Chaminade’s Blake Rutherford is taken 18th in MLB draft by Yankees
The UCLA baseball team’s recruiting class once included arguably the best outfield duo in the nation.
It’s unlikely that either player will make it to Westwood.
Blake Rutherford of West Hills Chaminade High was taken No. 18 overall by the New York Yankees in the Major League Baseball draft on Thursday.
Rutherford is the second Southern California prospect taken in the draft, and the second UCLA outfield commit. Mickey Moniak was taken first overall by the Philadelphia Phillies.
For a time, Rutherford was considered the best high school outfield prospect in the nation, before Moniak’s stock rose recently. Rutherford played on the USA 18-under team last fall and hit the game-winning home run en route to a gold medal in Japan.
Rutherford, 19, is 6 feet 2 and 190 pounds.
He batted .577 with 45 hits, including 13 doubles and four home runs, for Chaminade this season.
Twitter: @zhelfand
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