Yankees Top Pick Blake Rutherford Excelling in Pulaski

Blake Rutherford, the Yankees’ top pick in this year’s draft, is enjoying his first taste of pro ball down in Pulaski, Virginia.

With the Yankees youth movement in full effect and the farm system loaded, it’s quite exciting to see that OF Blake Rutherford is mashing in the Advanced Rookie level of the minor leagues.

That’s a good sign. A great sign, actually.

Rutherford, projected as a top-10 pick, didn’t go to college, and instead came right out of high school. To be considered a potential top-10 pick out of high school, you’ve got to be good. Rutherford was great.

In his senior year, he hit for a ridiculous .577 average, and struck out just eight times in 27 games. He’s continued this immense production into the lower level’s of the minor leagues.

As of right now, the 19-year-old is hitting at a clip of .446/.493/.723, or 29 hits in 65 at-bats. Obviously, it’s a very small sample size, but it’s extremely encouraging. It’s also worth noting that while on the GCL Yankees, the lowest level in the minors, Rutherford hit for an average of .240.

His ability to do better against tougher competition is something he was known for in high school, and is a good sign of how quickly he is progressing.

In his last 10 games alone, the lefty-swinging Rutherford has hit for a .514 average and struck out only seven times. FanGraphs had this to say about Rutherford’s offensive prowess:

“The first thing that jumps out from Rutherford’s left-handed swing is his excellent bat path, an ideal line-drive stroke that enters the zone early and enables his all-fields approach. He also has premium bat speed and hand-eye coordination, rarely making soft contact that results in a playable ball. When you boil everything down, Rutherford has no major weakness in his game.”

A high-schooler with no major weakness in his game? You don’t hear that often, and it makes you think how lucky the Yankees were to have him fall into their laps on draft day.

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It’s clear based on his production, he will be promoted sooner rather than later. The Yankees are hoping that he can progress through the minors fairly quickly to form a potentially deadly outfield trio with Clint Frazier and Aaron Judge.

Yankees fans can only dream, but based on how he’s done so far, maybe it isn’t so far-fetched.