But it’s Rutledge, the Washington Nationals’ 2019 first-round pick. He always wanted to know the “why” of everything, a trait he admits probably drove his parents crazy. That’s also why the Nationals kept him in camp until Sunday, when he was selected to Class AAA Rochester. Manager Dave Martinez believes it won’t be long before he’s in the rotation and wanted to ask him as many questions as possible. He started in the “spring breakout” game between the Nationals and New York Mets, which was meant to let young prospects shine. If all goes well, he will be another young arm in the stable alongside Mackenzie Gore (25), Josiah Gray (26) and Cade Cavalli (25).
In many ways, Rutledge is a surreal version of the modern MLB pitcher. He is not only tall but also 6 feet 8 inches tall. He’s not only analytically minded, but he’s also the type of pitcher who has such a close relationship with numbers that he overthinks things, which I hope is an issue he’s starting to curb. Rutledge, who made his MLB debut in September of this year, had two strong starts and two below-average starts with the Nationals last year, posting a 6.75 ERA with the major league club. His minor league ERA was 3.71, up from his career 4.53 ERA in his own ball.
Rutledge aligns with Washington’s desire to modernize, which has traditionally taken a more traditional approach than other organizations. This year, the Nationals are speaking the same language, from pitching coach Jim Hickey to pitching strategist Sean Doolittle.
“I’m very knowledgeable in this area, but sometimes I have a lot of questions,” Rutledge said. “So you just need to have the staff and the ability to talk to people and figure out, ‘Let’s put this in English.’ What does this mean in baseball terms? It’s so nice.”
“I think we’ve made great strides in a short amount of time,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “There are a lot of bright, analytical young people right outside my office, and you’ve probably seen them interacting with baseball officials and coaching staffs. We’ve got a lot of technology, we’ve got more people to work with that technology, and I think we’ll slowly instill that into our coaching staff.”
Continuing that pursuit, the Nationals remained in close contact with Rutledge’s offseason trainer, Premier Pitching Lab. Premier Pitching Lab is a data-focused facility in his home state of Missouri, which Rutledge has been attending since he was 14 and interned after his freshman year of college. That year, Cody Fick, the institute’s director of pitching, recalled that Rutledge wanted to add a slider. For other pitchers, that could take months. For Rutledge, it was primarily an observational pursuit. He observed other pitchers in his lab and needed only a few mound sessions to incorporate it into his system.
“When you see him observing at a high level, that’s probably his biggest attribute,” Fick said. “I think that speaks to the type of athlete he is, but I also think it speaks to the filter he has for information and data.”
“When he’s in the building, he’s contributing to the environment of the building,” said Jason Imekas, the institute’s head throwing trainer. “He’s thoughtful and respectful of everyone, whether they’re helping him or not.”
The question then becomes whether Washington is willing to work with a player who thinks like Rutledge when it comes to data. In spring training, coaches and front office personnel said this was an answer moving in the right direction. His relationships with the team’s research and development staff have also grown stronger after spending another year together, and he says people are starting to speak the same language. . We also brought in new input from forward-thinking organizations.
Because of the young roster, coaches note that pitchers are especially looking for feedback. Many times, the young pitchers were willing to stop in the middle of a bullpen session to report on pitch order or observe the shape of pitches.
Pitchers of his height are known to take time to develop, and it’s harder to synchronize consistent mechanics at 6’8 than at, say, 6’2. Rutledge shows signs of growth. correct direction. He said he has fully recovered from hip surgery he underwent in college and is using his lower body better, which makes pitching feel easier and has improved his stamina. He took the curveball out of his arsenal and added a cutter.
“He’s the ultimate competitor, but there’s also the side of him that wants to use the information available to him to create different types of advantages for himself,” Fick said. “And he has a brain that allows him to tackle all of that.”
“Once ‘Pitch 1’ starts, it’s all about competing,” Rutledge said. “It’s no longer, ‘Oh, this pitch is 7 percent more effective.’ It’s all about beating that guy in the box.”
