Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman one step closer to making first All-Star team

T-Mobile Park has always held a special place in Adley Rutschman’s heart.

As a kid, it was where Rutschman got to watch major league games, he and his family making the drive to Seattle from their hometown in Oregon. Soon, the stadium may take on a new meaning for him — next month, it could be where he starts his first major league All-Star game.

Phase one of MLB All-Star voting concluded on Thursday, with Rutschman receiving the most votes among American League catchers. Rutschman and the Rangers’ Jonah Heim, who received the second-most votes, will now move on to phase two. The vote totals will be reset, and the winner of that round will be the AL starting catcher at the Midsummer Classic on July 11.

Phase two voting begins Monday at noon on MLB.com. Fans can vote once a day until June 29. The winners will be announced on ESPN at 7 p.m. later that day. No other Orioles players advanced to phase two, though they could still be named to the team. A player ballot determines the rest of the roster: five starters, three relief pitchers and eight position players.

If he wins, Rutschman will be the first Orioles catcher to earn this honor since Terry Kennedy in 1987.

Rutschman hasn’t tracked the results at all during the voting process — and didn’t want to know where he stood when asked, either. For him, it’s been a matter of when, not if, he makes an All-Star game. Outside of making his major league debut and maybe one day winning a World Series, Rutschman said getting to share the field with the best of the best has always been one of his top goals.

“It’s definitely up there,” he told the Baltimore Banner.

Rutschman, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, is hitting .272 with 10 home runs in a team-high 71 games played this season. Since his debut last May, the Orioles are 107-77 with Rutschman in the lineup, a .581 winning percentage.

danielle.allentuck@thebaltimorebanner.com