Blake
Rutherford

One of the top prospects in the country, Rutherford has good frame at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. He’s static with his hands in his set-up and uses a slight leg kick in his load. He made loud contact throughout the Area Code Games and had five exit velocities that ranged from 99-103 mph. He has a short, quick and direct swing that allows him to drive the ball with authority. He was robbed of extra bases on the first day and finished the week 7-for-18 with two doubles. Even his outs were very loud. With a loaded outfield on the Brewers squad in Long Beach, Rutherford didn’t see much time in center field. He’s an average runner so sticking there remains a question, but his bat has the upside to fit any position. Like Moniak, he is committed to UCLA and currently with Team USA in Japan.

8/9/15 - Went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI, hitting everything hard. He squared up a double with a 101-mph exit velocity and then hit a sacrifice fly that looked like a no-doubt home run off the bat, but the wind knocked it down.

8/8/15 - Went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two sacrifice flies. He finished with three RBIs and squared balls up in three of his five trips to the plate.

8/4/15 - Made loud contact in a couple at-bats, but was robbed of extra bases by a nice sliding catch in the right-center gap. Rutherford came back in his next at-bat to square up a double to left-center field and stole a base before scoring. He collected a single in his final at-bat and scored again.

At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Rutherford has a good, projectable frame and every part of his game is easy. He starts from a static set-up and has a quick, loose swing, keeping the barrel in the zone. He uses the whole field and has power in the gaps that should develop into more as he gets stronger. He is an above-average runner. Rutherford’s arm is probably his weakest tool at this point, but he has an easy arm action and may be able to improve it as he physically develops and gets stronger. He went 4-for-15 with a double and triple.

6/24/15 - Prototypical size at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and is an easy athlete. He has a balanced swing and runs effortlessly. He went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base.

6/23/15 - Good, projectable frame at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. Everything he does looks easy, smooth and natural. His arm could get stronger as he develops physically as he has an easy arm action from the outfield. He took an easy swing in BP, using the whole field and showing gap-to-gap power.