Blake Rutherford

Blake Rutherford (born May 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago White Sox organization.

Blake Rutherford
Rutherford (left) and Luis Gonzalez with the Birmingham Barons in 2019
Chicago White Sox – No. 76
Outfielder
Born: (1997-05-02) May 2, 1997
Simi Valley, California
Bats: Left Throws: Right

Career

Rutherford attended the Chaminade College Preparatory School in West Hills, California.[1] As a freshman, Rutherford committed to play college baseball at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[2][3] As a junior, he hit .435 with four home runs.[4][5] In August 2015, he played in the Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field.[6] As a senior, he batted .577.[7]

Rutherford was considered one of the top prospects for the 2016 MLB draft.[8][9]

New York Yankees

He was drafted by the New York Yankees with the 18th overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft,[10] and signed a contract with the team on June 29, 2016, with a signing bonus of $3,282,000 [11] Rutherford began his professional career with the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, and was promoted to the Pulaski Yankees of the Rookie-level Appalachian League after a few weeks.[12][13] He finished his first professional season batting .351 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 33 games between both clubs.[14] Rutherford began the 2017 season with the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League.

Chicago White Sox

On July 18, 2017, the Yankees traded Rutherford, Tyler Clippard, Ian Clarkin, and Tito Polo to the Chicago White Sox for David Robertson, Todd Frazier, and Tommy Kahnle.[15] Rutherford then joined the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators. He finished 2017 with a combined .260 batting average with two home runs and 35 RBIs in 101 games between both teams.[16] In 2018, he played for the Winston-Salem Dash, slashing .293/.345/.436 with seven home runs, 78 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in 115 games.[17] He began 2019 with the Birmingham Barons.[18] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs following the season.[19]

Rutherford was added to the White Sox 40–man roster following the 2019 season.[20]

Personal life

Rutherford's older brother, Cole, was a prospect for the San Diego Padres.[21]

References
  1. "NHSI: Getting ALL-USA star Blake Rutherford to the plate more often works for Chaminade (Calif.) | | USA Today High School Sports". usatodayhss.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  2. "USABaseball.com: News: Champion, Challenger: Kids keep Blake Rutherford from taking gifts lightly". web.usabaseball.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  3. "Blake Rutherford on Area Code and what lies ahead | Student Sports Baseball". studentsports.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  4. "Chaminade's Blake Rutherford will be the center of attention on the baseball field, with good reason - LA Times". latimes.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  5. "VAVEL Exclusive Interview With Three Highly Touted Players: Blake Rutherford, Jordan Butler And Brice Turang - VAVEL.com". vavel.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  6. "Under Armour All-America Game Spotlight: Blake Rutherford - BaseballAmerica.com". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  7. "Blake Rutherford drafted at No. 18 by Yankees". MLB.com.
  8. "Blake Rutherford Shows Tools of a Top-Five Draft Pick | FanGraphs Baseball". fangraphs.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  9. "2016 Top 100 Draft Prospects - BaseballAmerica.com". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  10. "MLB Draft 2016: Yankees make Blake Rutherford top pick". Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  11. "Yankees give 1st-round pick Blake Rutherford a $3M signing bonus". Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  12. "Minor league news and notes: Top pick Blake Rutherford on the move". Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  13. "Rutherford records first career four-hit game". MiLB.com.
  14. "Blake Rutherford Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com.
  15. Van Schouwen, Daryl (July 18, 2017). "White Sox trade Robertson, Frazier, Kahnle to Yankees, call up Moncada". chicago.suntimes.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  16. "Blake Rutherford Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  17. "Blake Rutherford Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Basebal". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  18. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/conner-greene-blake-rutherford-among-standouts-on-arizona-back-fields/
  19. https://www.mlb.com/news/2019-arizona-fall-league-rosters
  20. Daryl Van Schouwen (November 20, 2019). "Right-handers Zack Burdi, Dane Dunning among 7 added to White Sox 40-man roster". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  21. Rahman, Jamil (January 5, 2018). "Former Cornell First Baseman Signs With San Diego Padres". cornellsun.com. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
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