Jackson Rutledge


Jackson Christian Rutledge is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Career

Rutledge attended Rockwood Summit High School in Fenton, Missouri. In 2017, as a senior, he went 7-1 with a 1.19 ERA. He went undrafted in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at the University of Arkansas to play college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
As a freshman at Arkansas in 2018, Rutledge appeared in 12 games in which he went 3-0 with a 3.45 ERA. He began the year as a key pitcher out of the bullpen, but struggled in Southeastern Conference play, compiling a 27.00 ERA in three games, and did not pitch at all during the month of May. He announced that month that he would transfer and spend the 2019 season at San Jacinto College. During the 2018 offseason, he committed to play his 2020 junior season at the University of Kentucky. Rutledge broke out as a sophomore for the San Jacinto Central Ravens in 2019, pitching to a 9-2 record with a 0.87 ERA in 13 games, striking out 134 in 82.2 innings.
Rutledge was considered one of the top prospects for the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He was selected by the Washington Nationals with the 17th overall pick. He agreed to terms with the Nationals on June 17 for $3.45 million. He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Nationals before being promoted to the Auburn Doubledays after one game. He was promoted to the Hagerstown Suns in July, with whom he finished the year. Over ten starts between the three clubs, he went 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA, striking out 39 over innings.

Pitching style

Rutledge stands, taller than the average pitcher, although his arm action is relatively short and compact. He throws a four-seam fastball that has been clocked as fast as, complementing it with a slider, a changeup, and a curveball. Rutledge introduced the slider during his 2019 season with San Jacinto after tweaking his grip to differentiate it from his curveball. He has credited Ross Detwiler, also a first-round selection of the Washington Nationals in the 2007 MLB draft, for helping him develop his changeup.