This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Plenty of camp battles will take place this year during Spring Training in Sarasota, Fla.; the Orioles have questions to answer regarding many areas of their roster.

Which top prospects will force their way into the infield picture, and which veterans could be bumped? Who will join Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander in the outfield rotation? Which five starters will make the rotation? Who gets the final spots in the bullpen?

There’s no such uncertainty at catcher, which is Baltimore’s most set position entering 2024.

Adley Rutschman is the starter and will work the majority of the innings behind the plate, while James McCann will again serve as the backup. Together, they formed one of the best, most reliable backstop duos in baseball in 2023 -- Rutschman’s first full big league season and McCann’s first year with the Orioles.

Last season, Baltimore’s catchers posted 1.3 Wins Above Average (per Baseball-Reference), tied for sixth most at the position in MLB and second in the American League behind only the Mariners (1.4). Rutschman was a big reason for that.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft -- the Orioles’ first under general manager Mike Elias -- Rutschman has quickly lived up to the potential that made him MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect at the time of his big league debut on May 21, 2022. He was the runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year Award in ‘22, and he was equally impressive in his ‘23 sophomore showing.

Over 154 games last year, Rutschman slashed .277/.374/.435 with 31 doubles, 20 homers, 80 RBIs and 84 runs scored. He was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger, and his 128 OPS+ made him the first catcher in AL/NL history to record a mark that high in each of his first two big league seasons (min. 400 plate appearances in each).

“He is already one of the premier catchers in the game,” manager Brandon Hyde said at the Winter Meetings in December. “What he can do offensively and defensively, it’s incredibly special. Now, it’s just continuing to pile up at-bats, more innings behind the plate, stay on the same path he’s on right now.”

Rutschman boosted Baltimore’s pitching staff with his great pitch-framing ability. But his defense took a small step back from ‘22 (1.5 defensive Wins Above Replacement in 762 innings) to ‘23 (0.2 dWAR in 934 2/3 innings).

Of course, Rutschman is still 25 with only 267 big league games under his belt heading into 2024.

“It takes three to four years to truly learn the league,” McCann said at the Winter Meetings, held near his residence in Nashville, Tenn. “I talked to [Rutschman] a lot about -- especially big games where maybe we didn’t come out on top -- ‘Hey, we could have pitched a guy differently,’ or, ‘We could have pitched around this guy to get to this guy,’ whatever it may be. 

“I tell him constantly, ‘You need to fail. You need to have those moments where you fail, because in four or five years, you’re going to draw back on that moment and go, ‘I’m not going to get beat that way again.’’”

In 2022, Rutschman gained valuable insight from veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos, who spent his final big league season with the Orioles. They replaced him with McCann, who was acquired in a trade with the Mets last offseason and is under contract through the ‘24 season.

A 10-year MLB veteran and former All-Star, McCann played 69 games during his first year with Baltimore, posting a .222/.269/.377 slash line with 14 doubles, six homers and 26 RBIs. The 33-year-old’s value went beyond the numbers, as he lived up to his reputation of being a good clubhouse guy and a strong leader/teammate.

It’ll be important for the Orioles to have McCann in that role again, considering they lost Kyle Gibson (signed with the Cardinals) and free agents Adam Frazier and Aaron Hicks are unlikely to return. McCann is ready to help Baltimore try to win a second straight AL East title and then make a deep run through the postseason.

“The main core is there. If guys stay healthy, I think we’re going to have another good season,” McCann said. “That’s why it’s an exciting time in Baltimore.”

It’s also an exciting time behind the plate in Baltimore, thanks to the steadying presence of the Rutschman/McCann catching tandem.