagues all aroundthe country start back uptonight.

For the Orioles thatmeans first pitches forTriple-A Norfolk, Double-ABowie, Low- A Delmarva& andtheir new High-A affiliate inAberdeen.

Matt Blood, OriolesDirector of PlayerDevelopment: Ittime coming.

I guess now overa year and a half.

Everybodwants to get out there to playand compete.

Just about everysingle person is justthrilled.

Including the Birdstop prospect, Adley Rutschman.Adley Rutschman, BaysoxCatcher: Just to get back outthere again, get thatadrenaline going, itto be exciting and Istoked.

The first overalldraft pick of 2019, Rutschmanis one of the best prospectsin all of baseball.

He suitedup for some games in the lowminors two years ago and a fewfor the Ofuture face of thisfranchiseleague season starts with theBowie Baysox.

Heready to get back to thegrind.

Rutschman: Now you getto go out on a nightly basisand get four at-bats and beable to catch someone and calla game and get your adrenaligoing.

That means a lot and isdefinitely going to help yougrow as a baseball player.

Theexpectations for the23-year-old catcher will beimmense.

ThatRutschman: Theregoing to be expectations.have to be able to controlwhat I can control and otherpeoplereally fall into thcategory.

ThatIitfar.

Itfor Rutschman and histeammates.

Rutschman: A lot ofour topics of conversation aralways just about how excitedwe are to continue to help theOrioles and try and do ourbest to get there andhopefully win a World Seriestogether and what that wouldlook like and all thepotential ahead.

Rutschman andthe Baysox begin their seasonon the road tonight inAltoona.

The only Oaffiliate playing at home thisevening, Delmarva.

TShorebirds host Salem at 7:05.Shawn Stepner, WMAR-2 News.TonightShowers likely andpossibly a thunderstorm before9pm, then scattered s