Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Adley Rutschman Born: 02/06/1998 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 220
	Primary Position: C

Well built, fully formed 6-foot-2 backstop that has both good strength and mobility. Not too big or too tall for the position; he's perfectly suited for the role. Better athlete than many would give credit for, but well above average for a catcher.

Evaluator	Keanan Lamb
Report Date	06/01/2019
Dates Seen	5/10-12/19
Affiliate	(, )

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2021	Medium	60	No

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	60	At present, he is nearly identical from both sides of the plate ability-wise as a switch-hitter. His compact setup and swing is best suited for a contact approach, despite his power ability. Even if the game power doesn't fully come around, his knowledge of the zone and handspeed should equate to a plus batting average regardless of position, and double-plus relative to the position.
Power	60	The power has really improved as his approach has refined. He is able to get into hitter's counts and wait for his pitch, unloading with plus batspeed and adding leverage to his swing when necessary. At minimum, he is able to barrel the ball with regularity with easy gap-to-gap power with a contact approach without having to sellout for power.
Baserunning/Speed	50	A better runner than many would think, he can at least be an average runner -- which is far better than most catchers. While certainly no burner, he is a very good baserunner and gets very good reads off balls put in play and in the dirt.
Glove	60	From a fundamental standpoint, his receiving skills are clean with decent framing ability. His lateral movement is very good at anything bounced at the plate, and is especially excellent at pop-ups. One concern while playing at Oregon State: he never called his own games even though he was a three year starter. He may be able to work in tandem with a pitching staff, but it is an unknown.
Arm	70	While the arm is certainly plus, his footwork and release routinely give him pop times in the 1.8-1.9 range which helps play up the arm grade. Throws are regularly strong and accurate, with very few runners willing to test him this season.

Rutschman does everything well, if not above average on all his tools with very few holes. There are so many commitments to balance as a professional catcher: handling a staff, scouting an opponent, and then putting in time in the batting cages from both sides of the plate. If anything suffers, maybe it's the bat, but the defense alone is consistent enough to make him an everyday catcher on a first division team with a high floor. However, if the bat continues to play, he is a regular all-star caliber player given the positional scarcity. Given the physical demands of the position and high attrition rates, there is enough risk involved to prevent a higher OFP, although a 70 grade in the future is not out of the question.