Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Blake Rutherford Born: 05/02/1997 (Age: 20)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 205
	Primary Position: CF
	Secondary Position: RF

Skinnier build, projectable body, solid athlete

Evaluator	Greg Goldstein
Report Date	07/20/2017
Dates Seen	3x in July
Affiliate	Charleston RiverDogs (Low A, Yankees)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2020	Moderate	55	Yes

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	55	Above-average bat speed, compact stroke, flashes quality plate coverage; smooth through the zone, will let the ball travel, doesn't frequently roll over pitches; loose hands, controls body well at the plate, adjusts barrel for consistent line-drive contact, advanced approach for age, will struggle finding the barrel against off-speed; projects above-average utility at maturity
Power	50	Above-average raw, likely to grow into plus, has some leverage to drive it, flashed high loft; lacks consistent leverage for home run pop, more gap power at present, will grow into himself as an all-fields doubles threat, capable HR potential, approach plays more to contact; projects average game power
Baserunning/Speed	50	Timed 4.18, 4.28; Lacks burst on the basepaths, potential to steal a few bases
Glove	50	Solid mover in outfield, lacks athleticism and burst to stick in CF full-time, profiles better in the corners, relaxed when approaching routing fly balls, flashed glove skills in the gaps
Arm	50	Showed fringe to average arm strength, flashes above-average when body is under him, carry to cutoff men, lobbed from deep CF, strength projection to expect improvement

Rutherford really doesn’t have a glaring weakness in his profile. The former first-round pick can hit, run, throw and field to at least average levels. His power growth as his body matures may be what puts him over the top to become an above-average regular, though his swing and approach plays more to the gaps. Rutherford is a fairly sure bet to become a capable major league corner outfielder because thanks to an all-around game, though he lacks for standout carrying tools to expect a ceiling much higher.