Josh Rutledge Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Joshua Alan Rutledge
Born 04/21/1989 in Birmingham, AL
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 186 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Alabama
Debut 07/13/2012
Drafted in the 3rd round (107th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2010 (signed for $295,000).

View Draft Report

Rutledge could go in the first three rounds to a team that believes in his bat. He's a smooth athlete with good infield actions, in the Adam Everett mold. Rutledge doesn't make the flashy play in the hole because he's better going to his left than to his right. He has enough arm and range for short. Offensively, he had a solid season and runs a tick above-average, with sound baserunning instincts. He lacks strength in his hands and forearms and may never drive the ball enough to be a big league regular, despite his good defense. He also lacks plate discipline and has trouble catching up to good velocity.

Top Rankings

Though a wrist injury limited Rutledge to 11 games at short-season Tri-City in his 2010 pro debut, he skipped a level to high Class A Modesto in his first full season. After a nondescript .260/.352/.313 first half, he exploded to hit .410/.459/.664 with all nine of his homers in the second half, putting together a 27-game hitting streak. Rutledge has outstanding hand-eye coordination and a compact stroke, albeit with some stiffness. He takes a quick, flat path to the ball and uses the whole field. He has good balance, and improving his load and weight shift in the second half enabled him to center more balls. He has the tools to hit for a high average with at least gap power. A solid runner, he can steal a few bases as well. Rutledge has improved at shortstop, but he has trouble at times making plays on balls to his left and throws from deep in the hole. He has soft hands and the range for shortstop, but his average arm likely will push him to second base. He throws flat-footed too often. Troy Tulowitzki eventually would force him off shortstop anyway, so Rutledge may start seeing some time at second base in 2012. He'll open the year in Double-A with a chance to hit his way to Triple-A if continues to produce like he did at the end of 2011.

Rutledge's pro career got off to a slow start because of a wrist injury in his draft year, but he has been on the move ever since. After hitting .348/.414/.517 in high Class A in 2011, he moved to Double-A and handled the transition smoothly. He played even better when the Rockies called him up at midseason to replace an injured Troy Tulowitzki. Scouts and managers see Rutledge as a blue-collar player, a middle infielder with good pop in his bat. He'll offer better than average offense for a middle infielder, with a smooth stroke that puts a charge in the ball. He's short and quick to the ball and uses the whole field, though he needs to tone down his aggression. While he played mostly shortstop at Tulsa and in the big leagues, Rutledge fits better at second base long-term. He's a steady defender with a solid average arm, but he's a fringy runner whose range is better suited for second.

Background: Signed for $295,000 after a solid career at Alabama, a wrist injury limited Rutledge to 11 games at short-season Tri-City in his 2010 pro debut. He skipped a level to jump to high Class A Modesto in his first full season. After a nondescript .260/.352/.313 first half, he exploded to hit .410/.459/.664 with all nine of his homers in the second half, putting together a 27-game hitting streak. Scouting Report: Rutledge has outstanding hand-eye coordination and a compact stroke, albeit with some stiffness. He takes a quick, flat path to the ball and uses the whole field. He has good balance, and improving his load and weight shift in the second half enabled him to center more balls and unlock more of his power. He has the tools to hit for a high average with at least gap power. A solid runner, he can steal a few bases as well. Rutledge has improved at shortstop, but he has trouble at times making plays on balls to his left and throws from deep in the hole. He has soft hands and the range for shortstop, but his average arm likely will push him to second base. He throws flat-footed too often. The Future: Troy Tulowitzki eventually would force him off shortstop anyway, so Rutledge may start seeing some time at second base in 2012. He'll open the year in Double-A with a chance to hit his way to Triple-A if continues to produce like he did at the end of 2011.