• Full name Jackson Christian Rutledge
  • Born 04/01/1999 in Fenton, MO
  • Profile Ht.: 6'8" / Wt.: 251 / Bats: R / Throws: R
  • School San Jacinto JC
  • Drafted in the 1st round (17th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2019 (signed for $3,450,000).
    View Draft Report
    Rutledge entered the season as the second-ranked junior college prospect in the class after fellow righthander Carter Stewart because of his high school pedigree, tantalizing raw stuff and imposing, 6-foot-8, 260-pound frame. Out of high school, Rutledge had a solid, 90-93 mph fastball with impressive sinking life, but he needed to improve both his secondaires and overall control. Rutledge threw just 15.2 innings as a freshman at Arkansas before going down with a season-ending hip injury. Following the season, he decided to transfer to San Jacinto (Texas) JC and expected to enter the 2020 draft as a Kentucky commit. Those plans changed, however, when Rutledge came out this spring showing some of the best pure stuff of any pitcher in the country with improved control. Rutledge has regularly been into the upper 90s with his fastball, and he has held that velocity into the sixth and seventh innings of his starts throughout the season. In addition, he’s shown a pair of plus breaking balls in both a slider and curveball. Previously, Rutledge threw a hybrid breaking ball that was more slurve-like, but after interning with Pro Pitching Performance last summer (while he rehabbed from injury) Rutledge worked to differentiate those pitches with Rapsodo feedback and now has two distinct, swing-and-miss breaking pitches. He also has a changeup that could be a fourth above-average offering. While he isn’t facing the strongest competition, Rutledge struck out 123 batters through his first 12 starts and 77.2 innings (14.25 strikeouts per nine) this spring, with just 28 walks (3.25 walks per nine). Since his time in high school, Rutledge has significantly shortened his arm action. It’s now a incredibly tight and compact delivery, to the point that some scouts wonder how he’s able to generate and maintain his velocity. The upgrade in arm action has allowed him to improve his control, but scouts think he’ll need to continue refining his command when he faces stiffer competition at the pro level. Regardless, his pure stuff and the deception he creates with his delivery should give him plenty of room for error as he climbs the ladder. Rutledge has the upside of a No. 2 starter, but he carries some reliever risk due to his size and history of control problems.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Draft Prospects

Best Tools List

  • Rated Best Fastball in the Washington Nationals in 2020

Scouting Reports

Career Transactions

  • RHP Jackson Rutledge assigned to Rochester Red Wings from Harrisburg Senators.
  • RHP Jackson Rutledge assigned to Rochester Red Wings from Harrisburg Senators.
  • Washington Nationals optioned RHP Jackson Rutledge to Harrisburg Senators.
  • Harrisburg Senators activated RHP Jackson Rutledge.

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