Orioles’ Chirinos on Rutschman: ‘He’s grown so much’

BALTIMORE—Three years ago, Robinson Chirinos was concluding his 11-year major league career as an Orioles catcher. He spent much of the season mentoring Adley Rutschman, who came to the Orioles on May 21^st and helped turn the franchise around.

Now, Chirinos is in his first season as the Orioles’ bench coach.

“It’s been a learning process every day,” Chirinos said. “It’s been great to be back in the dugout, back with the guys, grinding it every day to win games. You learn every single day in this game if you have an open mind, learning the other team, how other guys are running the bases, counts, they’re waiting to steal, delayed steals, how to control the running game, a lot to scout from the other team and know what they’re doing.”

Chirinos got an unexpected chance to manage on Sunday when Brandon Hyde was ejected after arguing over a called third strike on Jordan Westburg in the third inning.

Chirinos spent much longer as a major league player than as a coach, and the transition is ongoing.

“I’m thinking as a catcher, how guys are going to run the bases,” he said. “I’m using both at this point. Maybe that approach is different next week. Maybe I’ll learn more as a coach and not so much as a guy who used to catch.”

Even though Chirinos was a 2022 teammate with fewer than half the 26-man roster, he felt he knew the organization.

“When I got to spring training, talking to the players, I feel like I know most of the guys, and that’s good. That made me feel more welcome when I got here.”

Rutschman credits Chirinos for helping mentor him in his rookie year. Rutschman’s growth has pleased Chirinos.

“He’s grown so much since I was here in ’22,” Chirinos said. “He’s already leading this team. I know the sky is the limit for him to keep growing and be the player he can be.”

On Saturday, with the Orioles trailing 3-2, Rutschman hit a tying home run and showed some rare emotion.

“He looked straight to the dugout, flipped his bat. The dugout was pumped,” Chirinos said. “It was a tough game. We’re trying to push and get back. He breathed that energy. He’s been great since spring training. I think you guys saw his energy and spring training, and he’s continued through the season.”

Chirinos worked mostly with Rutschman on his defense, and that continues.

“You need to be able to work on your defense as much as you work on your offense,” Chirinos said. “He’s been doing that since spring training. His throwing has been great. He’s been looking great, throwing the ball, blocking. That ball he blocked in the ninth inning  when [Félix] Bautista threw that split [on Saturday], that was a game-changer for us. Rutsch had so much on that block.”

Rutschman and others have become more vocal at the urging of manager Brandon Hyde.

“You see it on a daily basis when we do meetings,” Chirinos said. “You see in the dugout. You see in the clubhouse. These guys are more comfortable when it comes to talking in front of the group. That’s good to see because you need not only one leader, but you need multiple leaders on the team when a team is chasing a championship. These guys are growing as we speak, and it’s fun to watch.”

The Orioles don’t have many veterans, and Chirinos is trying to share his experience as a player.

“No panic. That’s been my conversation with the guys,” he said. “I know it’s not where we want to be. We can’t panic right now. We just have to keep working daily to put ourselves in a good position to get out of the stretch [we’re in] right now. I think I can help and I’ve been helping so far this year.”

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.