Position: OF
Born: 5/2/1997
Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 210 lb B-T: L-R
Acquired: Received from New York Yankees on July 19, 2017, in trade involving Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle.
Career Stats
FutureSox Prospect Rankings
- #7 – 2017 Midseason
- #9 – 2018 Preseason
- #11 – 2018 Midseason
- #11 – 2019 Preseason
- #10 – 2019 Midseason
- #13 – 2020 Preseason
- #13 – 2020 Midseason
- #13 – 2021 Preseason
FutureSox Media
- Story on trade with Yankees, July 2017
- Interview, August 2017
- Podcast interview, Jan. 2019
- In-person report from spring training, Feb. 2020
- In-person report from Schaumburg training site, August 2020
- Chris Getz talks up Blake Rutherford’s progress in Schaumburg, Sept. 2020
- All FutureSox articles tagged Blake Rutherford
Accolades
- South Atlantic League All-Star, 2017 Midseason
- Carolina League All-Star, 2018 Postseason
- Arizona Fall League Rising Star, 2019
Scouting Report
Rutherford was a consensus top 100 prospect in baseball at the time of his 2017 trade from the New York Yankees to the White Sox. His acquisition came just a year after the White Sox had heavily scouted him ahead of the 2016 draft. Rutherford went to the Yankees at No. 18 overall. After playing for the USA Baseball’s U-18 club, Rutherford was a tooled-up and polished prep bat who garnered interest as early as 1-1 in the draft field.
He hit the ground running in pro ball to the tune of a .382/.444/.618 line in a little over 100 PAs at rookie ball. His 2017 season in Low-A was a bit of a downer, slashing .260/.326/.348 across both clubs and trending the wrong way late. In 2018, he things turned around statistically, hitting .293 with a decent walk rate and going from 2 to 7 home runs. The following year he struggled with the jump to Double-A, but he didn’t turn 22 until a month into the season. Rutherford hit .265/.319/.365 for Birmingham and was even worse in the Arizona Fall League (.179/.281/.385) in 89 plate appearances.
Power isn’t Rutherford’s selling point, but rather a fixture of his game that features the most projection. It’s likely the key difference-making tool for him going forward as a sort of an outfield “tweener.” He can play center field, but analysts and scouts don’t feel confident he can play full time there. Offensively, Blake’s efficient and clean swing from the left side enables him to barrel his fair share of balls and utilize the entire field. Right now, it’s more conducive to line drives, but there’s enough raw power here to tease a 20 home run ceiling. He has the arm for a corner outfield spot, but will need to hit for more power. First division regular is still a possibility, with game power and center field play being the key variables to watch.
Major League Outlook: Possible CF but more likely corner OF regular
ETA: 2021-22