Rutschman ranked BA #1 prospect in AA Northeast, #2 in AAA East (Franco); Rodriguez #4 in AA Northeast

[Frobby]

Per Melewski.  https://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2021/10/some-of-the-top-farm-pitchers-get-closer-to-baltimore.html

Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson and Riley Green were 2 and 3.   

Edit: Rutschman was no. 2 in the AAA Northeast, to Wander Franco’s no. 1.   

I’ve posted the writeups on Rutschman and Rodriguez below   

 

[Frobby]

AA Northeast write up:

1. Adley Rutschman, C, Bowie (Orioles)
Age: 23. B-T: B-R. HT: 6-2. WT: 216. Drafted:Oregon State, 2019 (1st round).

Rutschman was the consensus top prospect in the league this season, impressing managers with his maturity and presence both behind and at the plate before being promoted to Triple-A Norfolk in early August.

Rutschman mashed 18 home runs for Bowie, but evaluators also pointed to the carryover of his plate discipline from his college days. His walk rate of nearly 16% ranked fourth-best in the league among qualified hitters.

While Rutschman played 20 games at first base with Bowie, there were no concerns about his ability to stick at catcher, and he made big strides in both his pitch-framing and game-calling.

“He’s phenomenal,” Bowie teammate Grayson Rodriguez said. “When we have our postgame reports of all the pitches we made, and you see the pitches and where they’re at, it’s crazy to see how many balls he stole for strikes. The way he calls the game, and stuff like that, it’s elite.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2021-double-a-northeast-top-10-prospects/%3famphtml

[Frobby]

4. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Bowie (Orioles)
Age: 21. B-T: L-R. HT: 6-5. WT: 220. Drafted: HS—Nacogdoches, Texas, 2018 (1st round).

Despite not making his Double-A debut until June 2 after beginning the year in High-A Aberdeen, Rodriguez was Double-A Northeast’s strikeout king, racking up 121 in just 79.2 innings.

Most managers around the league considered Rodriguez to be the top pitcher in the league, edging out Harrisburg righthander Cade Cavalli. Scouts believe the 21-year-old has a floor of No. 2 starter in the major leagues, with precision within the zone at times still slightly holding him back from reaching his potential.

At his best, Rodriguez could be a future ace.

“He can pitch as a big leaguer right now,” one National League scout said. “He has four pitches that are plus or better, and he knows what he’s doing with them and can locate them. When he’s on, he’s going to dominate the game. And when he’s not, he can still out-stuff hitters.”

[Frobby]

AAA write up:

2. Adley Rutschman, C, Norfolk (Orioles)
Age: 23. B-T: B-R. Ht: 6-2. Wt: 220. Drafted:Oregon State, 2019 (1st round).

Double-A managers showered Rutschman with superlatives in Best Tools balloting, and he showed the same qualities upon his arrival at Triple-A with Norfolk.

Rutschman pairs easy plus power from both sides of the plate with an advanced, patient approach. He walked nearly as frequently as he struck out, and his chase rate at Triple-A was among the lowest of any prospect to make this list. Rutschman’s plate discipline allows him to hunt mistakes, and his swing is geared to crush them.

If there was anything to quibble with—and one truly has to nitpick in this case—it’s that Rutschman’s swing is more lofted from the left side, and Triple-A pitchers had some early success attacking him both at the top of the strike zone and with sliders.

Defensively, Rutschman’s blocking is fundamentally sound and his plus arm strength allows him to make every throw. Baseball’s No. 1 prospect looks every bit of a future franchise cornerstone in Baltimore.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2021-triple-a-east-top-10-prospects/%3famphtml

[sportsfan8703]

I see Tokelson in these rankings and I can’t help to think what if.  He went #1 the year we drafted Kjerstad #2. However, even if Torkelson fell, he still signed for $3-$4 million more than Kjerstad. So while we would 3 of the top 5-10 prospects in all of MILB right now, we wouldn’t have Westburg, Mayo, and Baumler. 

[glenn__davis]

Wow, floor of a #2 for Rodriguez.  That's pretty high praise.  Let's hope he stays healthy.

[ChrisP]

5 minutes ago, glenn__davis said:

Wow, floor of a #2 for Rodriguez.  That's pretty high praise.  Let's hope he stays healthy.

Agreed..I was about to post the same thing.