SARASOTA, Fla. -- Those who know Adley Rutschman well -- particularly the handful of Orioles players living in the same house as the 27-year-old catcher during Spring Training -- understand his tough second half of the 2024 season wasn’t anywhere near the norm, nor should it be expected to happen again.

“I’ve been around Adley enough to where we all know that he wasn’t himself that second half,” said infielder Jordan Westburg, one of Rutschman’s spring roommates. “That wasn’t the real Adley Rutschman.”

This spring, the real Adley Rutschman has returned.

“I feel like I’m in a really good spot right now,” Rutschman said with a wry smile.

Among the players in O’s camp having a standout spring is Rutschman, who reported to Sarasota in mid-February in great shape and with something to prove. The two-time All-Star backstop wants to get back to the level of production he showed prior to appearing in the Midsummer Classic last July.

Rutschman’s 2024 splits
First half: .275/.339/.441 with 12 doubles, 16 home runs and 59 RBIs in 90 games
Second half: .207/.282/.303 with nine doubles, three home runs and 20 RBIs in 58 games

Rutschman has drawn the attention of many this spring with his work ethic and laser focus.

“He wants to get back to that player he was in the first half, which is the player he is,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He did everything he could this offseason to work on some things, and he looks great right now.”

“It was just a good learning process for Adley of how to control a lot of things that come with being a superstar and kind of being the anchor to a team,” hitting coach Cody Asche said. “I think it was just good for Rutsch to just reset. He showed up to Spring Training in, I think, a really, really good mindset, the mindset I’ve seen Rutsch in years past.”

During the offseason, Rutschman worked with Baltimore’s hitting coaches as well as catching instructor Tim Cossins. He also frequently checked in with teammates, all of whom pushed each other to improve and move past the O’s disappointing loss to the Royals in last year’s American League Wild Card Series.

Rutschman impressed with both his bat and his defensive work in the early weeks of camp. That has since carried over into Grapefruit League action, as he is batting .444 (8-for-18) with one home run, three RBIs, three walks and five runs scored through eight games.

“Obviously, it’s a long season and you’ve just got to take it step by step,” Rutschman said. “I feel like we’re in a really good spot. I like how I’m seeing the ball at the plate, how some of my misses are going, as far as like some line drives the other way on balls that I’m a little late on and just making sure those launch angles are keeping in a good range and those misses are still good outcomes. I’m happy with where we’re at now.”

Hyde recently heralded the switch-hitting Rutschman’s swing decisions and knowledge of the strike zone as “elite skills.” Another one of his best offensive attributes is his ability to use the whole field, something he didn’t do nearly as well during last year’s sluggish second half.

The best example of Rutschman’s emphasis on better opposite-field success this spring came on March 1, when he was batting left-handed against Pirates right-handed ace Paul Skenes at Ed Smith Stadium. In the first inning, Rutschman slapped a single to left field off the All-Star hurler, even though he was late on the pitch and didn’t put his best swing on it.

How did that happen, exactly?

“For me, there’s a combination of different factors when it comes to that,” Rutschman said. “It’s how I’m dropping into the zone. Like if my bat is on plane and I’m catching it deep and still hitting it on a line vs. if my bat’s coming in a little steep, I’m not on plane for as long of a time. That’s just stuff that we worked on -- creating better misses.”

If Rutschman is producing like that, it’s an encouraging sign his 2025 season will be a good one.

Everybody around him believes that will be the case.

“If you’re a fan watching Adley Rutschman, I would say that last year’s the exception, not the rule to what his career is going to look like,” Asche said. “If he goes through struggles again, I think he’ll be better equipped to stop that snowball, per se.”

“Personally, I expected him to come into camp and do something like this. It’s not surprising to me whatsoever,” Westburg added. “He looks more motivated, he looks focused. He’s showing up to the field every day with some fire, kind of to prove, ‘Hey, I know what happened in the second half, and I’m ready to right the ship.’ I’m pumped for him, man. He looks really good.”