BA GRADE
55
Risk: V. High
HIT: 55.
POW: 50.
SPD: 45.
FLD: 50.
ARM: 45.
Born: May 2, 1997. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 195. Drafted: HS—Canoga Park, Calif., 2016 (1st round). Signed by: Bobby DeJardin (Yankees).
The Yankees were ecstatic Rutherford fell to them at No. 18 in the 2016 draft and signed him for $3.282 million. But after a middling start to his first full professional season at low Class A Charleston, the Yankees traded Rutherford in mid-July to the White Sox as the headliner of a four-player package for relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle and third baseman Todd Frazier.
Rutherford’s sweet lefthanded swing, disciplined approach and the sound the ball makes off his bat makes scouts believe he’ll be an above-average hitter in the future, but questions about his power potential have yet to be answered, especially after he hit just two homers in his full-season debut. Rutherford is likely to move off of center field, so the emergence of power will be key to his profile as a big leaguer.
Evaluators with both of his employers saw average power potential so long as he works to add muscle, which was one of his goals this season. Because of his below-average footspeed and arm, Rutherford is likely to settle into left field.
Rutherford is likely to be part of a crowded outfield picture in high Class A Winston-Salem in 2018. He’ll rotate between center and left field, and whether his power starts to play in games will be a key storyline.
Year |
Club (League) |
Class |
AVG |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2016 |
Yankees2 (GCL) |
R |
.240 |
8 |
25 |
3 |
6 |
|
Pulaski (APP) |
R |
.382 |
25 |
89 |
13 |
34 |
2017 |
Charleston, SC (SAL) |
LoA |
.281 |
71 |
274 |
41 |
77 |
|
Kannapolis (SAL) |
LoA |
.213 |
30 |
122 |
11 |
26 |
Minor League Totals |
.280 |
134 |
510 |
68 |
143 |
||
Year |
Club (League) |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
2016 |
Yankees2 (GCL) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Pulaski (APP) |
7 |
4 |
2 |
9 |
9 |
2017 |
Charleston, SC (SAL) |
20 |
2 |
2 |
30 |
25 |
|
Kannapolis (SAL) |
5 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
13 |
Minor League Totals |
33 |
6 |
5 |
47 |
51 |
|
Year |
Club (League) |
SO |
SB |
CS |
OBP |
SLG |
2016 |
Yankees2 (GCL) |
6 |
0 |
0 |
.333 |
.400 |
|
Pulaski (APP) |
24 |
0 |
2 |
.440 |
.618 |
2017 |
Charleston, SC (SAL) |
55 |
9 |
4 |
.342 |
.391 |
|
Kannapolis (SAL) |
21 |
1 |
0 |
.289 |
.254 |
Minor League Totals |
106 |
10 |
6 |
.346 |
.398 |
|