Welcome back to LWOS MLB Draft Coverage, the column that brings you player profiles for the next crop of professional baseball players that are likely to be selected in the upcoming draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow us on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical profiles and scouting reports. Click here to check out our complete coverage of the 2016 MLB Draft. Last Word On Sports is your new headquarters for all things 2016 MLB Draft!
Blake Rutherford
School: Chaminade College Prep
Position: Outfield
Height: 6′ 2”
Weight: 190 lb.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Blake Rutherford 2016 MLB Draft Profile
Rutherford has been on the radar for a while. Playing for USA Baseball’s 18U team for two summers in a row, he has been evaluated more than most high school players. Rutherford has a smooth, easy swing that produces loud contact and big middle-of-the-field power and is a polished hitter who sees the ball well. The left-handed-hitting outfielder from Chaminade, the Southern California high school, can do just about everything on a baseball field. He hit .435-4-14 as a junior with 25 walks and only seven strikeouts. The senior also has a UCLA commitment. Assuming he goes where his talent permits and his new team offers him a decent contract, he won’t make it to school.
Strengths:
- Solid defender
- Above-average speed
- Above-average raw power
- Strong hustle
Weaknesses:
- Age 19 on draft day
- Arm strength
Projected pick: 5-10
Projected MLB Team: Miami Marlins
Bottom Line: Rutherford has been a well known player and prospect since he entered high school, but really blossomed over the course of last summer and fall, and saw his stock rise to the point where he is now considered the top position prospect in the 2016 class. He will be 19 years old when the Draft comes, a year older than most high schoolers, and some evaluators wish they had seen more from him as a result. That shouldn’t deter a team in the first round from considering Rutherford’s ability to be an everyday player, if not more, at the big league level.
Sources: MLB Prospect Watch, SB Nation MiLB, Perfect Game USA
