Jackson Rutledge, the 20-year-old right-hander the Nationals took at No. 17 in Monday night’s draft, sees himself as a starter in Major League Baseball — a guy who can come in and throw six innings or more as part of a regular rotation.
But if the Nationals, saddled this season with the league’s worst bullpen, want to use him as a reliever, the 6-foot-8 fastballer says he’s ready.
“I certainly have a little bit of experience coming out of the pen,” Rutledge told The Washington Times. “I closed a few games when I was at Arkansas last year.