Washington Nationals’ first-round pick RHP Jackson Rutledge cannot wait until he becomes teammates with fellow St. Louis native Max Scherzer. Appearing on MLB Network after the Nats selected him with the 17th pick overall, Rutledge professed his desire to play with Washington’s ace.
Rutledge stands at an intimidating 6-foot-8. He transferred from Arkansas and played at San Jacinto Junior College (Texas) this season, where he posted a 9-2 record with a 0.87 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 13 starts. He is committed to Kentucky, but the Nationals hope to bring up the 20-year old within their system.
His St. Louis connection also brings he together with a former Nationals’ arm. Rutledge admitted he learned his change-up from Ross Detwiler, who spent eight years within the club after being a first-round pick of theirs in 2007.
Rutledge acknowledged the Nationals had been to “just about every game” of his this past season.
The Nationals build their farm system with pitching and catching. For an organization that has been accustom to a stellar starting rotation filled with heavyweights Stephen Strasburg, Scherzer, and most recently Patrick Corbin, they’ve stockpiled arms.
Rutledge will hopefully mature into one of the numerous homegrown arms that have been built through the Nationals’ organization.
