Rutherford, the Yankees No. 3 prospect, settling in to pro ball
LAKEWOOD » Blake Rutherford admitted he was nervous the first time he stepped on a baseball field as a professional.
Who wouldn’t be? The Yankees, his favorite team, used their 2016 firstround pick, No. 18 overall, on the teenage outfielder from California who idolized Derek Jeter.
“I knew that there were expectations and I think I was a little bit nervous and overwhelmed,” Rutherford said following a batting practice session in Lakewood where the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs were in town for a three-game set.
But a conversation with Yankees Vice President of Player Development Gary Denbo shortly after his debut changed all that.
“(He) just told me to relax and have fun with the process and enjoy being a professional. Ever since he told me that it’s kind of been really fun. … I haven’t worried about the expectations or what people think of me. I’ve just been working everyday to grow as a paltry and become hopefully a major league baseball player one day.”
In his first full season of pro ball with Charleston in the South Atlantic League, Rutherford, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has settled in nicely. He’s posted a .284/.346/.395 slash from the left-handed batters’ box in 70 games as the RiverDogs’ everyday center fielder.
“I’m a person who can affect the game on all three sides whether it’s base running, outfield or hitting,” he said. “But I’m also supercompetitive and I’m going to go up there and battle whether I’m having a good game or a bad game. Every at-bat I’m going to fight and try to make it a tough at-bat for the opposing team.”
Rutherford, now 20, has just two home runs in 271 at-bats for Charleston, but scouts suggest he has raw power which will be harnessed as he continues to mature.
“The power numbers are going to come as I grow older,” he acknowledged. “I’m just sticking with the line drive (approach) and trying to hit the ball hard to all fields. As I get older and develop more strength, the man strength, those balls are going to carry and leave the yard.”
At 6-foot-3 and 195-pounds, the rec-spec wearing Rutherford certainly has a star quality to him. He showed some of it in a 2-1 victory on Sunday when he launched a gamewinning two-run homer to the opposite field with two outs in the ninth inning.
Charleston leads the SAL Southern Division with a 17-6 second-half record. The SAL, unlike the Eastern League, clears the record at the halfway point. The RiverDogs went 34-36 in the first half and finished fifth in the division.
“This is my first full year where I get to play baseball and just worry about baseball,” Rutherford said. “I think it’s allowed me to grow as a player and a person because I’m learning a lot on my own for the first time. I’m living away from home, away from the family, so I’m growing as a person and growing close to my teammates. For the first time being able to dedicate (my time) to baseball, it’s been a lot of fun and real beneficial.”
Rutherford said his goal for the offseason is to work on his body and add muscle flexibility. He also plans on working with Charleston hitting coach Ty Hawkins, whom he credited for his consistency this season, as well.
“Everyone always says after you play your first full season, you learn about what you need to develop or what you need to continue to work on,” Rutherford said. “I won’t take a lot of time off because I want to get back in the weight room, get back to working. I’m not going to swing and throw, but I want to get training again and start to develop my body. I want to come back a different person.”