Chaminade’s Blake Rutherford looms large in MLB draft

Ever since Blake Rutherford was inserted into the starting lineup as a freshman outfielder at West Hills Chaminade, coaches in the Mission League have considered him a special talent.

“He’s about as good as there is in this area,” Sherman Oaks Notre Dame Coach Tom Dill said.

Major League baseball begins its three-day amateur draft Thursday, and Rutherford, who has earned a scholarship to UCLA, is expected to be taken among the top 15 picks.

The Philadelphia Phillies have the No. 1 choice, followed by the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves. The Angels have the No. 16 selection and Dodgers draft at No. 20, No. 32 (compensation pick for losing Zack Greinke) and No. 36 (compensation for not signing No. 35 pick Kyle Funkhouser last year).

Rutherford was for a time considered the No. 1 high school outfielder in the draft, but now another UCLA signee, Mickey Moniak from La Costa Canyon, looks like he might be the Phillies’ pick.

Whatever happens, Rutherford has been preparing for this moment for years. He has learned how to handle pressure and expectations.

Last fall, he played on the USA 18-under team and hit a decisive home run to win a game on the team’s march to a gold medal in Japan.

Players from the Mission League, which is comprised of seven private schools in the San Fernando Valley, have been making an impression in pro baseball for decades.

In 1968, the No. 1 overall pick was Tim Foli from Notre Dame. Jack McDowell (Notre Dame) won the 1993 American League Cy Young Award. Rick Dempsey (Encino Crespi) was a major leaguer for 24 years. Jeff Suppan (Crespi) pitched for 17 years, earning the MVP award for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 National League championship series.

The Mission League is represented by major leaguers Giancarlo Stanton (Notre Dame, Miami Marlins), Kevin Pillar (Chaminade, Toronto Blue Jays), Trevor Plouffe (Crespi, Minnesota Twins) and Brendan Ryan (Notre Dame, Angels).

Rutherford is expected to be a first-round pick this year, and already one of the top prospects for 2017 is Notre Dame’s Hunter Greene, a pitcher and shortstop.

When the players faced off this season, Rutherford hit a 95-mph fastball by Greene over the fence at Notre Dame after striking out earlier in the game.

Rutherford batted .577 with 45 hits, including 13 doubles and four home runs, this season.

Asked his thoughts about if his name being called Thursday, Rutherford said: “It will be a lot of thankfulness for everyone involved who helped me get to this point. A lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice given up by a lot of people.”

Another potential first-round pick is Santa Barbara pitcher Kevin Gowdy, yet another UCLA signee. He had 104 strikeouts and just six walks in 62 2/3 innings.

Gowdy said the option of signing a pro contract or going to play for UCLA is a “win-win” situation for him.

The first two rounds of the draft are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Thursday. Rounds three through 10 are on Friday, rounds 11 through 40 on Saturday.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSondheimer

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @latsondheimer

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